ABSTRACT
As the chapters in this collection show, empirical research on human trafficking is in its infancy. Plagued by definitional uncertainty, appropriation by competing political interests, and the difficulties involved in studying any clandestine activity, human trafficking research has been substantially outpaced by the proliferation of anti-trafficking funding streams and programs. Nonetheless, a growing number of scholars are conducting empirical research on human trafficking and the impact of the laws and policies intended to address it. As this book illustrates, many of these scholars have come to question the utility of the concept of trafficking altogether. Others point to concerns with labeling people as victims of trafficking who would not describe themselves that way. Some view trafficking law as a badly needed avenue to prosecute crimes that are impossible to otherwise address, but most note that criminalization is at best an inefficient response to the problem. Despite precocious claims by governments and advocates about “best practices” for preventing and responding to human trafficking, it is difficult to imagine a future in which there is scholarly agreement on the best way forward in addressing this issue. Certainly there is no empirical, research-, or evidence-based foundation for sweeping generalizations about best practices at this point.
