TRACE · TRafficking as A Criminal Enterprise

TRafficking as A Criminal Enterprise (TRACE) aims to support stakeholders in combating and disrupting human trafficking, one of the largest criminal enterprises in the world, by assessing and consolidating information surrounding the perpetrators and the wider trafficking enterprise. TRACE adopts a multi-disciplinary approach: legal, criminological, socio-economical, psychological and law enforcement-oriented, in order to provide a full account of the phenomenon, and build upon on-going European and national projects and activities. It will focus on the activities of the perpetrators by developing an understanding of the structure, social relationships, modus operandi, travel routes and technologies associated with different types of human trafficking (human trafficking for sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, forced criminal activities etc.). Based on the analysis of perpetrators’ behaviour TRACE seeks to be able to better identify who is in danger of being trafficked and furthermore, who is vulnerable to becoming involved in human trafficking (including those who may have been victims themselves). TRACE acknowledges that human trafficking involves a chain of criminal behaviours, activities and processes and will consolidate up-to-date information, good practice and expert opinion to provide stakeholders with an intervention strategy based on policy recommendations for disrupting the trafficking chain. These recommendations will be based on stakeholder consensus reached via interviews, expert workshops, and the final conference. TRACE has designed its dissemination plan, including the development of briefing papers, to disseminate relevant up-to-date information surrounding the different facets of the project to relevant stakeholders in order to support their efforts in disrupting the business of trafficking in human beings.