This research project developed and fully documented a method to estimate the number of females and males trafficked for the purposes of sexual and labor exploitation from eight countries (Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, and Venezuela) into the United States at the Southwest border. The model utilizes only open source data. This research represents the first phase of a two-phase project and Provides a conceptual framework for identifying potential data sources to estimate the number of victims at different stages in traffickingDevelops statistical models to estimate the number of males and females at risk of being trafficked for sexual and labor exploitation from the eight countries, and the number of males and females actually trafficked for sex and laborIncorporates into the estimation models the transit journey of trafficking victims from the eight countries to the southwest border of the United StatesDesigns the estimation models such that they are highly flexible and modular so that they can evolve as the body of data expands Utilizes open source data as inputs to the statistical model, making the model accessible to anyone interested in using itPresents preliminary estimates that illustrate the use of the statistical methodsIlluminates gaps in data sources. The data included in this collection are the open source data which were primarily used in the models to estimate the number of males and females at risk of being trafficked.

This study by the Coalition Against Trafficking Women was the first to research both contemporary international and domestic trafficking of women for sexual exploitation in the United States and to include primary research information from interviews with trafficked and prostituted women in the sex industry. Telephone and personal interviews were conducted with people who had experience with or knowledge of sex trafficking in the United States. This data collection consists of the verbatim questions and responses from the following groups of individuals who were interviewed: (1) international and United States women who had been or were in the sex industry in the United States, (2) law enforcement officials who had experience and expertise in sex-industry related cases or immigration, (3) social service workers who provided services to women in prostitution or might have come into contact with women from the sex industry and those providing services to immigrant populations, and (4) health care workers who provided services to women in prostitution or who may have come into contact with women in the sex industry. The research framework was developed to follow the path of trafficked women from their hometown, through their experiences in the sex industry, to their present place in life. Information was collected on trafficked women's backgrounds, roles and activities while in the sex industry, how they were controlled, and how they coped with their situations. Respondents were also asked about experiences with recruiters, traffickers, pimps, and customers. Additional information was gathered on the respondents' views on policies regarding trafficking and prostitution, the organization of the sex industry, and health and legal aspects of the business. Questionnaires for each group of interviewees were constructed according to the topics about which each group would most likely have knowledge or experience.

BackgroundThere is very limited evidence on the health consequences of human trafficking. This systematic review reports on studies investigating the prevalence and risk of violence while trafficked and the prevalence and risk of physical, mental, and sexual health problems, including HIV, among trafficked people. Methods and FindingsWe conducted a systematic review comprising a search of Medline, PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and Web of Science, hand searches of reference lists of included articles, citation tracking, and expert recommendations. We included peer-reviewed papers reporting on the prevalence or risk of violence while trafficked and/or on the prevalence or risk of any measure of physical, mental, or sexual health among trafficked people. Two reviewers independently screened papers for eligibility and appraised the quality of included studies. The search identified 19 eligible studies, all of which reported on trafficked women and girls only and focused primarily on trafficking for sexual exploitation. The review suggests a high prevalence of violence and of mental distress among women and girls trafficked for sexual exploitation. The random effects pooled prevalence of diagnosed HIV was 31.9% (95% CI 21.3%–42.4%) in studies of women accessing post-trafficking support in India and Nepal, but the estimate was associated with high heterogeneity (I2 = 83.7%). Infection prevalence may be related as much to prevalence rates in women's areas of origin or exploitation as to the characteristics of their experience. Findings are limited by the methodological weaknesses of primary studies and their poor comparability and generalisability. ConclusionsAlthough limited, existing evidence suggests that trafficking for sexual exploitation is associated with violence and a range of serious health problems. Further research is needed on the health of trafficked men, individuals trafficked for other forms of exploitation, and effective health intervention approaches. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary

