Deanna Davy

This study focuses on the volume, characteristics and risk factors for adults and children. It aims to identify gaps and challenges in Fijiʼs response to trafficking in persons. The report also gives an overview of Fijiʼs legal and policy framework on anti-human trafficking, examines domestic and cross-border trafficking trends, and provides a set of recommendations for policymakers and non-governmental organizations on strengthening Fijiʼs response to trafficking in persons.

The study, Report on the Use of Fraudulent Medical Documents in Travel and Migration during the COVID-19 Pandemic seeks to support immigration and border management agencies in addressing the use of fraudulent COVID-19 medical documents in the context of migration. The data for this study derives from a review of recent literature, a survey disseminated to national immigration authorities in the Asia-Pacific region, and a semi-structured interviews with representatives of immigration agencies and experts. The study supports agencies responsible for checking travellers’ medical documents and facilitates authorities in identifying  fraudulent documents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the report examines how and why fraudulent medical documents are used in this context,  prevalence of the documents used, types of fraudulent documents identified, profile of travellers and migrants, reasons for travel, and methods for sourcing fraudulent documents. The report further suggests actions for improving international coordination, and strengthening mechanisms to identify fraudulent medical documents while identifying challenges encountered by the authorities in responding to the use of fraudulent medical documents. This research report is developed by the Document Examination Support Center (DESC) initiative coordinated by the Immigration and Border Management unit of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

This document was prepared in the framework of the programme Transforming National Response to Human Trafficking in and from Albania, implemented by a coalition of six international and local organisations: UNICEF Albania, Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe Presence in Albania, Terre des Hommes, Tjetër Vizion, Vatra, and Të Ndryshëm dhe të Barabartë. The programme is funded by the government of the United Kingdom (UK).

Child trafficking is a crime and a violation of the rights of the child. The trafficking of children represents a failure of the state and the community to protect children from unscrupulous recruiters and human traffickers. In southeast Asia, children are trafficked into a variety of sectors, including factory work, begging, domestic labour, fishing, and sex work. Complex ‘supply’ and ‘demand’ factors exacerbate the phenomenon of child trafficking. Traffickers prey on children as they are less aware than adults of their employment rights and less likely to seek help through appealing to the authorities or through industrial processes. This chapter explores the phenomenon of child trafficking in southeast Asia, presents research-based implications for the academic and social-emotional development of children, and provides recommendations for professionals interested in preventing child trafficking and protecting victims of this heinous crime.

Research has demonstrated that alcohol misuse has a significant impact on police time and resources, the health sector and the Australian community more broadly. Despite growing interest in the topic and the number of studies that have been completed, there remain significant limitations to the national measurement of alcohol-related crime. While recent studies have canvassed the challenges of measuring alcohol-related crime and proposed possible solutions, this study set out to bridge a gap in the knowledge and understanding of the steps that need to be taken to establish practical, high-quality indicators of alcohol-related crime at a national level. The Intergovernmental Committee on Drugs commissioned the Australian Institute of Criminology to undertake a review of policing and non-policing data on the involvement of alcohol in crime and to identify the short-, medium- and longer-term options available for better understanding and measuring the magnitude of alcohol-related crime in Australia. Based on an extensive review of the literature, interviews with representatives from all state and territory police agencies and a range of non-policing agencies, and a review of existing data sources, this report describes the data that are currently available to measure the involvement of alcohol in crime, the strengths and limitations of these data and the issues that will likely impact on future efforts to measure alcohol-related crime at the national level. The report ends by proposing a suite of national indicators of alcohol-related crime.

This research is the first study of its kind looking at the transport needs of survivors of modern slavery, who are supported through the UK’s National Referral Mechanism (NRM). It sought to provide concrete evidence of the situation regarding transport, which was anecdotally regarded as a significant challenge. The research is a multi-stakeholder initiative that brought together survivors, NGOs, academia and the private sector. The mixed methods study involved providing Oyster cards to 100 survivors and topping them up remotely with £50 every fortnight, for a period of 12 weeks. Participants answered survey questions before and after the 12-week period, and a sample took part in in-depth interviews to understand the impact that free transport had on their recovery

The central aim of this study was to strengthen the understanding of the relationships between human trafficking victims and human traffickers, and the effects of these relationships on victim recruitment, control, exploitation, escape and re-trafficking.
More specifically, the objectives were to:
■ Examine the dynamics of the relationships between victims and human traffickers in the Albania context.
■ Understand and document the tactics of human traffickers in the areas of victim recruitment, control and exploitation.
■ Explore how relationships between victims and traffickers play an important role in victim recruitment, control and exploitation, as well as victims’ escape and vulnerability to re-trafficking.

