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A content analysis on state human trafficking statutes: how does the legal system acknowledge survivors in the United States (US)?

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Abstract

Human trafficking is an egregious violation of basic human rights that has reached global proportions. Despite the gradual proliferation of social science research and policy endeavors, a contemporary understanding of state human trafficking statutes has received limited discussion. Existing commentary tends to underserve survivor experiences in the law. Using a database of 982 human trafficking state statutes, this study seeks to describe the landscape of how the law acknowledges survivors. In doing so, we found that states acknowledge survivors through 1. formal agency guidelines, 2. survivor rights and services, and 3. education and awareness for the general public. Findings suggest that the nation’s human trafficking statutes are best characterized as a patchwork of laws. We conclude by making recommendations for future legislative reform.

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Notes

  1. It is worth highlighting that, at the state-level, innovative strategies, comprised of multi-agency data sources, are beginning to capture the prevalence of human trafficking more accurately [14].

  2. Smuggling, however, can easily devolve into human trafficking when individuals are voluntarily smuggled into a country but are coerced into debt bondage upon their arrival [31]. Due to the victims’ participation in criminal activity and fear of deportation, they are less willing to reach out to authorities when their rights are violated and, therefore, may be harder to detect [31].

  3. Rape shield laws refer to a series of state policies that were codified in accordance with Federal Rule of Evidence that protect sexual assault survivor privacy during a trial and often include the survivor’s prior sexual history [49].

  4. States have slightly different age limitations when this provision can be used: 13 years-old or younger (Tennessee §24–7-120), less than 14 years-old (Nevada §174.228; Washington §9A-44–150), and 15 years-old or younger (California §1347.1).

  5. North Dakota restricted family-planning services by prohibiting service providers from using state funding to “perform, refer for, or encourage abortion” (§12.1–41-20).

  6. It is worth noting, that some categories were defined broadly and are worth further explanation. First, adult entertainment broadly includes strip clubs, topless entertainment, adult video stores, and all other sexually oriented businesses. Second, bars and nightclubs included establishments that required a liquor license, not including establishments that also held a food and beverage license. Third, highway rest stops were inclusive of welcome centers, truck stops, and full-service fuel facilities.

  7. An example of this is evident, given the fact that survivors of trafficking have often been victims of repeated sexual violence, which can result in unwanted pregnancies [25]. Bans on abortion services, therefore, could be perceived as politicizing this phenomenon and somewhat controversially overreaching (see North Dakota §12.1–41-20).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Criminology & Criminal Justice, University of Nebraska At Omaha, 6001 Dodge Street, CPACS 218, Omaha, NE, 68182, USA

    Caralin Branscum

  2. School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, College for Design and Social Inquiry, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, SO 219, Boca Raton, Florida, 33431, USA

    Seth Wyatt Fallik

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Branscum, C., Fallik, S.W. A content analysis on state human trafficking statutes: how does the legal system acknowledge survivors in the United States (US)?. Crime Law Soc Change 76, 253–275 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10611-021-09958-x

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