Date of Award

6-1-2013

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Organizational Unit

Josef Korbel School of International Studies

First Advisor

Thomas Edward Rowe, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Claude d'Estree

Third Advisor

Nadia Kaneva

Keywords

Bulgaria, Europe, Human rights, Human trafficking, Roma, Vulnerability

Abstract

Human trafficking is an international problem that plagues every country in the world. Although no reliable concrete data exist on the extent of human trafficking internationally, it is estimated that thousands of women are trafficked into the European Union every year. According to research conducted by the European Roma Rights Centre in 2010, a disproportionately high percentage of these victims are of Roma ethnicity. Research from service providers, law enforcement and international organizations estimates that Roma comprise between 50 to 80 percent of human trafficking victims in Bulgaria with similar levels across Central and Eastern Europe. High levels of ethnic and gender discrimination, poverty and social exclusion compounded with low levels of employment and educational achievement make the Roma particularly vulnerable to this egregious human rights violation.

This thesis aims to examine the underlying causes of the overrepresentation of Roma among victims of trafficking, the previous and current human trafficking prevention efforts by governmental and non-governmental organizations, and their efficacy in reaching Romani populations. Finally, the author provides suggestions for the improvement of human trafficking prevention and awareness efforts in order to best address the problem and reach the most vulnerable Romani communities and individuals.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Eric Helms

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

en

File Size

96 p.

Discipline

International relations, European studies

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