Human Trafficking Research Lab @Millikin

I spoke at a Ground Truth Briefing for the Woodrow Wilson Center entitled "A Pandemic of Violence: A Global Discussion of COVID-19 and Gender Based Violence" on what I have seen happening on the ground here with gender-based violence in Eurasia.  As governments around the world impose lockdowns and encourage social distancing to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, a shadow pandemic has emerged. Reports of domestic and intimate-partner violence have spiked, and already femicide rates are rising in some parts of the world. Yet even as the pandemic has increased the incidence of violence, it has simultaneously hampered prevention and protection efforts, including reduced access to law enforcement, social services and healthcare for women.  The recording with me and a panel of experts on global discussion of gender-based violence during the COVID-19 pandemic is available here . 

Dr. Dean's book Diffusing Human Trafficking Policy in Eurasia was release by Policy Press at the University of Bristol on May 14, 2020. Offering a perceptive study of the urgent human rights issue of trafficking in persons, this important book analyses the development and effectiveness of public policies across Eurasia. Drawing on multi-method research in the region, Laura A. Dean explores the factors behind anti-trafficking strategies and the role of governments and activists in combating labour and sexual exploitation. She examines the intersection of global strategies and state-by-state approaches, and uses the diffusion of innovation framework to cast new light on the impetus and implementation of different policy typologies. Identifying the strengths, weaknesses, and best practices in human trafficking policies around Eurasia, Dean’s book will appeal to a wide range of students, scholars, practitioners, and policy makers. Spoke about it on the News Books Network for Russia and