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Frontiers in Organizing Processes: Collaborating against Human Trafficking/Modern Slavery for...
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Frontiers in Organizing Processes: Collaborating against Human Trafficking/Modern Slavery for Impact and Sustainability

A special issue of Societies (ISSN 2075-4698).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 27050

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Kirsten Foot

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Communication, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Interests: interorganizational and multisector collaboration; communicative organizing processes; social movements; qualitative methodology; human trafficking
Dr. Elizabeth Shun-Ching Parks

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Colorado Mountain College, Leadville, CO 80461, USA
Interests: listening and dialogue; diversity and difference; relational and community health and well-being
Dr. Marcel Van der Watt

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Institute, National Center on Sexual Exploitation, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20004, USA
Interests: human trafficking; organized crime; complex systems

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As the crime of human trafficking/modern slavery is multifaceted, collaborating to counter it across sectors, disciplines, regions, and from local to international levels is widely understood to be of utmost importance. However, the processes of organizing and leading robust collaborations are complex and challenging, and to be sustainable, such processes must result in both positive outcomes for the collaborating partners and demonstrable progress toward countering human trafficking. Despite a growing body of published research on anti-trafficking collaboration, many aspects of it remain understudied. This Special Issue of Societies invites researchers and collaboration leaders in the anti-trafficking arena to share research findings and/or evidence-supported practices on how to catalyze and support collaborations to generate and sustain track records of constructive impacts.

Submissions on any aspect(s) of collaboration processes that counter any type of human trafficking are welcome; research findings and evidence-supported practices pertaining to multisector collaboration are of particular interest. Potential subtopics for submissions to this Special Issue on countering human trafficking through collaboration include but are not limited to:

  • Organizing and leading collaboration
  • Survivor-involvement in collaborative efforts
  • Trauma-informed collaboration
  • Diversity, equity, inclusion and access issues within collaborative relationships
  • The use of digital technologies to support collaboration
  • Managing individual turnover and interpersonal dynamics in interorganizational relationships
  • Trust-building within collaborations
  • Ways to mitigate the risks and costs of collaboration
  • Collaboration to counter criminal networks
  • Managing collaborations across jurisdictions or policy frameworks
  • Monitoring and evaluating the impacts of collaborative efforts
  • Funding collaborative efforts
  • Developing and employing collaboration agreements and coordination protocols
  • Communication challenges
  • Collaborative strategic planning
  • Multi-level collaboration
  • Sustaining collaborations

This Special Issue aims to publish articles that will be of interest to researchers; collaboration developers, leaders, and funders; policy makers; and anti-trafficking professionals in every sector and discipline. Contributions must address the topic of the Special Issue and fit in one of the three genres of papers published in this journal, i.e., research articles, literature reviews, or conceptual papers.

Dr. Kirsten Foot
Dr. Elizabeth Shun-Ching Parks
Dr. Marcel Van der Watt
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as conceptual papers are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Societies is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • human trafficking
  • modern slavery
  • anti-trafficking
  • organized crime
  • trauma-informed
  • cross-sector partnership
  • multisector collaboration
  • coalitions

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 177 KiB  
Editorial
Special Issue “Frontiers in Organizing Processes: Collaborating against Human Trafficking/Modern Slavery for Impact and Sustainability”
by Kirsten Foot, Marcel Van der Watt and Elizabeth Shun-Ching Parks
Societies 2023, 13(4), 99; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13040099 - 10 Apr 2023
Viewed by 1351
Abstract
Multiprofessional, interorganizational, and cross-sector collaboration is widely recognized as essential to counter human trafficking [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Organizing Processes: Collaborating against Human Trafficking/Modern Slavery for Impact and Sustainability)

Research

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31 pages, 4686 KiB  
Article
A Framework to Develop Interventions to Address Labor Exploitation and Trafficking: Integration of Behavioral and Decision Science within a Case Study of Day Laborers
by Matt Kammer-Kerwick, Mayra Yundt-Pacheco, Nayan Vashisht, Kara Takasaki and Noel Busch-Armendariz
Societies 2023, 13(4), 96; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13040096 - 04 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2928
Abstract
This paper describes a process that integrates behavioral and decision science methods to design and evaluate interventions to disrupt illicit behaviors. We developed this process by extending a framework used to study systems with uncertain outcomes, where only partial information is observable, and [...] Read more.
This paper describes a process that integrates behavioral and decision science methods to design and evaluate interventions to disrupt illicit behaviors. We developed this process by extending a framework used to study systems with uncertain outcomes, where only partial information is observable, and wherein there are multiple participating parties with competing goals. The extended framework that we propose builds from artefactual data collection, thematic analysis, and descriptive analysis, toward predictive modeling and agent-based modeling. We use agent-based modeling to characterize and predict interactions between system participants for the purpose of improving our understanding of interventional targets in a virtual environment before piloting them in the field. We apply our extended framework to an exploratory case study that examines the potential of worker centers as a venue for deploying interventions to address labor exploitation and human trafficking. This case study focuses on reducing wage theft, the most prevalent form of exploitation experienced by day laborers and applies the first three steps of the extended framework. Specifically, the case study makes a preliminary assessment of two types of social interventions designed to disrupt exploitative processes and improve the experiences of day laborers, namely: (1) advocates training day laborers about their workers’ rights and options that they have for addressing wage theft and (2) media campaigns designed to disseminate similar educational messages about workers’ rights and options to address wage theft through broadcast channels. Applying the extended framework to this case study of day laborers at a worker center demonstrates how digital technology could be used to monitor, evaluate, and support collaborations between worker center staff and day laborers. Ideally, these collaborations could be improved to mitigate the risks and costs of wage theft, build trust between worker center stakeholders, and address communication challenges between day laborers and employers, in the context of temporary work. Based on the application of the extended framework to this case study of worker center day laborers, we discuss how next steps in the research framework should prioritize understanding how and why employers make decisions to participate in wage theft and the potential for restorative justice and equity matching as a relationship model for employers and laborers in a well-being economy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Organizing Processes: Collaborating against Human Trafficking/Modern Slavery for Impact and Sustainability)
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21 pages, 348 KiB  
Article
Discouraging the Demand That Fosters Sex Trafficking: Collaboration through Augmented Intelligence
by Marcel Van der Watt
Societies 2023, 13(4), 94; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13040094 - 04 Apr 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4174
Abstract
Augmented intelligence—as the fusion of human and artificial intelligence—is effectively being employed in response to a spectrum of risks and crimes that stem from the online sexual exploitation marketplace. As part of a study that was sponsored by the National Institute of Justice, [...] Read more.
Augmented intelligence—as the fusion of human and artificial intelligence—is effectively being employed in response to a spectrum of risks and crimes that stem from the online sexual exploitation marketplace. As part of a study that was sponsored by the National Institute of Justice, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation has documented 15 tactics that have been used in more than 2650 US cities and counties to deter sex buyers from engaging with prostitution and sex trafficking systems. One of these tactics, technology-based enforcement and deterrence methods, has been used in more than 78 locations in the United States. This paper explores the issue of technology-facilitated trafficking in the online sexual exploitation marketplace and juxtaposes this with the use of augmented intelligence in collaborative responses to these crimes. Illustrative case studies are presented that describe how two organizations employ technology that utilizes the complementary strengths of humans and machines to deter sex buyers at the point of purchase. The human(e) touch of these organizations, combined with artificial intelligence, natural language processing, constructed websites, photos, and mobile technology, show significant potential for operational scaling, and provide a template for consideration by law enforcement agencies, criminal justice systems, and the larger multidisciplinary counter-trafficking community for collaborative replication in other settings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Organizing Processes: Collaborating against Human Trafficking/Modern Slavery for Impact and Sustainability)
20 pages, 992 KiB  
Article
Team Approaches to Addressing Sex Trafficking of Minors: Promising Practices for a Collaborative Model
by Andrea Nichols, Sarah Slutsker, Melissa Oberstaedt and Kourtney Gilbert
Societies 2023, 13(3), 66; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13030066 - 11 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2028
Abstract
The extant research literature is lacking in its focus on community-based responses (CBRs) to sex trafficking involving minors in the juvenile justice system. To address this research gap, the present study draws from 35 interviews with social service and justice system practitioners who [...] Read more.
The extant research literature is lacking in its focus on community-based responses (CBRs) to sex trafficking involving minors in the juvenile justice system. To address this research gap, the present study draws from 35 interviews with social service and justice system practitioners who work with juvenile justice-involved minors experiencing sex trafficking to examine collaborative responses in two Study Sites. Specifically, protocols to respond to trafficking and collaboration with community partners are explored. Results indicate that a formal protocol engaging a team approach inclusive of multiple community partners is a promising mezzo level response to addressing the sex trafficking of minors involved in the juvenile justice system. Informal and formal relationships, establishing a shared goal, open and ongoing communication, and trust building were also found to enhance community-based responses. Implications include establishing a protocol to respond to sex trafficking in the juvenile court system when sex trafficking is suspected and/or confirmed, which would engage a CBR team involving the survivor, parent(s)/guardian(s), DJO, supervisor, investigator, judge, Children’s Division caseworker, and social services provider(s). Establishing a shared goal within the CBR team and developing a pattern of communication and follow up can facilitate trust building, ultimately benefitting CBRs addressing the sex trafficking of minors involved with the juvenile justice system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Organizing Processes: Collaborating against Human Trafficking/Modern Slavery for Impact and Sustainability)
