Social Justice and Human Rights Compendium

The topics of immigration and human trafficking are often viewed and assessed as separate entities without correlation. When attempting to research labor trafficking amongst migrant populations, there is an apparent gap in research that needs to be filled. Is this scarcity of research due to a lack of labor trafficking amongst these populations, or is it due to the belief that these entities are, for the most part, separate and researched as such? In the examination of instances of immigration, the treatment of immigrants, and the policies and actions towards migrant populations, there are apparent power dynamics between western powers, and migrants of the Global South. In this compendium, we will explore how actions taken by western powers towards migrant populations creates a landscape that encourages and even aids human trafficking. In order to examine this theory, we will review ideas discussed in my own works “An Examination of the European Refugee Crisis in Greece: Humanitarian Response or An Erosion of Sovereignty?”, “Human Trafficking in Ireland: Policy Evaluation and Recommendation”, and “Examination of the Syrian and Ukranian Refugee Crisis: What Makes a Worthy Refugee?”. In addition to my own work, I will be drawing on theories and ideas from authors such as Jason De León, Thomas Nail, and Giorgio Agamben. Along with what was explored in the program, I will touch on theories such as “social identity theory”, and "in-groups" and "out-groups". Through the assessment of these works in total, we will come to the conclusion that the border regimes and power dynamics enforced by western powers against vulnerable migrant populations only serve to exacerbate human trafficking occurrences.