The acquisition process of trafficked individuals varies case by case around the world, with human traffickers using various methods of acquisition and paying a range of costs to obtain these individuals. While research on the acquisition methods of traffickers is expansive, research on acquisition costs is relatively small and is mostly covered by Kevin Bales and Siddharth Kara. This study examined acquisition costs of trafficked individuals around the world in order to identify themes and patterns of acquisition, with the goal of informing preventative anti-trafficking efforts aimed at the acquisition process of human trafficking. The main finding of this research was the existence of an initial trafficker that acts as a middleman for other traffickers. This individual acquires victims usually through low or no cost due to the vulnerability and economic need of these individuals, and then sells them for profit to another trafficker that then exploits the individual’s labor. This finding indicates the need for anti-trafficking efforts to put more focus into the beginning of the trafficking process, preventing these middlemen from acquiring victims as well as protecting vulnerable populations in order to prevent their exploitation.
","abstract_html":"<p>The acquisition process of trafficked individuals varies case by case around the world, with human traffickers using various methods of acquisition and paying a range of costs to obtain these individuals. While research on the acquisition methods of traffickers is expansive, research on acquisition costs is relatively small and is mostly covered by Kevin Bales and Siddharth Kara. This study examined acquisition costs of trafficked individuals around the world in order to identify themes and patterns of acquisition, with the goal of informing preventative anti-trafficking efforts aimed at the acquisition process of human trafficking. The main finding of this research was the existence of an initial trafficker that acts as a middleman for other traffickers. This individual acquires victims usually through low or no cost due to the vulnerability and economic need of these individuals, and then sells them for profit to another trafficker that then exploits the individual’s labor. This finding indicates the need for anti-trafficking efforts to put more focus into the beginning of the trafficking process, preventing these middlemen from acquiring victims as well as protecting vulnerable populations in order to prevent their exploitation.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Dillane, Chelsea Reneé"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"M.A.","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Rebecca Galemba","Claude d'Estrée","Nicholas Cutforth"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2020-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:03:26Z","subjects":["Acquisition cost","Anti-trafficking efforts","Human trafficking","Middleman","No-cost acquisition","Retrafficking","International and Area Studies","Social Justice"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
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