Date of Award

Spring 2016

Document Type

Thesis

Primary Advisor

Dr. Margaret de Alminina

Second Advisor

Dr. R. Timothy Welch

Abstract

This research explores the relationship between three important factors necessary for reducing sex trafficking globally through a comparative analysis of four specific countries and their success in addressing these factors. The three factors that will be discussed in their relation to sex trafficking are government cooperation, border control, and illegalization of prostitution. These factors were chosen based on how consistently they showed up in research done for this thesis. The countries chosen for analysis-Sweden, the Netherlands, Thailand, and Singapore- were chosen based on region, trafficking levels, and unique facts that stood out as potentially significant. As will be discussed, Sweden recently developed a significant anti-prostitution law that affected its levels of trafficking over the past fifteen years, making it an important country to include in a comparison of effective reduction methods. The Netherlands and Thailand both remain two of the worst countries for sex trafficking statistically, although their levels of government cooperation contrasted dramatically. The final country, Singapore, was chosen for its strict legal system and weak border control, making it a unique country to compare with the other three mentioned.


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