The data for this study were sourced from the crowd-sourcing project DrugRoutes, which we launched online on January 1, 2020. DrugRoutes was an online platform that gathered transaction data directly from individuals who had bought or sold drugs on cryptomarkets. The website, accessible via the clear web or the darknet, allowed users to anonymously share information regarding their latest cryptomarket transactions. The data gathered included the specific type of illicit drug involved, the quantity traded, the transaction amount, the transaction date, the countries of origin and destination, and confirmation of parcel receipt. To encourage participation, DrugRoutes openly shared the collected data, enabling cryptomarket users to identify the most popular routes. Consistent with previous studies, our methodology aimed to create a safe space for cryptomarket participants to contribute information for research purposes.Every submission to the project underwent moderation by the authors to filter out potential spam. Submissions deemed too deviant from the prevalent cryptomarket prices per unit at the time were labeled as spam and excluded from the dataset. The research team cross-referenced the price per unit from multiple listings on several cryptomarkets and calculated an average. A transaction price from the same origin country that deviated more than one standard deviation from the mean was regarded as spam and removed from the dataset. We also removed multiple submissions made within seconds of each other as potential spam. While DrugRoutes was one of the few crowd-sourcing initiatives collecting information on illicit drug transactions, it stands out as the only one incorporating successful delivery of illicit drugs. The research team advertised the crowd-sourcing platform on approximately 140 darkweb platforms, and the consent form and contact information were readily available on the website.In total, we collected 1,364 submissions between 2020 and 2022, all of which were confirmed to be authentic and genuine. As this paper is exclusively concerned with international transactions, the subsequent analyses will omit data that pertain strictly to domestic trade.This study views drug trafficking on cryptomarkets as a network of relationships between countries. This perspective aligns with previous literature analyzing drug trafficking across nations, and recent studies investigating the geographic structure of drug trafficking on cryptomarkets.We utilize data from DrugRoutes to identify relationships between countries. DrugRoutes solicited information from cryptomarket participants about their home country and the country with which they most recently transacted. Consequently, we establish a link from Germany to Spain if a participant based in Germany reports purchasing drugs from a dealer in Spain, or if a Spanish drug dealer declares having shipped drugs to Germany. Using this method, we identified a total of 731 different transactions involving 372 dyads across 42 pairs of countries.The network of drugs trafficked via cryptomarkets is characterized by two distinctive features. First, we only consider a connection if at least two submissions are reported for a pair of countries. For example, we dismissed the connection between Albania and Ireland since we have only one observation following this route. These connections are more likely to be random or sporadic links between countries and, therefore, are not included in our analysis. The final network is predicated on a total of 100 exchanges between any two countries.Secondly, we do not differentiate between substances. For example, a connection between Spain and Germany for cannabis is regarded in the same way as a connection between France and Germany for cocaine. Given that we have only a few transactions for most substances, creating individual networks for each illicit drug type would result in very small networks. As a result, we opted to group all drug types together to avoid information loss. More crucially, we anticipate the independent variables to exert a similar effect on cryptomarket transactions, irrespective of the drug type. This approach also enables us to compare our findings to previous studies that do not differentiate between substances .

A qualitative study exploring the availability of mental health and psychosocial services for trafficked and exploited people in Cambodia. Authors discuss the prevalence of mental illness in Cambodia, the development of mental health services and analyse treatments for their availability, accessibility, accommodation of client needs, affordability and acceptability. Authors conclude that access to services is limited by geographical distribution; the scarcity of professionals and training options for existing staff, and a narrow focus on victims who are willing to enter residential shelter models.

The Department of Justice Canada has contracted community-based research to better understand the lives of individuals involved in the sex trade. The former 2014 legislation, Bill C-36, the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, also known as the “Nordic” model or approach, targets purchasers of sexual services and third parties who profit from others’ sexual services. Under this legislation, providers of sexual services are not criminalized, but are instead viewed as requiring support and not punishment (Department of Justice Canada 2014). With this important distinction at the forefront of this approach, the Measures Addressing Prostitution Initiative (MAPI) was created to aid sexual service providers to exit the sex trade. This program received multi-year funding from 2015-2016 to 2020-2021. A major aspect of this initiative was to provide funding to organizations within the not-for-profit sector to support individuals within the sex trade with wrap-around services, such as housing, healthcare, therapy, addictions treatment, family reunification, and life skills programs. The 2022 publication of A Review of the Measures to Address Prostitution Initiative (MAPI) (Badets and Wichmann 2022) was based on data collected by the thirteen (13) organizations that provided support services. The data collected included basic demographics, services used, and some outcomes. While the report provides some information on people seeking support from these organizations, there remains a lack of qualitative data about the lives of sexual service providers. Voice Found was one of the thirteen (13) organizations that received funding from MAPI; and this charity has a mandate to provide services to those who are at risk of, who have been, or who are being trafficked. This includes both sex and labour trafficking, but for the scope of this research, only survivors of sex trafficking were included. The data collected by Voice Found provides many insights into the lives of their clients at the time of first being trafficked, during trafficking, their experiences as they exited, and what has helped or may have helped them through this time. The intention of this project was to provide a more complete picture of the why and how of both entering and exiting sex trafficking.

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed. This study was a process evaluation of three programs funded by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) to identify and provide services to victims of sex and labor trafficking who are U.S citizens and lawful permanent residents (LPR) under the age of 18. The three programs evaluated in this study were: The Standing Against Global Exploitation Everywhere (SAGE) Project The Salvation Army Trafficking Outreach Program and Intervention Techniques (STOP-IT) program The Streetwork Project at Safe Horizon The goals of the evaluation were to document program implementation in the three programs, identify promising practices for service delivery programs, and inform delivery of current and future efforts by the programs to serve this population. The evaluation examined young people served by the programs, their service needs and services delivered by the programs, the experiences of young people and staff with the programs, and programs' efforts to strengthen community response to trafficked youth.

This research explores trends in trafficking of Cambodian men, the needs of survivors and available aftercare services for them in Cambodia. Trafficking to fishing vessels is a particular focus. The research finds that men constitute a significant proportion of Cambodian victims of trafficking identified. Many survivors return with severe needs that require long-term support. Despite this, Cambodia’s (re)integration services for men are under-developed. Existing services have made a huge difference in the lives of the individuals they touch; however, some survivors still receive no assistance, many receive only short-term or partial support. The few organisations that do provide long-term assistance face numerous challenges. The report concludes with a range of opportunities to improve (re)integration services.