This article is the first in a series of reference aids to facilitate research of varying scope and depth into the many human rights, healthcare, socioeconomic, criminal justice, etc. issues surrounding human trafficking (HT). It is written to support interdisciplinary collaborations and promote sharing of best practice recommendations within the anti-human trafficking community. It provides a compilation of terms related to HT derived from literature reviews and related resources, combinations of which can be used to produce search results to better understand and address HT.
Term Classifications
Classifications (Umbrella, Key, Other) are primarily based on the Action-Means-Purpose (AMP) model which visually represent federal and international definitions of HT and their corresponding criminal offenses. HT occurs when a perpetrator, often referred to as a trafficker, takes an Action (recruits, harbors, transports, etc), and then employs the Means of force, fraud or coercion for the Purpose of compelling the victim to provide commercial sex acts or other labor/services. At least one element from each AMP column must be present to establish a potential situation of HT. There are various versions of the AMP model, two of the more recent being:
Department of Health & Human Services, 2019
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, webpage as of 21 Sep 2023
HT Terms
Umbrella Terms – Acronym
Human Trafficking – HT
Trafficking in Persons – TIP
Modern Slavery – MS
Modern Slavery Human Trafficking – MSHT
Trafficking in Human Beings – THB
Key Terms
Child / minor trafficking
Child soldiers
Commercial sex act / exploitation
Debt bondage / peonage
Forced / servile marriage
Forced begging
Forced child labor*
Forced labor or services
Forced prostitution
Illicit sexual conduct
Involuntary domestic servitude
Labor trafficking / exploitation
Organ harvesting / removal / trafficking
Sex trafficking
Slavery
*Use “labour” or “lab*r” for international searches
Other Terms
Child / juvenile sex offender
Child predator
Child sexual abuse / assault / exploitation / material / molestation
Corruption of children for sexual purposes
Cybersex trafficking
Drug cultivation
Exploitation of children in/for prostitution
Forced criminal activities
Grooming (online/ offline) for sexual purposes
Live online / streaming child sexual abuse
Online (sexual) enticement of children
Online child sexual abuse / exploitation
OTC (Organ / Tissue / Cell) trafficking
Perpetrators of sexual crimes against children
Rape of a child
Sale of counterfeit goods
Sex offender
Sexting
Sextortion
Sexual exploitation of children in the context of travel and tourism
Sexual harassment of a child
Sexual servitude
Sexual touching of children
Sexual violence against children
Solicitation of children for sexual purposes
Resources
- Dimas, G. L., Konrad, R. A., Maass, K. L., & Trapp, A. C. (2022). Operations research and analytics to combat human trafficking: A systematic review of academic literature. PLOS ONE 17(8): e0273708. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0273708 (most useful resource cited here)
- Congressional Research Service (2021). Human Trafficking: Key Federal Criminal Statutes. https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11942
- United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2000). Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, Supplementing the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime. https://www.unodc.org/res/human-trafficking/2021the-protocol-tip_html/TIP.pdf
- Office on Trafficking in Persons, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (2019). Definitions and Principles to Inform Human Trafficking Prevention. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/otip/im_definitions_and_principles_of_human_trafficking_prevention.pdf
- United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. AMP Model & Forms of HT (accessed 21 Sep 2023). https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/crime.html
- Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, U.S. Department of State (2022). Fact Sheet: Understanding Human Trafficking. https://www.state.gov/what-is-trafficking-in-persons/
- Greijer, S. and Doek, J. (2016). Terminology Guidelines for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse. Interagency Working Group, End Child Prostitution and Trafficking Luxembourg. https://cdn.icmec.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Luxembourg-guidelines-definitions-CSA-and-CSE.pdf
Additional HT terms most welcome via comment or DM – thank you.
