Women and Criminal Justice
Volume 20, Issue 1-2, 2010, Pages 167-185

Methodological and ethical challenges to conducting human trafficking studies: A case study of Korean trafficking and smuggling for sexual exploitation to the United States (Article)

Choo K.* , Jang J.O. , Choi K.
  • a Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, University of Massachusetts Lowell, 870 Broadway Street, Lowell, MA 01854, United States
  • b Korean Institute of Criminology, Seoul, South Korea
  • c Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, University of Massachusetts Lowell, 870 Broadway Street, Lowell, MA 01854, United States

Abstract

The objective of this article is to review a range of serious methodological and ethical challenges to studying human trafficking. In particular, the article focuses on lessons learned from a field research study of Korean sex trafficking and smuggling to the United States. We first introduce the general background of the field study as well as its findings. Then we discuss the ethnographic approach and its implementation. Finally, we discuss the various methodological challenges and ethical issues related to studying active Korean traffickers and smugglers as well as Korean victims in the U.S. sex industry. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Author Keywords

Human trafficking Ethical dilemma Sex workers human smuggling

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-77951274371&doi=10.1080%2f08974451003641461&partnerID=40&md5=d385541cba002364d4c2235273254ecd
DOI: 10.1080/08974451003641461
ISSN: 08974454
Cited by: 9
Original Language: English