NCJ Number
193508
Journal
New England International and Comparative Law Annual Volume: 5 Dated: 1999 Pages: 1-21
Date Published
1999
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This article discusses trafficking in women for prostitution or involuntary marriage, situations in which a woman is trafficked into a country in the European Union from a third-world country, and efforts to address the problem.
Abstract
Varying estimates indicate that as many as 100,000 women in Europe exist in conditions of sexual exploitation, most trafficked from non-European countries. Profit is the goal of trafficking; trafficking of women is a multi-billion dollar industry. The vast majority of women susceptible to sex traffickers are very poor and come from places where females have fewer educational and economic opportunities than males. They often have been socialized into an ethos of female servitude and self-sacrifice. This issue is ultimately a human rights issue; trafficking violates numerous international agreements. Treaty provisions, law enforcement, and programs for victims are three methods of addressing the problem. Laws, policy, and programming range from nonexistence to fairly comprehensive in different countries in the European Union. These countries need to take further actions in the areas of prevention, prosecution, and victim services and support. The analysis concludes that any effort to address trafficking of women into the European Union must involve both the member countries and the European Union at the community level. Reference notes