Course Syllabus

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Human Trafficking in a Global Context

 

Semester & Location:

Summer 2024, Session 1 - DIS Stockholm
Type & Credits:

Elective Course - 3 credits
Major Disciplines:

Human Rights, Criminology, Legal Studies, Anthropology
Faculty Members:

Ninna Mörner (current students please use the Canvas Inbox) 
Academic Support:

academics@disstockholm.se 
Program Director:

Neringa B. Vendelbo, nb@dis.dk 
Time & Place:

Every day, please check Calendar for times.

Classroom: D-410

Time: 11:45am to 2:45 pm

 

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Course Description 

Trafficking in human beings is a complex phenomena with many dimensions. For instance, trafficking may be approached as an issue of migration or organized crime that affects State security and rights, but it may also be viewed as a threat to human rights since it encompasses a spectrum of abuses of fundamental rights. Therefore, responses to trafficking must be multi-disciplinary and well coordinated because a variety of actors are involved to address different aspects of the problem, often times not necessarily with the same objectives. 

Since the adoption of the UN Palermo Protocol in December 2000, States have agreed upon a definition of trafficking in human beings and initiated numerous efforts to prevent and to respond to the problem of trafficking. These measures have included awareness campaigns, legislative reform, the development of national action plans and national coordinating structures as well as practical co-operation with international and non-governmental organizations, in particular to identify and to assist at-risk groups and victims of trafficking. This course will provide an overview of the issue of trafficking (perpetrators, victims, extent and organizations), the most important developments in the legal and policy framework to address trafficking at the international and European levels as well as insights and evaluation of the practical application of these measures, including supporting victims of human trafficking. 

 

Course Objective

The course aims to introduce students to the definition and different manifestations of trafficking in human beings. The course will provide students with an overview of current responses in legislation, policy and practice at the international, European and national levels. Special emphasis will be given to developing an understanding of the measures taken to protect the human rights of trafficked persons. 

Faculty

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Ninna Mörner

Master in Economic History and graduated Journalist (Stockholm University). Editor-in-chief for the scholarly journal Baltic Worlds at the Centre for Baltic and East European Studies at Södertörn University (since 2009) and the annual State of the Region Report (2020). A recognized expert in the anti-trafficking field nationally as well as internationally, involved for over a decade in numerous studies, projects, and reports on human trafficking. Formed the Swedish Platform Civil society Against Human Trafficking in 2013, which she chaired until 2018.

