Limitations in Research on Human Trafficking*

In this article I point to some common pitfalls and particular challenges in research on human trafficking. I start out by presenting some of the challenges in identifying observable populations and behaviours, arguing that primary data collection in the trafficking field should focus on former victims, and not current victims or persons at risk. Thereafter I discuss some of the factors that have inhibited the development and use of explicit operational definitions of trafficking. Third, I present some of the challenges in identification of trafficking victims, when the victims themselves do not want to identify with the trafficking label. Finally, the usefulness of different research strategies in the trafficking fields for the current knowledge‐needs is discussed. The article concludes that there will always be some limitations and biases in empirical research in the trafficking field. However, as long as we acknowledge these limitations and make them explicit in our research, sound empirical research that enhances our knowledge in this field is possible. The best potential for good quality research lies in small‐scale, thematically focused empirical studies, while attempts to describe worldwide trafficking across regions and arenas is less likely to be successful.     

Dependence and Human Trafficking in the Context of Transnational Marriage

Human trafficking is often associated with exploitation in prostitution. However, the UN Trafficking Protocol lists several other forms of exploitation as forms of human trafficking, including domestic and sexual servitude. These are forms of exploitation that can take place within the context of a marriage. In this article I discuss issues of vulnerability, power and exploitation in the context of transnational marriage. It is based on a study of Thai and Russian women married to Norwegian men conducted in 2006–2008. Based on an analysis of the experiences, priorities and challenges these women face, I argue that systematic exploitation of the dependence created in transnational marriage in some instances can and should be conceptualized and prosecuted as cases of human trafficking.     

Mobility at the margins: The facilitating and risk-reducing role of clustered migration in migration for begging between Romania and Norway

This article describes the social and economic organization of migration for begging from Romania to Norway. Drawing on a survey among homeless Romanians in Oslo and qualitative interviews conducted in Norway and migrant-sending communities in Romania, we describe how migrants gain access to resources such as information, transport, places to beg and places to sleep, as well as social and emotional support when abroad. We argue that the particular, clustered structure of these migration flows makes migration available to persons who otherwise would not have opportunities to migrate, eases their adaptation in cities of destination and serves to protect the migrants from exploitation and abuse from external actors. This migration structure does, however, reflect a strong dependence on kinship networks, which may create vulnerabilities in itself.