Domestic Sex Trafficking in Aotearoa New Zealand: Law Enforcement Experiences and Identification

Abstract

Perceptions of human trafficking in New Zealand resemble commonly held assumptions that portray human trafficking as a transnational crime, oftentimes neglecting acknowledgement of trafficking that occurs on the domestic level. Both internationally and domestically, human trafficking, including exploitation in commercial sex, is frequently met with misconceptions about what dynamics are involved in these commercially exploitative processes. Domestic sex trafficking, in particular, has received little attention or focus in the New Zealand context, and the experiences of law enforcement relating to sex trafficking are yet to be addressed. The purpose of this research was to explore law enforcement understanding and experience related to human trafficking, focusing specifically on the dynamics of exploitation in commercial sex as it occurs in New Zealand, where transnational movement is not evident. Utilising a qualitative research design, interviews were conducted with seven New Zealand law enforcement personnel, including personnel involved in frontline intervention, intimate partner violence, sexual assault, family violence, and child abuse. The aim was to increase understanding of the experiences of law enforcement personnel dealing with domestic sex trafficking within New Zealand. Two international-based key informants were included in the study to provide insight into the progression and development of effective human trafficking units and programmes within law enforcement and the criminal justice system. Thematic analysis identified three themes in the dialogue and experiences of the participants; perceptions and knowledge gaps, patterns of response, and barriers to identification and response. These themes provide insight into knowledge and perceptions of what constitutes trafficking on both the international and domestic levels; who is perceived as being vulnerable or impacted by trafficking; the perceived relationship between consensual involvement in the sex industry and trafficking in commercial sex; and how legislation, policy, and protocols are utilised in practice. The study indicates that knowledge pertaining to human trafficking varies among law enforcement personnel, ultimately influencing levels of identification and response, specifically at the domestic level, where exploitation in commercial sex is frequently conflated with varying other crime types, including family or intimate partner violence and child abuse, or conflated with voluntary involvement in the sex industry.