Sex Trafficking in the United States is a unique exploration of the underlying dynamics of sex trafficking. This comprehensive volume examines the common risk factors for those who become victims, and the barriers they face when they try to leave. It also looks at how and why sex traffickers enter the industry. A chapter on buyers presents what we know about their motivations, the prevalence of bought sex, and criminal justice policies that target them. Sex Trafficking in the United States describes how the justice system, activists, and individuals can engage in advocating for victims of sex trafficking. It also offers recommendations for practice and policy and suggestions for cultural change.
Andrea J. Nichols approaches sex-trafficking-related theories, research, policies, and practice from neoliberal, abolitionist, feminist, criminological, and sociological perspectives. She confronts competing views of the relationship between pornography, prostitution, and sex trafficking, as well as the contribution of weak social institutions and safety nets to the spread of sex trafficking. She also explores the link between identity-based oppression, societal marginalization, and the risk of victimization. She clearly accounts for the role of race, ethnicity, immigrant status, LGBTQ identities, age, sex, and intellectual disability in heightening the risk of trafficking and how social services and the criminal justice and healthcare systems can best respond. This textbook is essential for understanding the mechanics of a pervasive industry and curbing its spread among at-risk populations.
Please visit our supplemental materials page (https://cup.columbia.edu/extras/supplement/sex-trafficking-united-states) to find teaching aids, including PowerPoints, access to a test bank, and a sample syllabus.
By:
Andrea J Nichols
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
Spine: 18mm
Weight: 440g
ISBN: 9780231172639
ISBN 10: 023117263X
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 23 August 2016
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
"Part I. Contemporary Debates of Theory, Research, and Policy 1. Sex Trafficking: An Introduction Defining Sex Trafficking: Key Legislation Defining Sex Trafficking: Common Misconceptions Sex Trafficking Prevalence Supply, Demand, and Profitability Chapter Summary Chapter Overviews Use of Terms Discussion Questions 2. Theoretical Perspectives and the Politics of Sex Trafficking Feminist Perspectives Political Perspectives Overlapping Feminist and Political Perspectives Sociological Perspectives Criminological Perspectives Chapter Summary Discussion Questions 3. Pornography The Politics of Pornography Key Areas of Pornography Debates and Sex Trafficking Child Pornography as Sex Trafficking Chapter Summary Discussion Questions 4. Prostitution Feminist Perspectives of Prostitution Models of Prostitution Policy How Do These Debates Relate to Sex Trafficking in the United States? Chapter Summary Discussion Questions Part II. The Dynamics of Sex Trafficking in the United States 5. Survivors Risk Factors: Identity-Based Oppression Risk Factors: Weak Social Institutions Recruitment Barriers to Leaving Chapter Summary Discussion Questions 6. Traffickers Types of Traffickers Who Are They, and Why Do They Do It? The Glorification of Pimping in Pop Culture Chapter Summary Discussion Questions 7. Sex Trafficking Operations Venues for Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation Technology as a Trafficking Tool Interstate Circuits International Trafficking Movement Meeting the Demand Structure of Trafficking Operations Chapter Summary Discussion Questions 8. Buyers Research on Buyers Buyers of Prostitution and Sex Trafficking Are Indistinct Demographics of Buyers Continuum of Buyer Motivations Addressing Demand: Structural Responses Targeting Buyers Buyers Avoiding Detection Chapter Summary Discussion Questions Part III. Responses to Sex Trafficking 9. Criminal Justice System Responses U.S. Federal Law: The Trafficking Victims Protection Act State Law Identification Criminalizing Trafficking Survivors Chapter Summary Discussion Questions 10. Social Services and Health Care Responses Identification Health Care Settings Social Service Settings Barriers to Accessing Services Aftercare Promising Practices Chapter Summary Discussion Questions 11. The Anti-Sex Trafficking Movement in the United States ""The Roots"" of Grassroots Antitrafficking Organizations The Hotel Industry The Transportation Industry Political Activism Media Support International Organizations Operating in the United States Chapter Summary Discussion Questions 12. New Directions Criminal Justice System Recommendations Education and Awareness Recommendations for Social Service Provision Outreach and Prevention Societal Issues What Can We Do? What's Your Green Dot? Discussion Questions Notes References Index"
Andrea J. Nichols is a Carnegie Award-winning professor of sociology at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park and lecturer and anti-trafficking initiative coordinator at Washington University in St. Louis. She is the author of Feminist Advocacy: Gendered Organizations in Community-Based Responses to Domestic Violence (2013) and, with Erin C. Heil, of Human Trafficking in the Midwest: A Case Study of St. Louis and the Bi-State Area (2015).
Reviews for Sex Trafficking in the United States: Theory, Research, Policy, and Practice
Nichols provides a comprehensive and clear overview of sex trafficking in the United States, skillfully exploring the intersecting and complex challenges of theory and practice. This book is an outstanding resource for teaching. -- Lauren Martin, University of Minnesota Finally, there is an ideal option for educators seeking a comprehensive text on this complex topic. Andrea J. Nichols delivers a well-organized book that analyzes the theories explaining sex trafficking today, carefully considers the impassioned discourse surrounding sex trafficking policy, and draws on solid empirical research from beginning to end. -- Joan A. Reid, University of South Florida St. Petersburg Nichols exposes the reality of sex trafficking and offers a comprehensive view of challenging perspectives, engaging the audience to take action toward prevention. -- Juliana Huard, University of Massachusetts A well-organized introduction to the landscape of sex trafficking in the United States that addresses the complexity of the issue, the competing narratives, and some of the challenges faced by survivors. -- Natalie Jesionka, Rutgers University
