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Journal Article 1: Acharya, A. K. (2008). Sexual violence and proximate risks: A study on trafficked women in mexico city. Gender Technology and Development, 12, 77–99. DOI:10.1177/097185240701200106

Abstract: Trafficking in humans is an integral part of the social and economic fabric in Mexico as in other parts of the world. This practice causes intolerable degradation and suffering for the girls and young women involved and are treated as a commodity. The process results in a risk to their physical and mental health, and in particular, to their sexual health, which I have explored in this research. Sixty trafficked women currently working as commercial sex workers were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire, and 13 in-depth interviews were conducted in the La Merced red-light area of Mexico City. Trafficked women in Mexico are basically young women, have little education and are mostly unmarried. The women I interviewed were working in cheap hotels and were living with a pimp. In the week prior to the interviews, 70 percent were beaten with objects, 100 percent were abused verbally, 28 percent were burned by lighting cigarettes, 36 percent were threatened with being killed and 22 percent were raped by clients and traffickers. Unwanted pregnancies and forced abortions were common; 65 percent had had at least one abortion. Almost all women had been infected by sexually transmitted diseases. The present research concluded that sexual violence has serious physical and mental health risks on trafficked women and it needs an urgent response from the government not only to provide health facilities to these women but also to eradicate women trafficking in Mexico.

Journal Article 2: Gill, A. (2009). Honor killings and the quest for justice in black and minority ethnic communities in the United Kingdom. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 20, 475–494. DOI:10.1177/08874034082329604

Abstract: Crimes of honor are characterized by violence against women (VAW) and are consequently not gender neutral. This article not only examines the relationship between gender and violence in communities where honor crimes are committed, focusing on the status of women in South Asian communities, but also considers other contexts in which these crimes are practiced. Criminal justice responses to the issue over the last 10 years are then examined, leading to an analysis of a round-table discussion intended to consider approaches to the issue. The viability of criminalization is called into question because the official response to these crimes is often insensitive to women’s cultural circumstances. Recommendations are made to help reduce the numbers of these crimes.
 

Journal Article 3: Hodge, D. R., & Lietz, C. A. (2007). The international sexual trafficking of women and children: A review of the literature. Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work, 22, 163–174. DOI:10.1177/0886109907299055

Abstract: The contemporary international slave trade has received little attention in the social work literature. In keeping with the profession's commitment to social justice and human rights, this article reviews perhaps the most prominent and fastest-growing component of the trade--the trafficking of young women and children for prostitution and other forms of sexual exploitation. The role of criminal networks in the globalization of sexual trafficking is discussed, along with the recruitment strategies used by the networks. Suggestions are offered for advocating on behalf of women and children, and information is provided to assist social workers in the provision of services to victims of trafficking.