Global and Local Law Enforcement Challenges in Combating Sex Trafficking

Abstract

The relationship between the legal status of prostitution and the degree of human trafficking that involves sexual exploitation is a significant debate, but little research accounts for variations in cultural beliefs and traditions, gender inequality, or the impact of the formation of a global society. A global criminal justice framework is examined at both global and local levels by examining the written law and the challenges for local law enforcement in their efforts to combat the global crime of sex trafficking. The analysis reveals how existing laws are often the result of overgeneralizations and faulty assumptions, which led to ineffective or shortsighted laws. Furthermore, it highlights how the debate on the legality of exploitation overshadows the greater issues of poverty, substance abuse, gender inequalities, and desperation, which arguably are the driving forces behind prostitution. At the local level of analysis, challenges for law enforcement include addressing the underlying factors that have led people to involvement in trafficking, the application of laws, enforcement of laws, corruption, the use of discretion, and public support. The findings reveal that at the global level, law enforcement officers encounter barriers to the investigation of trafficking and the associated offenses.