Female Perpetrators of Human Trafficking

• In Event: Unusual Actors in Human Trafficking

Abstract

Female offenders are seldom studied by criminological scholars. This is certainly the case regarding offenses like human trafficking and sexual exploitation. However, the number of women suspected of being a perpetrator of human trafficking should not be underestimated. Worldwide, 38% of the suspected perpetrators is female and perpetrators who have their origins in Central Europe and Eastern Asia are even twice as much (68%) a suspect of human trafficking than their male counterparts (32%) (UNODC, 2014). In this paper we present the results of a study on female perpetrators of human trafficking. We have analyzed the court-files of 150 women who have been convicted for human trafficking. We present offender, offense and victim characteristics and we will discuss the differences between offenders who have been sexually exploited themselves, and offenders who have not been exploited. This paper concludes by discussing implications for criminal justice authorities, policy and research.

Authors

• Miriam Wijkman, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

• Edward Kleemans, VU School of Criminology - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam