Journal of Human Trafficking
Volume 1, Issue 4, 2015
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/uhmt20/current

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Articles
Project Backpage: Using Text Messaging to Initiate Outreach Support for Victims of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation
pages 259-274
Gordon A. Gow, Timothy Barlott, Kathleen Quinn, Jacqui Linder, Andrea Soler, Gillian Edwards & Samina Hossain
Abstract
The sex industry occurs in many venues, ranging from the highly visible survival sex trade on the street to venues such as regulated massage parlors and strip clubs, to less visible escort agencies making use of hotel venues, and the highly invisible exploitation that occurs through trick pads and microbrothels operating out of homes, apartments, or condos. In many communities, outreach efforts have focused primarily on direct face-to-face contact with individuals in the survival sex trade. However, in recent years, there has been a marked decrease in the street survival sex trade as the use of the Internet to buy and sell sites has become widespread. In this article, we describe the design and outcome of a multiphase community-university collaboration in Edmonton, Canada, to explore the use of Short Message Service (SMS) text messaging to initiate outreach with individuals advertising on the adult services section of the Web site Backpage.com. The article describes the impetus behind the project, the project goals and design, as well as results thus far. We also reflect on the results and present a set of emerging best practices, including the contribution of two-way text-based interaction for establishing trust between outreach organizations and the individuals seeking support. Overall, results from the project provide evidence to show that SMS is a cost-effective and important complementary communication strategy for outreach organizations seeking to initiate outreach to victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

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Fighting Human Trafficking Through Transit Monitoring: A Data-Driven Model Developed in Nepal
Jonathan Hudlow a*
DOI:10.1080/23322705.2015.1098521 pages 275-295
Published online: 08 Dec 2015
Abstract
Transit monitoring is an innovative approach to fighting human trafficking that involves identifying and intercepting potential victims of human trafficking before they are exploited. In doing so, it relies upon established indicators of trafficking, local staff with special training, and data from a customized human-trafficking fusion center. As an anti-trafficking strategy, it provides tangible impact on the dollar, and, by focusing on trafficking as it is occurring, it creates otherwise rare opportunities for engagement. Among these is the opportunity for gathering actionable intelligence on traffickers, which can then be used in proactive investigations. Intervening prior to the exploitation phase of trafficking also presents a number of exceptional challenges from navigating situations with inconclusive evidence to ensuring that interceptions do not infringe upon the human rights of migrants. Transit monitoring has developed as an anti-trafficking strategy through the work of nongovernmental organizations in Nepal, where a unique combination of factors created an urgent need for such an approach. Initial efforts have been made to replicate the model in India and Bangladesh, and there is reason to believe that transit monitoring could be an effective strategy for fighting human trafficking in many other countries as well.

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Understanding the Support Needs of Human-Trafficking Victims: A Review of Three Human-Trafficking Program Evaluations
pages 318-337
Deanna Davy
DOI:10.1080/23322705.2015.1090865
Abstract
Human trafficking is a global crime and human rights violation that affects nearly every country of the world. Victims of human trafficking may suffer severe physical, psychological, and emotional health consequences as they are often subjected to a range of abuses such as physical violence, sexual assault, emotional abuse, mind-control, and torture. A variety of human-trafficking victim support programs exist in the United States and other countries that receive human-trafficking victims to support their immediate and longer-term needs. There is a dearth of contemporary literature on the subject of the support needs of human-trafficking victims. Further, due to a lack of publicly available program evaluations, little is also known about whether victim support programs are able to meet the needs of human-trafficking victims. This article aims to bridge a gap in knowledge and understanding of human-trafficking victims’ support needs and whether they are being met by support programs by reviewing three recent U.S.-based human-trafficking victim support program evaluations.