This publication explains the significance of "referral systems" in the context of trafficking and migration. It defines a referral system as a support network of agencies and individuals specifically developed to provide support and services for a particular purpose, with an intentionally targeted informational communication network and various mediums for access to information. The lack of coordinated information collection and consequent lack of understanding of the nature of the issue are well-identified obstacles to responding to the specific and ever-growing problems of trafficking and unsafe migration. This publication argues that the working concept of referral systems should not be underestimated as an information-gathering tool to aid antitrafficking policy.

In the light of the urgent need for cooperative and collaborative action against trafficking, this publication presents examples of promising practice from around the world relating to trafficking interventions. It is hoped that the guidance offered, the practices showcased and the resources recommended in this Toolkit will inspire and assist policymakers, law enforcers, judges, prosecutors, victim service providers and members of civil society in playing their role in the global effort against trafficking in persons. The present edition is an updated and expanded version of the Toolkit published in 2006.

The 2020 UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons is the fifth of its kind mandated by the General Assembly through the 2010 United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. It covers more than 130 countries and provides an overview of patterns and flows of trafficking in persons at global, regional and national levels, based primarily on trafficking cases detected between 2017 and 2019. As UNODC has been systematically collecting data on trafficking in persons for more than a decade, trend information is presented for a broad range of indicators.

Since the 2005 publication of the highly acclaimed first edition of Trafficking and Prostitution Reconsidered, human trafficking has become virtually a household phrase. This new edition adds vitally important updates related to recent developments. A new introduction considers the term 'sex trafficking' and its growing use amongst feminist researchers. In a new chapter Ratna Kapur looks at changes in anti-trafficking legislation especially under the Obama administration. Jyoti Sanghera reports from her experience as a UN Human Rights commissioner and Bandana Pattanaik examines feminist participatory research on 'trafficking'. The book concludes with a list of relevant websites, organisations, and publications useful for students, researchers, and activists.

This issue of Transnational Crime focuses on the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Supplementing Protocols. It is part of a broader project, marking the UNTOC’s 2oth anniversary, which started with The Palermo Convention at Twenty: Institutional and Substantive Challenges (Brill 2020) and aims at appraising the Convention’s legal framework and its suitability as a tool for effectively combating present-day transnational organized crime.

Human trafficking affects various countries in the world and spans different sectors of the economy from brothels to sweatshops, and farms to private homes. This title brings together key perspectives from a range of key participants in the struggle against human trafficking in the United Kingdom.