Human Dignity of Women in Contemporary Society: Issues
and Best Practices in Migration and Refugee Services
UN Side Event- Sponsored by the Holy See
Sept 13, 2006
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RESEARCH PROJECT ON TRAFFICKED WOMEN IN SOUTHEAST ASIA, EUROPE, AND THE UNITED
STATES
Helene Hayes, RGS, PhD
RESEARCH DESIGN
I traveled to Sri Lanka, Thailand,
Korea, and the Philippines in November and December of 2004 and to Brussels,
Paris, Milan, and Palermo in Feb. and Mar. of 2005 to interview women who had
been trafficked into the sex trade. I chose these specific countries because
Good Shepherd Sisters are already involved and have relationships with women who
have been trafficked in each of these locations either in our Good Shepherd
programs or other programs serving trafficked women. This approach facilitated
my access to trafficked women and hopefully reduced the possibility that the
interviews would re-traumatize the women. I am currently pursuing a small sample
of women who have been trafficked into the United States through several direct
service providers across the country, USCCB’s Migration and Refugee Services,
and Good Shepherd Domestic Violence Shelters.
This research project examines four sets of variables: the women’s “social and
emotional adjustment”, “life before trafficking”, “the experience of being
trafficked”, and “life after trafficking”. I am using two research instruments;
a structured interview of trafficked women and a structured interview of Key
Informants or service providers. This second instrument asks questions similar
to the trafficked women’s questionnaire but adds questions about ‘best
practices’ in terms of treatment, and legal and policy relevant issues specific
to their countries.
Confidentiality and anonymity for the women, programs, staff, and locations will
be protected through the use of content analysis and aggregate data only. The
total number of trafficked women interviewed from source, transit and
destination countries thus far is 59. I have one U.S. interview to go to
complete my overall sample of sixty women.
The goal of this research is to publish a book which places the voices of women
who have been trafficked at its center. Carefully rendered research can make it
difficult for governments and individuals to avoid facing this harrowing, global
human rights violation.
In terms of my professional credentials, I am a Licensed Independent Clinical
Social Worker with a PhD in Social Policy Analysis from Boston College School of
Social Work.. My prior research on undocumented Haitian, Irish and Salvadoran
immigrants in the Boston area was published in 2001 by Praeger Books; U.S.
Immigration Policy And the Undocumented : Ambivalent Laws, Furtive Lives.
I am conducting this research on behalf of my Congregation, the Sisters of the
Good Shepherd, an international community located on 5 continents and 67
countries.
