Migrant Trafficking and Human Smuggling in Europe: A Review of the Evidence from Hungary, Poland and Ukraine
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Migrant Trafficking and Human Smuggling in Europe: A Review of the Evidence from Hungary, Poland and Ukraine edited by Frank Lackzo and David Thompson Geneva: International Organisation for Migration (2000) ISBN 92 9068 097 0 (416 pages, £25.00)
Reviewed by Alison Jobe The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has set out to create a comprehensive study of existing knowledge of human trafficking and smuggling. Through an extensive review of the existing literature this text identifies significant gaps in this knowledge in Europe. John Salt and his co-contributors (Jennifer Hogarth, Judit Juhasz, Marek Okolski, Tatiana Klinchenko, Olga Malynovska, Igor Mingazutdinov and Oleg Shamshur) attempt to fill some of these gaps through empirical case studies focusing on the trafficking situation in Hungary, Poland and the Ukraine. Salt et al provide us with the obligatory section on the definitions of smuggling and human trafficking. The authors throughout maintain a balanced and objective view of these complex and often-stagnating debates. Particularly useful to those new to the subject area are charts which document the progression of these debates through legislative definitions. Similar charts are provided for official responses, and for recommendations for the formulation of agreements and legislation on human trafficking and smuggling. The study of human trafficking, or indeed any research involving crime or victims of crime, requires both elements of creativity and extreme care (Kelly, 2002:14). One of the principal concerns in an empirical study of human trafficking is the possible danger involved. The research is potentially dangerous to both researcher and researched, due to the illegal nature of the phenomenon. Furthermore, illegality is not usually conducive to disclosure. The contributors have tried to overcome these difficulties with a multi-faceted approach to their research. The research methods for the case studies in Hungary, Poland and the Ukraine comprise an analysis of existing literature and statistics, interviews with representatives of a range of government and non-government agencies, and interviews with migrants themselves. The multimethod approach to the case studies allows Salt et al to compare and contrast not only across European regions but also between different data sets. This certainly increases the reliability of their data. Salt et al readily admit the potential limitations of their migrant sample. They pre-empt any possible criticism through an honest reflection on the validity of their data. The nature of human trafficking is such that any study of it will have its necessary limitations. Criticism should not be directed at such limitations; instead researchers should reflect and learn through them to create new spaces and possibilities in methodology (Kelly, 2002:14). The book details several gaps in knowledge of trafficking which need to be addressed. The case studies from Hungary, Poland and the Ukraine in this text certainly go some way towards filling those gaps in knowledge,
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