Since the early 2000s, a significant number of programs and policies have been developed and implemented to prevent and combat human trafficking. At the international, regional and national levels, government, and international, and nongovernment organizations have established plans of action, conducted training, developed policy tools, and conducted a variety of other activities to counter the phenomenon of trafficking in persons. However, only a small number of these anti–human trafficking interventions have been evaluated and an even fewer number have been evaluated rigorously. This article explores the approaches that have been used to evaluate anti–human trafficking interventions. Through a review of 49 evaluations, the study finds that action is required to increase quality evaluations of anti–human trafficking programs in order to ensure that programs are targeted, implemented, and delivered effectively, and the knowledge on the impact of programs is improved.

Australia is a wealthy country; however, available evidence suggests that food security among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples has not yet been achieved. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in remote, regional, and urban parts of Australia experience food insecurity for a number of reasons that usually include low income and a lack of access to affordable and healthy food. The much higher rate of illness and disease that this population experiences compared to non-indigenous Australians is directly related to food insecurity. This paper examines the food insecurity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and recent Australian government efforts to combat this problem. The paper first considers what constitutes a human rights-based approach to achieving food security. Second, it describes the food insecurity that currently exists among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the three pillars of food access, food availability, an...

The High Density Housing Program (HDHP) is a collaborative program involving Reclink Australia, the Australian Capital Territory Justice and Community Safety Directorate (JACS), ACT Housing, ACT Health and ACT Policing. It involves the application of community development approaches to prevent crime and antisocial behaviour at Ainslie Avenue, a large public housing area in the ACT comprising six (previously seven) blocks. An on-the-ground manager (OTGM), employed by Reclink Australia, maintains a continuing presence across the site, coordinating existing services to residents and introducing new events, activities and programs that provide opportunities for resident interaction and relationship building and that address the needs of residents.

Transnational advocacy networks ’ anti-child trafficking efforts have led to significant progress in the Mekong Subregion by bringing the child trafficking issue onto the global social policy agenda, resulting in new child protection legislation and improved inter-agency collaboration in the region. However, a significant gap in both the literature on TANs and TAN practice is the lack of monitoring and evaluation of TAN ‘effectiveness’. This article discusses the recent literature on TAN effectiveness and discusses the ‘key elements ’ of TAN effectiveness, as highlighted by child trafficking experts operating in TANs in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Research into the area of TAN effectiveness is important for improving our knowledge of what TANs are achieving in terms of preventing child trafficking and protecting victims, as well as improving our knowledge of the different meanings and interpretations of TAN ‘effectiveness’. Furthermore, research into this area is important for imp...

This research is the first study of its kind looking at the transport needs of survivors of modern slavery, who are supported through the UK’s National Referral Mechanism (NRM). It sought to provide concrete evidence of the situation regarding transport, which was anecdotally regarded as a significant challenge. The research is a multi-stakeholder initiative that brought together survivors, NGOs, academia and the private sector. The mixed methods study involved providing Oyster cards to 100 survivors and topping them up remotely with £50 every fortnight, for a period of 12 weeks. Participants answered survey questions before and after the 12-week period, and a sample took part in in-depth interviews to understand the impact that free transport had on their recovery

The study identified the following elements as core to conceptions of freedom: For adults, choice (primarily as regards to labour), decent income and freedom from debt, confidence and independence, and freedom of movement were key. For children (those under 18 years of age), conceptions of freedom were premised on the ability to undertake education, to play, to earn a decent income, and choice of labour. The NGOs’ education support activities, which included raising awareness of both children and their parents on the importance of education, re-enrolling the children in school, providing additional free schooling, and encouraging the children to plan for higher education and future employment, were crucial to children envisaging a life of liberation.

