The role of the social work practitioner and the strength of social work theories and practice in meeting the complex needs of people trafficked and the professionals that work with them

Author: Busch-Armendariz, Noël; Busch Nsonwu, Maura & Cook Heffron, Laurie

Abstract: The increasing emergence of cases of gangmastering and serious exploitation of agricultural workers in vulnerable situations raises relevant questions at the boundaries of the field of social agriculture: how to improve the social quality of agricultural work tout court? How to implement systemic changes aimed at preventing worker exploitation? What network strategies allow connecting the different systems that condition fair and sustainable rural development? This contribution focuses on a concerted strategy for improving the social conditions of workers in vulnerable situations, and the processes of building collaborative networks for the prevention of exploitation, starting from the experience of the FARm project “Responsible Agriculture Supply Chain Model”, in Veneto, Lombardy and Trentino Alto-Adige, co-financed by the European Union through the FAMI fund.

Keywords: ecological perspective, human trafficking, qualitative research, sex trafficking, sexual exploitation, single-point-of-contact, social work, strengths-based approach, victim-centered approach