Research on Human Trafficking in Moldova: A Review of Literature

Author: Bogdan, Ludmila

Abstract: This paper investigates the literature on human trafficking in Moldova. Four main categories emerged when reviewing scholarly articles published in English and Romanian from 1998 to 2018: (1) empirical research by policy-making organizations, (2) nonempirical research by policy-making organizations, (3) empirical research by independent researchers, and (4) nonempirical research by independent researchers. I found limited academic work on this topic, and even more reduced independent empirical studies, biased research toward sex trafficking and the study of women, a monopoly of original data by the International Organization for Migration, and a lack of cooperation between policy-making institutions and independent researchers.

Keywords: human trafficking research, data challenges, Moldova