This essay explores the negative effects of COVID-19 on modern slavery at the global level. Drawing on grey literature and media reports published during the period March to September 2020, the essay begins by discussing  the impacts of COVID-19 on migrant workers around the world. The second section examines the effects of the pandemic on the currently enslaved individuals. The third section briefly examines how traffickers are operating during the COVID-19 pandemic. The final section addresses the ability of international organisations and NGOs to provide direct support to victims of slavery and vulnerable persons during this crisis.

Australia has witnessed an increase in human trafficking cases in recent years, most of which have involved women trafficked for sexual exploitation. In response, and within the framework of the United Nations Protocol to Prevent and Suppress Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, Australia has introduced legislation to combat human trafficking and punish traffickers. However, the number of prosecutions of human trafficking offences in Australia has, to date, been low. Drawing on the available literature, this article sets out to explore the reasons for this, which the paper argues have largely centered on Australia’s previously restrictive visa framework for trafficking victims. The paper also explores other obstacles and barriers to successful prosecutions, such as issues associated with discrediting and attacking vulnerable witnesses, and lengthy and complex trials. The paper argues that Australia needs to increase its efforts to meet the obligations set out by the United Nations Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking, and to balance its priorities regarding prosecution and victim protection.

Australia is a wealthy country; however, available evidence suggests that food security among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples has not yet been achieved. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in remote, regional, and urban parts of Australia experience food insecurity for a number of reasons that usually include low income and a lack of access to affordable and healthy food. The much higher rate of illness and disease that this population experiences compared to non-indigenous Australians is directly related to food insecurity. This paper examines the food insecurity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and recent Australian government efforts to combat this problem. The paper first considers what constitutes a human rights-based approach to achieving food security. Second, it describes the food insecurity that currently exists among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the three pillars of food access, food availability, and food use. Third, the paper critically examines recent and current Australian government policy aimed at improving food security. The paper concludes with some reflections regarding how the Australian government can improve its efforts to achieve food security for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Since the early 2000s, a significant number of programs and policies have been developed and implemented to prevent and combat human trafficking. At the international, regional and national levels, government, and international, and nongovernment organizations have established plans of action, conducted training, developed policy tools, and conducted a variety of other activities to counter the phenomenon of trafficking in persons. However, only a small number of these anti–human trafficking interventions have been evaluated and an even fewer number have been evaluated rigorously. This article explores the approaches that have been used to evaluate anti–human trafficking interventions. Through a review of 49 evaluations, the study finds that action is required to increase quality evaluations of anti–human trafficking programs in order to ensure that programs are targeted, implemented, and delivered effectively, and the knowledge on the impact of programs is improved.

Human trafficking is a global crime and human rights violation that affects nearly every country of the world. Victims of human trafficking may suffer severe physical, psychological, and emotional health consequences as they are often subjected to a range of abuses such as physical violence, sexual assault, emotional abuse, mind-control, and torture. A variety of human-trafficking victim support programs exist in the United States and other countries that receive human-trafficking victims to support their immediate and longer-term needs. There is a dearth of contemporary literature on the subject of the support needs of human-trafficking victims. Further, due to a lack of publicly available program evaluations, little is also known about whether victim support programs are able to meet the needs of human-trafficking victims. This article aims to bridge a gap in knowledge and understanding of human-trafficking victims’ support needs and whether they are being met by support programs by reviewing three recent U.S.-based human-trafficking victim support program evaluations.

Human trafficking and slavery are heinous crimes that occur in all regions of the world. Victims are
frequently trafficked or enslaved using tactics involving force, threats, or coercion. Perceptions of
human trafficking and slavery often involve images of slaves, bound and shackled, kidnapped,
and raped. Anecdotal evidence from Australia suggests that victims of human trafficking and slavery
in Australia do not fit this stereotypical image. This article sets out to explore the more subtle
elements of human trafficking and slavery in Australia through a review of human trafficking and
slavery court case reports. The article presents summaries of case reports for the period
2004–2014 and identifies tactics of enslavement and pathways into slavery. The article also considers
the implications—for identifying victims and combating human trafficking—of the more subtle
methods of enslavement that occur in Australia.

