Sex work is often called the oldest profession in the world. It manifests itself in a plethora of forms. A move to private locations is now taking place: contacts are established via the Internet and meetings take place at appointed places. This makes it more difficult to monitor forced work, and exploitation therefore risks remaining undetected.

This book presents empirical findings regarding exploitation in various countries, considering sex workers, traffickers and clients, and the fight against human trafficking. Countries differ vastly in their legislative approaches, ranging from highly repressive to very liberal. This volume asks whether the ongoing process of making and changing laws is sufficiently effective in fighting human trafficking. Other interventions could obtain better outcomes, such as promoting more independence among women and helping trafficked individuals to get out. Less ideology and more attention to the facts of exploitation and sex work might help to achieve these aims.

Marijke Malsch is a professor of Empirical Legal studies, Open Universiteit Netherlands, and fellow at the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR).
Janine Janssen is a professor of Criminology and Legal Anthropology at Open Universiteit Netherlands, professor of Violence in Relations of Dependency at Avans University of Applied Sciences and at the Police Academy.

Law and regulation
Chapter 1 - Marijke Malsch & Janine Janssen - Introduction
Chapter 2 - Mridula Shobinath - Impact of international and transnational legal instruments on anti-trafficking legislations in Europe
Chapter 3 - Nicolle Zeegers - The shop floor effects of prostitution policies in preventing human trafficking
Chapter 4 - Gerrie Lodder - Trafficked and on the run: rights to residence for asylum-seeking victims of trafficking in anti-trafficking law and asylum law
The sex worker
Chapter 5 - Irena Fer.íková Kone.ná - Sphere of influence: the governance of sex workers' rights in contemporary Europe
Chapter 6 - Eileen Yuk-ha Tsang & Jeffrey S. Wilkinson - Overcoming insult and injury: China transgender sex workers and intimate partner violence
Chapter 7 - Emily Kenway - ‘You feel that you could have done so much more’: the practices and potentials of sex worker founded/led groups in tackling sex sector exploitation
Chapter 8 - Darko Datzer and Eldan Mujanovic - Profiles of victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Combating human trafficking
Chapter 9 - Warner ten Kate - The programmatic approach and the barrier model: are we all on board?
Chapter 10 - Gunilla S. Ekberg and Kajsa Wahlberg - Twenty-five years of enforcing the ban against the purchase of sexual services in Sweden
Chapter 11 - Marijke Malsch and Inga van Uchelen - Tactics used by exploiters to draw their victims into sex work
The client
Chapter 12 - Marijke Malsch, Miriam Wijkman, Anne Koolenbrander, Marthe Schotsman and Rik Schoon - The role of clients identifying forced sex work
Chapter 13 - Suzanne Hoff and Merel Brouwer - A critical look at the criminalization of the “Use of Services” of trafficked persons
Conclusions
Chapter 14 - Marijke Malsch and Janine Janssen -Concluding chapter - human trafficking in the sex industry: practices and law