HUMAN TRAFFICKING I: OFFENDERS, PROCESSES AND FACTORS Chair: Atanas Rusev Chair: Atanas Rusev

0248 - AN EXAMINATION OF COUNTRY-LEVEL CORRUPTION AND TERRORISM: A PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS

Nancy Morris (United States of America)¹ 1 - Virginia Commonwealth University

The idea that corruption and terrorism are closely linked is not new. In recent years both scholars and policy makers have discussed the possibility that government-based corruption facilitates or causes domestic terrorism. Corruption, defined as, the misuse of entrusted power for private gain may be related to increased domestic terrorism because it creates sustained perceptions and feelings of injustice among the populace. Corruption may also weaken the ability of government to police and regulate internal conflicts between opposing factions. In spite of the prevailing belief that corruption is connected to domestic terrorism there have been surprisingly few studies to empirically examine the connection. In the current study, we examine the relationship between corruption and domestic and transnational terrorism at the country-level. Specifically, we expect that corruption should be positively related to terrorism, net of other relevant socio-political, economic and demographic correlates of terrorism. We use data taken from the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) to estimate domestic and transnational terrorism. The GTD is an open source data set with over 70,000 incidents of domestic and transnational terrorism incidents recorded between 1970 and 2013. We supplement data from the GTD with data taken from several country-level databases of corruption (Corruption Perceptions Index, Global Corruption Barometer, and WBI Governance and Anti-corruption Index). We conclude with a discussion of our findings and the implications for both terrorism research and counterterrorism policies.

3.17 HUMAN TRAFFICKING I: OFFENDERS, PROCESSES AND FACTORS

191 of human trafficking (human trafficking for sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, forced criminal activities etc.)

Although several studies focus on the more demographic aspects of the perpetrators, little is known about their personal characteristics: their childhood, the social environment where they are raised, the problems they have encountered in life, the capabilities to deal with these problems, etc. Therefore, part of the research concentrates on the traffickers in order to provide a clear picture of them, based on consolidated information from traffickers, their relatives and social environment, victims, police, law enforcement, and recognized experts through interviews, questionnaires and a file study.

At the time of publishing this abstract, only the results of the file study in the Netherlands are accessible to us. In the Netherlands, we studied 51 court files, divided over 3 districts in the Netherlands. From these files we found that both family and friends make way towards trafficking through either a lack of social security or through presenting potential traffickers a seemingly appealing opportunity. Moreover traffickers were found to often be in debt, receive social welfare, and have a history in violent and property crimes. Also, anti-social and narcissist personality traits are highly present among the traffickers according to their psychological reports taken together with their denial of their involvement in trafficking and their baffled reactions towards their arrest. Therefore, an unstable social position, a difficult financial position, and mental health or personality disorder issues seem to be factors contributing to one’s proneness to becoming a trafficker in several ways. Explanation will be found trough

interviews with both experts and traffickers.

In summer 2015, the research will be finished with additional results from interviews and questionnaires, also gained by the consortium partners from relevant European countries.

Final conclusions will be presented at the ESC 2015, Porto. (For more info see: http://trace-project.eu/)

0250 - DOMESTIC SEX TRAFFICKING IN TRADITIONAL DESTINATION COUNTRIES; THE OFFENDER-SIDE OF THE STORY

Suzanne Heerdink (Netherlands)¹

1 - Bureau of the Dutch National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings & Sexual Violence against Children

Sex trafficking in traditional destination countries... The first association is that of cross-border trafficking involving young females originated from impoverished countries (source countries), who are lured with false promises of a better life to countries with a relative high standard of living (destination countries), and end up being exploited in prostitution. However, in recent years more and more traditional destination countries in Europe acknowledge also another sex trafficking problem, that concerns other social and psychological factors. It is about girls and young women of native soil, whose trafficking story doesn’t start with an underprivileged position. Nevertheless, their victimisation is explained by ‘victim proneness’ or ‘victim precipitation’. For they are relatively easy to manipulate or to persuade to go beyond their

personal boundaries. Because of a low self-esteem or because of intense adolescent behaviour for example. It is implied that their impressionability places them in the hands of offenders...

As a matter of course. With this, offenders are branded like static omnipresent factors, to which nothing can be done.

Little is actually known about the offenders. Information is based on perceptions of victims and assumptions and have resulted into a stereotypical image. But does this image fits reality? Are offenders in fact a homogeneous group?

This presentation is about a whole different sex trafficking story. Both in respect of the structure of trafficking (that is domestic instead of cross-border) and in respect of explanation (that is by the offender-side instead of the victim-side of the story). Different offender typologies are constructed on the basis of the characteristics and backgrounds of offenders involved in domestic sex trafficking in the Netherlands.

0251 - LINKS BETWEEN CORRUPTION AND TRAFFICKING OF WOMEN: THE CASE OF BULGARIA

Atanas Rusev (Bulgaria)¹; Rositsa Dzhekova (Bulgaria)¹ 1 - Center for the Study of Democracy

Corruption of law enforcement officers along the whole trafficking chain including cross-border transportation is believed to be one of the key instruments adopted by organized crime groups to avoid detection and obstruct counter-trafficking efforts. Although the use of corruption is often mentioned along with human trafficking, few studies have empirically explored the factors and mechanisms behind this nexus. The paper will provide new insights in this little explored area, drawing on a study carried out in 4 European countries (Bulgaria, Italy, Croatia and Kosovo) within the project ANTICORRP, financed under the FP7 Programme of the European Commission. The study explores the key aspects of the link between human trafficking and corruption in all stages of the trafficking process, including recruitment, transportation, issuing documents, sexual exploitation, processing revenues and avoiding prosecution. The research findings place particular emphasis on the following key issues: 1) types of possible corruption-induced practices connected with trafficking of women and prostitution; 2) the role and importance of corruption for trafficking and prostitution; 3) the factors contributing to the corruption schemes (legislation, social-economic factors, visa and travel regimes, etc.). The methodology employed involves in-depth semi-structured interviews with NGO practitioners, law enforcement officers and prosecutors and life stories of victims of trafficking. The current presentation shall summarize the preliminary findings of the study for Bulgaria.

193 0252 - FACTORS INFLUENCING HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN SOUTHEAST EUROPE

Karlo Ressler (Croatia)¹

1 - University of Zagreb - Faculty of Law

The exact scope of human trafficking in Southeast Europe, a region suspected to be one of the rare regions which is at the same time the area of origin, transit and destination, is largely unknown. There is an increasing concern by governments, media and NGOs, however, that it represents a considerable problem in the region.

This presentation aims at discussing various factors that have been influencing human trafficking in Southeast Europe. It will begin by examining the specific geographic location of the Balkan Peninsula, historically a significant connection between Europe and Asia, as well as consequences of such position.

It will continue by analyzing the ramifications of the complex economic and political transition from communism to free market democracies and will try to answer to what extent do the weak state institutions influence the flourishing of organized crime, including trafficking in human beings.

The presence of international peacekeeping troops in 1990s, especially in Bosnia and Herzegovina, created specific conditions and an immense increase in demand for prostitution. This is why the impact of wars in former Yugoslavia on trafficking in human beings will be discussed in this presentation as well.

3.18 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: POLICE AND LEGAL RESPONSES