International Case Law Research

According to the U.S. Trafficking in Persons Reports, over 10,000 investigations, arrests, prosecutions, and/or convictions of human trafficking cases have taken place in the 150 countries covered by the Reports. Data collected from these cases is invaluable in understanding the nature and scope of the problem of human trafficking, in particular in documenting information about perpetrators, both traffickers and exploiters. Such information is useful to law enforcement agencies, policy-makers, and organizations committed to the fight against human trafficking.

Given this need, Global Centurion is conducting a global comparative legal research project to examine case law from 1995 to the present. The goal is to establish a baseline of information on the nature and scope of the demand in human trafficking. The study will cover the full range of human trafficking-related issues, including labor trafficking, sex trafficking, domestic servitude, child sex tourism, and commercial sexual exploitation of children.Data for the study is being drawn from a combination of publicly accessible case law records, periodicals, and key informants and covers investigations, arrests, prosecutions and/or convictions of human trafficking cases brought by local, state (or provincial), federal, and international law enforcement authorities around the world.

Case law records include information on perpetrators (traffickers and exploiters), victims, crime locations, and the laws used to arrest and prosecute perpetrators. A database of this size and scope can be used to answer questions that are often raised about human trafficking, such as, Who are the traffickers and customers? “Where are these crimes being committed? Where is law enforcement most active and what approaches are most successful in addressing these crimes? How many cases opened actually result in successful prosecutions and convictions? Furthermore, the database allows researchers to examine the patterns of these crimes within and between countries.