eprintid: 10189919 rev_number: 11 eprint_status: archive userid: 699 dir: disk0/10/18/99/19 datestamp: 2024-04-04 13:24:32 lastmod: 2024-09-02 12:23:32 status_changed: 2024-04-04 13:24:32 type: article metadata_visibility: show sword_depositor: 699 creators_name: Cockbain, Eleanor creators_name: Ashby, Matthew creators_name: Bowers, Kate creators_name: Zhang, Sheldon X title: Concentrations of harm: Geographic and demographic patterning in human trafficking and related victimisation ispublished: inpress divisions: UCL divisions: B04 divisions: C05 divisions: F52 keywords: Criminal exploitation, domestic servitude, environmental criminology, forced labour, migration, sexual exploitation note: © The Author(s), 2024. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ abstract: Human trafficking and ‘modern slavery’ cover a wide, varied and poorly delineated range of exploitative practices. Yet, conflating different issues risks obscuring important variation. The geographies of trafficking are surprisingly under-researched, particularly quantitatively. Informed by opportunity theories, we examined geospatial and demographic concentrations in trafficking and related exploitation formally identified in the United Kingdom (UK) over the decade 2009–2019. Taking an exploratory approach, we analysed individual-level data for 26,503 people officially identified as suspected or confirmed victims. Our results reveal a highly complex landscape that likely reflects multiple and intersecting contributing factors, including both systemic drivers and more immediate opportunity structures. Alongside considerable variation overall, we found heavy geographic and demographic concentrations – and notable interactions between variables. Our study emphasises the importance of disaggregation for analysis and responses and underlines the complex systems involved. Limitations notwithstanding, this novel analysis shows the value of large-scale, context-sensitive research into the geographies of trafficking. date: 2024-04-30 date_type: published publisher: SAGE Publications official_url: https://doi.org/10.1177/17488958241245311 oa_status: green full_text_type: pub language: eng primo: open primo_central: open_green verified: verified_manual elements_id: 2263103 doi: 10.1177/17488958241245311 lyricists_name: Cockbain, Eleanor lyricists_id: EPCOC60 actors_name: Cockbain, Eleanor actors_id: EPCOC60 actors_role: owner funding_acknowledgements: ES/S008624/1 [Economic and Social Research Council] full_text_status: public publication: Criminology & Criminal Justice issn: 1748-8958 citation: Cockbain, Eleanor; Ashby, Matthew; Bowers, Kate; Zhang, Sheldon X; (2024) Concentrations of harm: Geographic and demographic patterning in human trafficking and related victimisation. Criminology & Criminal Justice 10.1177/17488958241245311 <https://doi.org/10.1177/17488958241245311>. (In press). Green open access document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10189919/1/Cockbain%2C%20Ashby%2C%20Bowers%2C%20Zhang%202024%20Concentrations%20of%20harm.pdf