Date of Graduation

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts in Sociology

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Sociology and Criminology

Advisor/Mentor

Shields, Christopher

Committee Member

Paez Ritter, Rocio

Second Committee Member

Ryan, Jeffrey

Third Committee Member

Pope, Adam

Abstract

There are currently more than 40 million people subjected to human trafficking worldwide. People living under forced servitude and sexual exploitation, people in forced marriages, and child soldiers are victims of human trafficking. Research has shown that 71% of these victims are women and girls, making human trafficking a disproportionately gendered issue. However, does gender impact trafficking as a whole? The crux of this study uses a literature review, a comprehensive summary, and a critical analysis of existing works on a specific topic to understand how gender inequality relates to human trafficking. This study will also include a correlation test with the main variables being a country's gender development index score and human trafficking rating from the Global Organized Crime Index to run a correlational study. A country’s gender development index score comes from the difference between men's and women's achievements in three categories: health, education, and command over economic resources. This aims to gain evidence from multiple studies to better understand the knowledge already identified and the gaps in current research. From the evidence taken from the literature review, we can expect that countries with higher gender inequality index scores will have high rates of human trafficking. The study showed a moderate positive correlation between gender inequality and human trafficking rates. The research on gender and trafficking is limited. Still, it is crucial to research this issue further to widen people's understanding of human trafficking and the implications gender inequality has on trafficking to protect individuals better and combat trafficking every day.

Keywords

Cambodia; Literature Review; Correlational Study; Labor Trafficking; Sex Trafficking; West Africa

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