Human trafficking: the unintended effects of United Nations intervention

From International Political Science Review

This article examines the unintended effects of UN intervention leading to substantial increases in the human sex trafficking trade into crisis areas. It looks particularly at the cases of Kosovo, Haiti and Sierra Leone. In July 1999 the Kosovo Protection Force entered Kosovo, the war-torn province of Serbia, in order to protect ethnic Albanians. Within months the global human rights community drew attention to the establishment and intensification of human sex trafficking into Kosovo. In August 2004, Amnesty International reported that young women from Eastern Europe were being abducted, drugged, and sold into human trafficking rings in Kosovo.

This paper demonstrates that the introduction of UN peacekeeping forces into a crisis area leads to an increase in the rate of human trafficking, and reveals that the size of the force determines the magnitude of the increase. It concludes that more aggressive monitoring of trafficking patterns following the departure of peacekeeping forces is needed and also a consideration of the best method for reducing the spread of human trafficking in the wake of UN intervention should be undertaken. 

SAGE opens access to articles in celebration of World Social Work Day

World Social Work Day 15^th March 2011 focuses on social work contributions to society and is part of an on-going dialogue about how to address challenging social conditions worldwide. The theme this year is “Social Work voices responding to global crisises: Together we develop the  Agenda!“. To celebrate this day SAGE has opened access to some journal articles for a limited period. SAGE is proud to publish a Social Work portfolio that includes the journals International Social Work, Journal of Social Work, and Research on Social Work Practice, plus a comprehensive books programme that spans the diverse field.

Notes from a prison cell: PEN’s Writers in Prison Committee

From Index on Censorship  

This issue  brings together some of the world’s finest writers to look back at one of the longest running campaigns for freedom of expression: PEN’s Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC). Run mostly by writers, for writers, it marks its fiftieth anniversary this year, and while its case histories and supporte rs read like a hall of literary fame, the continuing necessity of its existence can never be a cause for celebration. The contributors to this issue also explore the moral dilemmas and pitfalls that face all human rights campaigners.
 

Censoring cyberspace

From Index on censorship

This special issue calls for a new approach to tackling censorship online. As cyberspace has become the arena for political activism, governments are growing more sophisticated in controlling free expression online – from surveillance to filtering. And it’s now becoming harder than ever for human rights activists to outwit the authorities. Targeted espionage is another worrying new development for companies and governments – and Google’s response to the attack on its infrastructure in January from China will have significant repercussions for western companies that do business with authoritarian regimes. The issue examines how technology has transformed the business of censorship at the same time as revolutionizing freedom of expression.

Protecting the human rights of vulnerable women: A spotlight on deaths of women in prison

From Probation Journal

This comment piece calls for a change in government criminal justice and social policy following the national and international attention to the issues arising from the deaths of women in prison. Currently many mentally ill and vulnerable women are imprisoned in institutions ill-equipped and ill-resourced to deal with their complex needs. The state is failing in its duty of care.