Over the past two decades, the authors, together and separately, have conducted a large number of research studies in Europe, the former Soviet Union and South-East Asia. Most of these studies have involved in-depth interviews with trafficking victims and practitioners from different fields of work (social work, psychology, criminal justice, education, health, etc.). These studies have been conducted with men, women and children trafficked for sexual exploitation, forced labour, begging, criminal activities and forced marriage. Most of this research has been focused specifically on victims’ experiences of interventions—identification, protection, assistance, reintegration and access to justice. Much of our research has been applied in nature, targeting policymakers and practitioners to contribute to improved interventions for trafficked persons. In this chapter, we share ethical and methodological issues that have come up in these different research projects and some of what we have learned along the way.
Author Archives:
Special and Additional Measures for Victim-Witnesses: A Practitioner Guide (2023)
Victims of trafficking are entitled to be involved and have their views known in any legal case concerning them. Victims should be encouraged, but not compelled, to participate in the prosecution of their exploiters. Before, during and after their involvement in the criminal justice process, victims should be provided with appropriate information, assistance and support and protection from re-traumatization. Special efforts should be made to ensure that the investigation and court processes do not re-traumatize or otherwise cause additional harm to trafficked persons. This practitioner guide reviews and synthesizes existing research on special and additional measures to ensure the safety and well-being of trafficking victim-witnesses.
Available in Spanish
Access to Remedies: A Practitioner Guide (2023)
Trafficking victims are entitled to justice for the crimes and human rights violations committed against them. Access to remedies for trafficking victims is key not only to support victims’ recovery, but also to reaffirm their rights and prevent re-victimization. Remedies often provide financial means, which can help to support reintegration and reduce vulnerability to re-trafficking. Remedies can also contribute to victims’ emotional and psychological recovery and provide a sense of justice and closure. Remedies – restitution and compensation – should be adequate and appropriate, proportional to the gravity of the violation, and adapted to the circumstances of the case. This practitioner guide distills existing research on the right to an effective remedy, including both a trafficking victim’s substantive right to that remedy and the procedural rights necessary to secure it.
How to Develop a Directory of Services for Trafficking Victims: A Tool for Practitioners (2022)
This tool provides practitioners with step-by-step guidance on how to design and implement a Directory of Services for Trafficking Victims. It explains what a Directory of Services for Trafficking Victims is, who it is for and why it is important. It then offers a detailed roadmap of how to design and implement a Directory of Services for Trafficking Victims in a specific area or country. This tool includes an accompanying Microsoft Excel template in which practitioners can compile information about services to be included in the Directory of Services. A “how to” video is also available, offering clear guidance on how to design, prepare and maintain an up-to-date Directory of Services for Trafficking Victims.
Available in Spanish
Trafficking Victim Identification: A Practitioner Guide (2022)
Victim identification is the process by which an individual is identified as a trafficking victim, which, in turn, entitles them to rights and protections. While formal identification should lead to and facilitate the opportunity for a victim to be referred for assistance, this does not always occur in practice. Some trafficking victims are not identified and assisted by frontline responders and practitioners. Other victims decline to be identified and assisted. Still other victims may be formally identified but not referred for assistance or may be forced to accept assistance. This practitioner guide reviews existing research on victim identification (and non-identification), touching on why some victims are (and are not) identified, challenges in the identification process and practices that may enhance victim identification.
Available in Bahasa Indonesian
Available in Malaysian
Available in Vietnamese
Available in Thai
Available in Spanish
Trafficking Victim Protection and Support: A Practitioner Guide (2022)
Victims of trafficking are entitled to, and should receive, immediate protection from their exploiters and from the possibility of further harm, including the risk of re-trafficking. They should receive support to meet their immediate needs and ensure their well-being, irrespective of their willingness to participate in criminal justice procedures, protection from detention and prosecution and the right to privacy. This practitioner guide reviews existing research on the protection and support of trafficking victims in Asia, both in terms of what exists and what challenges arise in the provision of protection and support.
Available in Bahasa Indonesian
Available in Malaysian
Available in Vietnamese
Available in Thai
Recovery and Reintegration of Trafficking Victims: A Practitioner Guide (2022)
Recovery and reintegration is a complex and costly undertaking, often requiring a full and diverse set of services for victims (and sometimes their families), who themselves have widely differing short- and long-term physical, psychological, social and economic needs. Once the immediate needs of trafficked persons have been met, many victims require further assistance to reintegrate into their families and communities (e.g. vocational training, economic support, long-term access to healthcare, counseling, education, family mediation). Some assistance needs are a consequence of trafficking while others may be linked to vulnerabilities that existed before victims were trafficked as well as issues that have arisen in victims’ lives after trafficking. Because successful reintegration can take years to achieve, reintegration services must be available in the long-term and include follow-up and case management. This practitioner guide reviews and synthesizes existing research on recovery and reintegration of trafficking victims including barriers and challenges in the reintegration process as well as opportunities and entry points for supporting sustainable reintegration.
Available in Bahasa Indonesian
Available in Malaysian
Available in Vietnamese
Available in Thai
Available in Spanish
Special and Additional Measures for Child Trafficking Victims: A Practitioner Guide (2022)
The ASEAN Trafficking Convention (ACTIP) explicitly recognizes that child victims have special needs and that appropriate measures are needed to ensure the safety and well-being of child victims, from identification to the securing of a durable solution involving longer-term support. Care and protection must be made available on an equal and non-discriminatory basis with no distinction between child nationals and child non-nationals. Special attention should be paid to assessing and meeting the requirements of children with special needs such as the very young, those with disabilities and those who have suffered severe exploitation and abuse. This practitioner guide reviews existing research on the specific needs and experiences of trafficked children as well as measures in place and challenges faced to protect them. Based on this analysis, practitioners will be guided to a deeper understanding of how to more effectively address the critical issues that arise in implementing special and additional measures for trafficked children.
Available in Bahasa Indonesian
Available in Malaysian
Available in Vietnamese
Available in Thai
Available in Spanish
Dialogue Brief: Protecting and Assisting Boy Survivors of Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (2022)
This thematic dialogue brief is based on the CTIP Thematic Dialogue: Protecting and assisting boy survivors of trafficking and sexual exploitation and abuse, jointly hosted by jointly hosted by ASEAN-USAID Partnership for Regional Optimization with the Political-Security and Socio-Cultural Communities (PROSPECT), NEXUS Institute and ECPAT on May 9, 2022. It also draws extensively from the Discussion Brief drafted as background to this thematic dialogue, as well as research and resources developed by ECPAT in the framework of the Global Boys Initiative.
Dialogue Brief: Enhancing Trafficking Victims’ Access to Services. How to Develop a Directory of Services for Trafficking Victims (2022)
This thematic dialogue brief is based on the CTIP Thematic Dialogue: Enhancing Trafficking Victim’s Access to Services. How to Develop a Directory of Services for Trafficking Victims, jointly hosted by ASEAN-USAID Partnership for Regional Optimization with the Political-Security and Socio-Cultural Communities (PROSPECT), NEXUS Institute, ASEAN-Australia Counter Trafficking (ASEAN-ACT) Program, and the Regional Support Office of the Bali Process (RSO) on December 15, 2022.