“Sharing Information is the Most Effective Way to Prevent…Human Trafficking”: Stakeholders’ Responses to Survivor Recommendations from a 10-Year Longitudinal Research Project, Cambodia

Author: Miles, Glenn; Havey, James; Davis, Jarrett; Ou, Sophearayuth & Sreang, Phaly

Abstract: This study examines stakeholder responses to recommendations made by survivors of human trafficking in Cambodia through the Chab Dai Butterfly Longitudinal Research Project. Using mixed methods, including surveys of NGOs (N = 10) and focus groups with distinct stakeholder groups including local authorities (n = 12), women’s crisis center representatives (n = 10), and police (n = 8), we analyzed implementation patterns of survivor recommendations across key stakeholder groups. While stakeholders demonstrated support for survivor-centered approaches, significant gaps emerged between survivor recommendations and implementation practices. Resource constraints, institutional barriers, and cultural factors limited meaningful implementation, particularly regarding structural reforms and survivor inclusion in decision-making. Stakeholders favored community-based awareness programs over institutional changes, revealing tensions between immediate practical responses and long-term systemic reform. These findings highlight the need for enhanced survivor participation in anti-trafficking program development while acknowledging complex implementation challenges in the Cambodian context.

Keywords: survivor recommendations, participatory action research, stakeholder implementation, Cambodia, survivor inclusion