Abstract
Human trafficking represents one of the largest criminal enterprises worldwide. International anti-trafficking efforts depend on the cooperation of individual governments to incorporate anti-trafficking measures within all levels of law enforcement. Millions of dollars have been appropriated for training and awareness programs within the USA. Research indicates, however, that there may be a lack of human trafficking awareness and training among local and state law enforcement agencies. Findings from a survey within the State of Georgia support the notion that training and awareness initiatives may not be reaching local counterparts.
Notes
1. States with criminal codes consisting of provisions for both labor trafficking and sex trafficking: 37; state codes containing only labor provisions: 4; states with only sex trafficking provisions: 2.
2. Data collection was limited to a fairly limited time frame in conjunction with a master’s thesis project.
3. As one reviewer noted, the limitation of single IP addresses may not be a definitive method for preventing multiple entries.
4. Several ANOVA calculations for statistical significance were also performed in SPSS but are not presented in summary results due to space restrictions and a lack of relevance to the argument presented here; it should be noted, however, that training received, agency size (larger than 50 sworn officers), and urban/metro departments were found to be statistically significant in relation to higher agency awareness levels of both the federal and state human trafficking statutes.