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17 pages, 1544 KiB  
Article
Lessons Learned from the Colorado Project to Comprehensively Combat Human Trafficking
by Annie Miller, Julie Laser, Annjanette Alejano-Steele, Kara Napolitano, Nevita George, Natcha Connot and Amanda Finger
Societies 2023, 13(3), 51; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13030051 - 22 Feb 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2216
Abstract
Countering human trafficking at a statewide level requires a combination of knowledge from lived experience, inter-sector collaborations, and evidence-based tools to measure progress. Since 2010, the nonprofit Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking (LCHT) has collected and analyzed the data on how partners and [...] Read more.
Countering human trafficking at a statewide level requires a combination of knowledge from lived experience, inter-sector collaborations, and evidence-based tools to measure progress. Since 2010, the nonprofit Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking (LCHT) has collected and analyzed the data on how partners and organizations across the state work toward ending human trafficking. LCHT uses Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) to measure and illuminate promising paths toward ending human trafficking. Through CBPR, many collaborative working documents and activities have been created: Colorado Action Plans, Policy Recommendations, a Partnership Toolkit, and Partnership Convenings. This paper provides a single case study analysis of the Colorado Project, from 2013 through 2023, and offers a glimpse into the goals for the Colorado Project 2028. The ideas, strengths, and challenges presented here can guide other local efforts to support data-informed responses to trafficking. The CBPR methodology sheds light on the changes in Colorado’s anti-trafficking movement and the actions taken on behalf of partnerships (task forces and coalitions) across the state of Colorado. This paper offers a roadmap for collaborative design and decision-making among academic, nonprofit, and public sector partners seeking to conduct research on social movements utilizing a community-engaged process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Organizing Processes: Collaborating against Human Trafficking/Modern Slavery for Impact and Sustainability)
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31 pages, 363 KiB  
Article
Exploring Private Investigation Agencies’ Experience of Collaboration with Law Enforcement in Investigations of Human Trafficking Cases
by Charles Hounmenou and Sachi Toepp
Societies 2023, 13(2), 44; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13020044 - 13 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3527
Abstract
In their forefront role to address human trafficking, law enforcement agencies (LEAs) have often faced challenges in efforts to investigate this crime. Non-traditional partnerships should be explored to improve strategies to investigate human trafficking. Could private investigation agencies (PIAs) collaborate with LEAs to [...] Read more.
In their forefront role to address human trafficking, law enforcement agencies (LEAs) have often faced challenges in efforts to investigate this crime. Non-traditional partnerships should be explored to improve strategies to investigate human trafficking. Could private investigation agencies (PIAs) collaborate with LEAs to help improve human trafficking investigations? The present study examines PIAs’ experiences of collaboration with LEAs for human trafficking investigations. A mixed research method design was used. Purposive sampling was used to select 81 participants representing 81 PIAs for a survey. Follow-up semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 of the 39 survey participants who reported that their agencies had collaborated with LEAs for human trafficking investigations. The findings show varying levels of success and challenges for PIAs in interagency collaboration with LEAs. The challenges to collaboration identified could be mostly explained by LEAs’ misperceptions of private investigators, their over-reliance on a criminal approach instead of a victim-centered one in investigating trafficking cases and recovering victims, and legal or ethical limitations. Positive aspects of PIA–LEA partnerships regarding human trafficking investigations were discussed and so were strategies to address inherent challenges to interagency collaboration. Several policy implications were discussed for developing and improving partnership initiatives with law enforcement in an effort to prevent human trafficking, protect victims, and prosecute trafficking cases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Organizing Processes: Collaborating against Human Trafficking/Modern Slavery for Impact and Sustainability)
17 pages, 311 KiB  
Article
Perceptions of the Benefits and Barriers to Anti-Human Trafficking Interagency Collaboration: An Exploratory Factor Analysis Study
by Tonisha Jones
Societies 2023, 13(2), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13020038 - 07 Feb 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2644
Abstract
To effectively address human trafficking, it is increasingly recognized that anti-human trafficking efforts need to include a collaborative approach between agencies most likely to come into contact with human trafficking victims and offenders. While literature is available that discusses the benefits and barriers [...] Read more.
To effectively address human trafficking, it is increasingly recognized that anti-human trafficking efforts need to include a collaborative approach between agencies most likely to come into contact with human trafficking victims and offenders. While literature is available that discusses the benefits and barriers to such collaboration, there is limited empirical research on the topic. Surveying professionals engaged in anti-human trafficking interagency collaboration in a Midwest state in the United States, this exploratory factor analysis study explores their perceptions of the benefits and barriers to such collaboration. Based on the results, professionals’ perceived benefits and barriers to anti-human trafficking interagency collaboration, with capacity perceived as the underlying benefit and collaborative uncertainty, agency incongruence, an unfavorable collaborative environment, and inadequate problem framing perceived as the underlying barriers. These findings can inform anti-human trafficking interagency collaborative practice, leading to more successful collaborative outcomes. Future research should include a confirmatory factor analysis to validate the factor structure found in this study. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Organizing Processes: Collaborating against Human Trafficking/Modern Slavery for Impact and Sustainability)