Purpose
– The market in trafficked children bought and sold for sexual exploitation is one of the most inhumane transnational crimes that appear to have been facilitated by globalisation and its many effects, such as growing disparity in wealth between North and South. Child sex trafficking (CST) in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) is an extremely complex problem, deeply rooted in historical injustice, gender inequality and poverty. In addition to the complexities of the child trafficking issue, the organisations that seek to combat CST are themselves not always a united force and display their own internal and inter-agency complexities. The purpose of this paper is to examine some of the key complexities of responding to CST in Thailand and Cambodia.

Design/methodology/approach
– The methodology for this research consisted of 22 semi-structured interviews with anti-child trafficking experts in Thailand and Cambodia, in addition to field observations in various child sex tourism hubs in Southeast Asia.

Findings
– The complexities of the CST problem in Thailand and Cambodia are discussed as well as analysis of the internal and inter-agency barriers faced by the organisations that seek to combat CST. The research finds that, due to limitations in donor funding, anti-trafficking organisations face difficulties in effectively responding to all aspects of the CST problem. The recommendation is made for improved advocacy networking against this transnational crime. Recent success stories are highlighted.

Research limitations/implications
– The research for this paper involved semi-structured interviews with staff from non-government organisations and United Nations agencies, but not with government representatives. The lack of available data from Thai and Cambodian government representatives limits the ability of the researcher to evaluate the effectiveness of anti-trafficking organisations’ response to the child trafficking issue. Also lacking is the voice of child trafficking victims, the key beneficiaries of anti-trafficking organisations’ aid and advocacy efforts.

Originality/value
– There is an abundance of literature on the subject of CST but a dearth in scholarly literature on the subject of advocacy and policy responses to CST in Southeast Asia. This paper provides a valuable contribution the knowledge base on child trafficking by analysing both the complexities of the CST issue and the complexities, for anti-trafficking organisations, of effectively combating CST in the GMS.

The rapidly expanding market in enslaved children bought and sold for sex is one of the most inhumane transnational crimes that appears to have been facilitated by globalization and its many effects, such as a growing disparity in wealth between north and south. Child sex trafficking has become one of the most highly pub- licized social issues of this time, and, because of its global nature, transnational advocacy networks are well placed and central to leading campaigns against it. Transnational advocacy network anti-trafficking efforts have led to significant progress in the Mekong Subregion by bringing the child trafficking issue onto the global social policy agenda, resulting in new child protection legislation and improved interagency collaboration in the region.

Child sex trafficking has become one of the most highly publicised social issues of our time and, due to its global nature, transnational anti-trafficking advocacy networks are well placed and central to lead campaigns against it. Whilst there is an abundance of literature on the subjects of child sex trafficking and transnational advocacy networks we lack an understanding of the motivations of these networks that act as buffers against trafficking. Cosmopolitan globalisation theory remains a compelling framework for examining the motivations of transnational anti-child sex trafficking networks in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Applying a cosmopolitan globalisation lens, this article discusses the social justice goals of transnational advocacy networks, their centrality in combating child sex trafficking, and their ability to perform cosmopolitan ‘globalisation from below’ to counter global social problems.

Transnational advocacy networks’ anti-child trafficking efforts have led to significant progress in the Mekong Subregion by bringing the child trafficking issue onto the global social policy agenda, resulting in new child protection legislation and improved inter-agency collaboration in the region. However, a significant gap in both the literature on TANs and TAN practice is the lack of monitoring and evaluation of TAN ‘effectiveness’. This article discusses the recent literature on TAN effectiveness and discusses the ‘key elements’ of TAN effectiveness, as highlighted by child trafficking experts operating in TANs in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Research into the area of TAN effectiveness is important for improving our knowledge of what TANs are achieving in terms of preventing child trafficking and protecting victims, as well as improving our knowledge of the different meanings and interpretations of TAN ‘effectiveness’. Furthermore, research into this area is important for improving our understanding of how TANs are well positioned to provide an effective response to the child sex trafficking problem.