NCJ Number
184140
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 27 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2000 Pages: 92-96
Date Published
2000
Length
5 pages
Annotation
The trafficking of women and adolescent females across international boundaries and their subsequent forced involvement in prostitution have increased in recent years and pose major challenges to law enforcement, including the need for increased awareness and training on how to handle these cases.
Abstract
The industry’s huge profits and low risk of prosecution make it attractive to organized crime. Few countries have specific laws against trafficking people, existing laws often go unenforced, and a lack of evidence often means that traffickers receive little or no punishment. A small percentage of women volunteer to be trafficked; others respond to advertisements for fictional positions. These women hesitate to contact the police due to their lack of passports and other forms of identification. A United Nations treaty proposes to establish a protocol against trafficking in women and children, require countries to criminalize trafficking and punish offenders, increase victim services, and increase international cooperation in enforcement. Police officers need to remove their incorrect beliefs about these victims and should arrange protective services for women they believe were trafficked. Walt Zalisko, the president of a police management consulting firm, is developing a training manual and class for law enforcement and believes that the Department of Justice and other Federal agencies need to develop training curricula for law enforcement at the local, State, and Federal levels. In addition, the international law enforcement community must cooperate to address the problem. Photographs