Human Trafficking: A Literature Review of Global Policy
This literature review synthesizes key scholarly and policy sources on human trafficking, examining the strengths and shortcomings of the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, the gendered dimensions of trafficking, the role of healthcare providers in identifying victims, and the economic forces that sustain the practice globally. Drawing on works by Destefano, Loring, Dovydaitis, Wheaton, and Tsalikis, the paper argues that effective anti-trafficking efforts require international cooperation, improved victim protections, clearer legal definitions, and robust anti-poverty measures targeting the home countries of trafficked persons. The review highlights both the legislative progress made and the significant gaps that remain in combating this global human rights crisis.
- Introduction: The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000: U.S. law's inadequate response to trafficking
- Globalization, Corruption, and the International Scope of Trafficking: Global economy and government corruption enable trafficking
- Gender, Victimization, and the Need for Clearer Definitions: Women as primary victims; definitional challenges
- Healthcare Providers as First Responders to Trafficking: Healthcare workers' role in identifying trafficking victims
- Economic Dimensions and the Human Capital Cost of Trafficking: Trafficking drains developing nations of human capital
- Comparative Policy Responses: The U.S. and the UK: UK outpaces U.S. in victim support and prosecution
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What makes this paper effective
- The review synthesizes multiple academic sources coherently, using each to build upon or complicate the previous argument rather than simply summarizing sources in isolation.
- The paper maintains a consistent critical lens — evaluating the adequacy of existing legislation — across all sources reviewed, giving the review a unifying analytical thread.
- It effectively identifies areas of scholarly consensus (the need for anti-poverty measures, victim amnesty) while also noting points of disagreement (the relative emphasis on sex trafficking versus other forms).
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective comparative synthesis in a literature review: rather than treating each source as a standalone summary, the author explicitly compares and contrasts scholars' positions (e.g., Destefano versus Loring on the emphasis on prostitution, the U.S. versus the UK on victim support). This technique shows the reader how the literature relates internally and where genuine scholarly debate exists.
Structure breakdown
The review moves from the foundational legislative framework (the 2000 Act) outward to global economic and policy contexts, then inward to specific victim experiences in healthcare settings, before concluding with a macro-level economic and comparative policy analysis. This funnel-and-expand structure effectively situates individual victim experiences within broader systemic forces, demonstrating both micro and macro perspectives on trafficking.
Introduction: The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000
Perhaps the most significant piece of legislation passed to address the growing global problem of human trafficking was the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. This law established specific federal penalties for trafficking in persons and offered added protections for victims. However, according to Anthony M. Destefano's 2007 work The War on Human Trafficking: U.S. Policy Assessed, the years following the passage of this Act revealed its provisions to be inadequate. First and foremost, Destefano accuses the Bush Administration of harboring a narrow preoccupation with prostitution while ignoring other areas of the capitalist system in which trafficking generates profit, such as sweatshops. In the hands of the Bush Administration, the law was used just as often to punish and silence victims as it was to prosecute their abusers.
Globalization, Corruption, and the International Scope of Trafficking
According to Loring Jones et al.'s article "Globalization and Human Trafficking" (2007), the tendency of governments to overlook the influence of trafficking is not limited to the United States. Many governments, particularly in the developing world, turn a blind eye to trafficking given the corruption and influence of the organized crime networks that sustain it. Human trafficking is not manifested in any single nation, nor is one country alone to blame. It is a global phenomenon facilitated by the emergence of an interrelated global economy. Given that trafficking is increasing, it is essential that all countries work together, supported by international law, to combat it.
This global economy is increasingly characterized by a chasm between the world's "haves" and "have-nots," which creates demand for the exploitation of human beings across a variety of industries — from agriculture and domestic servitude to sweatshops and the sex industry. Unlike Destefano, however, Loring et al. do not view the emphasis on prostitution as misplaced when policing human trafficking abroad and at home.
References
Destefano, Anthony M. (2007). The war on human trafficking: U.S. policy assessed. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press.
Dovydaitis, Tiffany. (2011). Human trafficking: The role of the health care provider. Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health, 55(5): 462–467. DOI: 10.1016/j.jmwh.2009.12.017
Loring Jones, David W. Engstrom, Tricia Hilliard, & Mariel Diaz. (2007). Globalization and human trafficking. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare. Retrieved from FindArticles.com http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CYZ/is_2_34/ai_n27265537/
Tsalikis, C. (2011). The wound that shames our present. The World Today, 67(8), 28–30. Retrieved from OmniFile Full Text Mega database.
Wheaton, Elizabeth M., Edward J. Schauer, & Thomas V. Galli. (2010). Economics of human trafficking. International Migration. Special Issue: Human Trafficking, 48(4): 114–141. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2435.2009.00592.x
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