Exploring the feasibility of an enhanced monitoring program on human trafficking and slavery

Abstract

As part of its Human Trafficking and Slavery Research Program, the Australian Institute of Criminology has undertaken a technical examination of the feasibility and logistics of monitoring human trafficking and slavery as it affects Australia and the options available to perform this monitoring activity. The ultimate purpose of the exercise was to:

  • develop a conceptual framework and dataset that provides a more comprehensive description of human trafficking and slavery than is currently available; and
  • determine if such a monitoring program is practical or whether other monitoring options should be considered.

The conceptual framework was based on an Australian Bureau of Statistics framework designed to establish areas of data requirement and monitoring for family, domestic and sexual violence. This framework was selected as an appropriate template as it treats crime as a process, incorporating broader themes around the environment in which the crime may occur, the actions used to prevent and respond to criminal activity, and the outcomes of these responses.