Readings

Main legal Instruments (other legal instruments will be referred to during classes)
The United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (referred to as the Palermo Protocol).
The Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Persons, which was adopted in 2005 (referred to as the Council of Europe Trafficking Convention).
The EU Directive 2011/36/EU (referred to as the EU Directive).
Academic readings (reading or familiarizing with, see syllabus)
Andrijasevic, R. (2007). ‘Beautiful Dead Bodies: Gender, Migration and Representation in Anti-trafficking Campaigns’, Feminist Review, 86: 24–44.
Boukli A., Papanicolaou G., Dimou E., (2024) Constructing ‘indigenous people’ reproducing coloniality’s epistemic violence: a content analysis of the U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report, draft chapter in forthcoming ed. Faulkner E.A., Modern Slavery in Global Context. (handed out in paper)
Brunovskis, A., & Surtees, R. (2008). Agency or illness—The conceptualization of trafficking: Victims’ choices and behaviors in the assistance system. Gender, Technology and Development, 12(1), 53-76.
Christie, N. (1986). The ideal victim. In E.A. Fattah (Ed.), From Crime Policy to Victim Policy (pp. 17-30). London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Amy Farrell A. & de Vries I, (2019) Measuring the Nature and Prevalence of Human Trafficking in The Palgrave Handbook of Human Trafficking, 147–162
Fehrenbacher A.E., Musto J., Hoefinger H., Mai N., Macioti P.G., Giametta C. & Calum B. (2020) Transgender People and Human Trafficking: Intersectional Exclusion of Transgender Migrants and People of Color from Antitrafficking Protection in the United States, Journal of Human Trafficking, 6:2, 182-194,
Fohring, S. (2018a). Introduction to the special issue: Victim identities and hierarchies. International Review of Victimology, 24(2), 147-149.
Gallagher, A. T. (2015). Two cheers for the trafficking protocol. Anti-Trafficking Review, (4), 14-32.
Gallagher, A., & Skrivankova, K. (2015, November). Human rights and trafficking in persons. In the 15th Informal ASEM Seminar on Human Rights. Background Paper. ASEM.
Heber, A. (2018). The hunt for an elusive crime–an analysis of Swedish measures to combat sex trafficking. Journal of Scandinavian Studies in criminology and crime Prevention, 19(1), 3-21.
Hill L. & Heffner M.K. (2024), Successes and Challenges in Implementing a Human Trafficking Screening Tool in a Local Detention Center, Journal of Applied Social Science, 18(1) 241–258
Idemudia U., Okoli, N. Goitom M. & Bawa S. (2021), Life after trafficking: reintegration experiences of human trafficking survivors in Nigeria, Journal Of Migration, Health And Social Care, 17(4): 449-463.
Johansson, M. C. (2022). ‘Love is in the Air’ Exploring recruitment into prostitution by abuse of a position of vulnerability as human trafficking. Bergen Journal of Criminal Law & Criminal Justice, 9(2), 41
Judge, A., Murphy, J., Hidalgo, J., & Macias-Konstantopoulos, W. (2018). Engaging Survivors of Human Trafficking: Complex Health Care Needs and Scarce Resources. Annals of Internal Medicine, 168(9), 658–663.
McAdam M. & Gerasimov B (2022), Editorial: Traffickers, Anti-Trafficking Review, issue 18: 1-11,
McCabe, H, Stickle, W and Baumeister, H (2022) Forced Marriage and Modern Slavery: Analysing Marriage as a “Choiceless Choice”. Journal of Modern Slavery, 7 (2): 33-57.
Miller, J. (2011). Beach boys or sexually exploited children? Competing narratives of sex tourism and their impact on young men in Sri Lanka’s informal tourist economy. Crime, law and social change, 56(5), 485-508.
Nazaria V., Ciubotaru E., Lozan O. & Terzioglo S. (2023), The Health Impacts on Victims of Human Trafficking in the Republic of Moldova, Journal of Human Trafficking, 9(4): 461-473, 
O’Brien, E. (2013). Ideal victims in trafficking awareness campaigns. In K. Carrington, M. Ball, E. O’Brien & J.M. Tauri (Ed.), Crime, Justice and Social Democracy (pp. 315-326). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
O'Connell Davidson, J. (2011). Moving children? Child trafficking, child migration, and child rights. Critical social policy, 31(3), 454-477.
Ollus, N. (2016). Forced flexibility and exploitation: experiences of migrant workers in the cleaning industry. Nordic journal of working life studies, 6(1), 25-45.
Oram, S., Abas, M., Bick, D., Boyle, A., French, R., Jakobowitz, S., ... & Zimmerman, C. (2016). Human trafficking and health: a survey of male and female survivors in
England. American journal of public health, 106(6), 1073-1078.
Panda P. (2023) Human trafficking in the urgent care setting: recognizing and referring vulnerable patients. Journal Urgent Care Medicine, 17(6):13-22.
Piper, N., Segrave, M., & Napier-Moore, R. (2015). Editorial: What's in a name? Distinguishing forced labour, trafficking and slavery. Anti-trafficking Review, 5, 1-9.
Rafferty Y. (2021) The Identification, Recovery, and Reintegration of Victims of Child Trafficking within ASEAN: An Exploratory Study of Knowledge Gaps and Emerging Challenges, Journal of Human Trafficking, 7:2, 145-167 
Ramaj K. (2023) The Aftermath of Human Trafficking: Exploring the Albanian Victims’ Return, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration Challenges, Journal of Human Trafficking, 9:3, 408-429, 
Surtees, R. (2013). Trapped at Sea. Using the Legal and Regulatory Framework to Prevent and Combat the Trafficking of Seafarers and Fishers. Groningen Journal of International Law, 1(2).
Veljko Turanjanin and Jelena Stanisavljevic ì, (2024), Human trafficking and forced prostitution under article 4 of the European convention on human rights, German Law Journal, (25) 262–288
Vijeyarasa, R. (2010). The Impossible Victim: Judicial Treatment of Trafficked Migrants and Their Unmet Expectations. Alternative Law Journal, 35(4), 217–222.
Wilson, M., & O’Brien, E. (2016). Constructing the ideal victim in the United States of America’s annual trafficking in persons reports. Crime, Law and Social Change, 65(1-2), 29– 45.
Readings of non-academic reports from International Organizations will be presented during the course as well as online resources such as databases.
 

Approach to teaching

The course is taught as a combination of lectures and interactive methods such as group work, discussion, various exercises, films and a guest lecture.  

Evaluation

Evaluation of students' work during the course will be based on the following components, with the following relative weight: 

Assignment

Percentage of final grade

Deadline/date

Class participation: Attendance, preparation & ACTIVE participation in class

35 %

On-going

Media Assignment

 

20%

 

Conference: Trafficking in the US

30%

 
Student debates 15%

 

Class Participation The evaluation of this component will take into consideration the following aspects: 

Attendance: attendance in all classes and field studies is mandatory. See academic handbook for further information. You are urged to be punctual, particularly where guest lecturers and/or films are concerned. If you miss multiple classes the Academic Director will be notified and they will follow-up with you to make sure that all is well.  Absences will jeopardize your grade and your standing at DIS.  Allowances will be made in cases of illness, but in the case of multiple absences you will need to provide a doctor’s note.

Preparation: preparation for each lecture is a course requirement. See reading list in syllabus, but check when and what to read in the calendar preparing for classes. Please be aware that there may be slight changes in the reading assignments during the course and various handouts will also be distributed, but you will be provided with ample time to properly prepare.

Participation: Active participation in all class sessions is required, and forms an important part of the student's grade for this component. Participation should preferably reflect the student's critical capacities and knowledge of the course material (see ”preparation” here above). 

The aim of the student should be to contribute constructively to forwarding meaningful, relevant dialogue and discussion among the group; in practice, this means that expression of one's personal views should be backed up by references to pertinent readings, materials, etc.

The course heavily emphasizes your own engagement and active participation. Much of the learning in this course is dependent on how much effort you put into your own explorations and research, not least in connection with the different types of assignments.

Films  Several films and documentaries will be shown during the course.

 

Academic Regulations  

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due