An Integrated Theoretical Framework to Describe Human Trafficking of Young Women and Girls for Involuntary Prostitution

Human trafficking permeates diverse institutions whose systematic operations are entwined into a multitude of activities. A combination of theories should provide an integrated explanation of the occurrence of human trafficking. Although many forms of trafficking exist, we focus primarily on trafficking of women for involuntary prostitution. Bruckett and Parent (2002:7) are of the opinion that apart from the description of the processes, practices, and routes of human trafficking there has been a lack of consistency regarding the theoretical framework for understanding human trafficking. Conventional theory and methods suggest that strategies to conduct research on forced migrants require multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches, which at times may be divergent (Van Impe, 2000:124). The factors that enable human trafficking to occur vary and are interdependent and interconnected (Stop Violence Against Women (SVAW), 2008:1; Truong, 2001:34-35; Van Impe, 2000:117-118). It is possible that human traffickers observe trade in human beings as a profitable area to generate income, especially when considering that few human traffickers are arrested, prosecuted and sentenced for this crime. Ineffective criminal justice and community response to human trafficking strengthens the trafficking process, increases abuse of trafficked persons and allows human traffickers to generate financial proceeds from the crime. An integrated model to explain human trafficking appears to be a logical step towards an understanding of the crime. Current research explanations of the process of human trafficking are often informed by individual researchers’ own theoretical framework creating an impression of human trafficking as a single-dimensional type of crime. This paper will provide a broad integrated framework which considers the stages at which human trafficking for involuntary prostitution occurs. An integrated framework should help enhance the prevention and control strategies utilized to reduce human trafficking of women for involuntary prostitution.