Dr Xavier L’hoiry1, Dr Alessandro Moretti, Professor Georgios Antonopoulos
1University Of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
Introduction
The proliferation of information and communication technologies in the past two decades is changing the ways in which human trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation is carried out. The rise of Adult Services Websites (ASWs) has fundamentally altered the marketplace for sex work, creating a virtual red-light district connecting supply and demand online. ASWs are used by non-trafficked sex workers, but these websites have also been identified as platforms for traffickers to advertise the forced sexual services of victims. As a result, police forces in the UK and elsewhere have begun to pro-actively investigate ASWs to identify instances of trafficking. Our research has created an identification and risk assessment tool – the Sexual Trafficking Identification Matrix (STIM) – to aid police investigations of suspect ASW profiles. The STIM lists a series of risk indicators which may be present on ASW profiles, indicating whether a profile is more or less likely to be used by traffickers.
Methods
The STIM was created based on a review of relevant literature and 30 interviews with experts in the area of commercial sexual exploitation mediated via ASWs. The STIM was then tested in a live operational environment by police investigators who fed back to the research team on the accuracy and efficiency of this tool in identifying cases of trafficking on ASWs.
Results
Police investigators reported that certain risk indicators contained in the STIM were particularly instructive in identifying cases of trafficking mediated online via ASWs. They also noted limitations with the STIM, including instances of false positives.
Conclusion
There is considerable potential to develop the use of the STIM to support police investigations in this context. However, this requires ongoing testing and review of the STIM, including engaging a wider range of stakeholders in developing the risk indicators contained in the STIM.
Biography:
Dr Xavier L’Hoiry is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Social Policy in the Department of Sociological Studies at the University of Sheffield. He has research interests in serious and organised crime and policing responses to this phenomenon, with a current focus on commercial sexual exploitation. He has worked extensively with police forces in the UK to co-produce evidence-based solutions to various forms of serious and organised crime.