Other

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11 pages, 231 KiB  
Concept Paper
Understanding and Pursuing Labor Trafficking Cases Collaboratively
by Derek J. Marsh
Societies 2023, 13(4), 85; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13040085 - 30 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1882
Abstract
The disparity between sex and labor federal prosecutions in the United States underscores the significant degree to which labor trafficking investigations and prosecutions have been marginalized since the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) was enacted in 2000 in the United States. This article [...] Read more.
The disparity between sex and labor federal prosecutions in the United States underscores the significant degree to which labor trafficking investigations and prosecutions have been marginalized since the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) was enacted in 2000 in the United States. This article focuses on the issue of labor trafficking and considers the importance of collaborating with multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional organizations to successfully pursue labor trafficking cases. Labor trafficking in the United States is defined, the importance of executive leadership support is reviewed, and suggestions for stakeholders to proactively identify potential foreign national and domestic labor trafficking cases are explored using the barrier model. A discussion of the trauma experienced by labor trafficking victims is made to further underscore the importance of including service providers in anti-labor trafficking collaborations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Organizing Processes: Collaborating against Human Trafficking/Modern Slavery for Impact and Sustainability)
17 pages, 878 KiB  
Concept Paper
Galvanizing Local Anti-Trafficking Partnership Work Using Intelligence: Profiling the Problem and Building Resilience
by Juliana Rinaldi-Semione and Ben Brewster
Societies 2023, 13(3), 61; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13030061 - 07 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1676
Abstract
Prior research has evidenced the importance of collaboration and multi-agency partnership work in responding to human trafficking in both the UK and US. Three previous key studies are synthesized in this paper. We situate multi-agency anti-trafficking collaborative work within conceptualizations of “resilience” and [...] Read more.
Prior research has evidenced the importance of collaboration and multi-agency partnership work in responding to human trafficking in both the UK and US. Three previous key studies are synthesized in this paper. We situate multi-agency anti-trafficking collaborative work within conceptualizations of “resilience” and mechanisms by which to achieve it, and draw comparisons between the structure, organization, and activities of anti-trafficking partnerships in the UK and US. We present results, reflections, and discussion regarding the utility of local-problem diagnosis and multi-agency, using collaborative intelligence analysis as a mechanism to galvanize and organize local partnership action, resulting from action research conducted in one police force area. We posit the replication of this “problem profile” exercise as a mechanism for anti-trafficking collaborators to galvanize their aims and day-to-day efforts to make their communities resilient to human trafficking. We close by arguing for resilience as a framing for this mechanism and for local collaborative efforts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Organizing Processes: Collaborating against Human Trafficking/Modern Slavery for Impact and Sustainability)
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15 pages, 257 KiB  
Concept Paper
Conceptualizing Task Force Sustainability
by Jennifer Paul Ray
Societies 2023, 13(2), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13020050 - 20 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1641
Abstract
In the anti-human trafficking movement, multi-disciplinary teams have emerged as a best practice for collaborating and coordinating efforts in combating human trafficking. Many multi-disciplinary teams are comprised of federal, state and local partners representing law enforcement, prosecutors and service providers. The concept of [...] Read more.
In the anti-human trafficking movement, multi-disciplinary teams have emerged as a best practice for collaborating and coordinating efforts in combating human trafficking. Many multi-disciplinary teams are comprised of federal, state and local partners representing law enforcement, prosecutors and service providers. The concept of sustaining the multi-disciplinary teams is a relatively new area of discussion in the anti-human trafficking movement. This paper explores the Greater New Orleans Human Trafficking Task Force sustainability process as an illustrative example to shed light on the issues that arose during the process for this Task Force, and which may be salient for other Task Forces. This retrospective presentation of the comments and observations made by the Greater New Orleans Human Trafficking Task Force members suggest emerging themes that may help to clarify the concepts other Task Forces should consider and to predict the sustainability outcomes. The members’ accounts incorporated in this article are presented as valid points of view for framing conclusions that may be applicable in other contexts and to further the conversation in this understudied area of sustainability. The key focal points related to sustainability explored in this conceptual paper include leadership, funding, collaboration, trust and relationship building, and change is constant. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Organizing Processes: Collaborating against Human Trafficking/Modern Slavery for Impact and Sustainability)
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