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Trafficking for the Purposes of Labour Exploitation: A Literature Review

NCJ Number
218846
Author(s)
Samantha Dowling; Karen Moreton; Leila Wright
Date Published
2007
Length
31 pages
Annotation
This report presents the results of a literature review on trafficking in the United Kingdom for the purposes of labor exploitation, not sexual exploitation for both adult victims and child victims.
Abstract
This literature review highlights that there is little factual and strong evidence concerning the trafficking of both adults and children to the United Kingdom for the purposes of labor exploitation. Some areas of knowledge are more extensively addressed than others, but there are considerable gaps in knowledge, thereby hindering development of policy and understanding of the area. A much larger proportion of information or research is available at an international level and/or focuses on sexual exploitation. However, the literature review does highlight some important issues which impact on one’s understanding of human trafficking, such as the need for a clear consensus on the definition of trafficking in order to further develop policy and fill knowledge gaps, the link between victim support and perpetrator prosecution, the fact that children will need special consideration when it comes to support and protection, and the potential benefit of tackling human trafficking, both as an issue of borders and law enforcement and also employment, exploitation, and human rights. Understanding the need to improve knowledge and understanding of other forms of trafficking to better assess whether these represent a significant problem for the United Kingdom, this literature review sought (1) to identify what was known about trafficking to the United Kingdom for the purposes of labor exploitation, (2) to identify knowledge gaps in the area of labor exploitation, and (3) to make recommendations as to how to address any knowledge gaps. References