Honors College Theses

Publication Date

2017

Major

International Studies (B.A.)

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (open access)

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Maureen Stobb

Abstract

Intense violence in the Middle East continues to force millions of displaced people to immigrate to Europe. Governments tighten border controls to stem the influx, and desperate individuals fall victim to human traffickers. Though European Union members have made progress in developing a legal framework for combatting this evil, past attempts to coordinate national laws failed to address the growing need. Research is needed to understand the causes of success and failure in this endeavor. Through a comparative case study of three states from different parts of Europe- Germany, Hungary and Turkey- I examine the extent to which to adoption of the European Union’s Council Framework Decision on Combating Human Trafficking in Human Beings of July 2002 is associated with change in law and in fact. In particular, I focus on the effect of each state’s European Union membership status. The findings of this research not only aid scholars in understanding the capacity for legal change to address the crisis of human trafficking, but help policymakers in identifying political environments that foster better compliance with interstate human trafficking measures.

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