09/29/2025
By Karen Mullins

The School of Criminology and Justice Studies is proud to announce a Dissertation Proposal by Xichen Wang entitled: "On the Measurement of Human Trafficking."

Date: Friday, Oct. 10
Time: 10 a.m. - noon
Location: Via Zoom


Committee:

  • Sheldon X. Zhang, Ph.D, Committee Chair, Professor, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Claire Lee, Ph.D, Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Jason Rydberg, Ph.D, Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • David Okech, Ph.D. Professor, University of Georgia

Abstract:

Human trafficking is a global problem. Governments and organizations worldwide have invested significant resources in combating it. Effective responses depend on reliable estimates on the scope of the problem. Existing prevalence estimates, however, vary significantly. One major challenge is the lack of consistent measurement of human trafficking. Other complicating factors include overlapping legal definitions of human trafficking and varied socio-cultural settings. Although much progress has occurred in the measurement development of human trafficking research, few such instruments have been subjected to rigorous empirical validation.

This dissertation seeks to contribute to the development of reliable and consistent measurement of human trafficking by validating a survey instrument developed by the Prevalence Reduction Innovation Forum (PRIF), an ambitious international program to harmonize human trafficking measurements in diverse global settings. This dissertation consists of three key components. First, a systematic review will be conducted of existing measurement tools used in prevalence estimation studies. Second, analyses using exploratory factor analysis and item response theory techniques will be carried out to assess psychometric properties of the PRIF survey instrument. Survey data recently collected under the PRIF project from adult domestic workers in Morocco, Tunisia, and Tanzania will be used to assess the instrument’s cross-country consistency. Third, survey data recently obtained from child domestic workers in Côte d'Ivoire will be used to examine whether the PRIF indicators can be effectively applied to child labor trafficking. Findings from this dissertation project will advance the knowledge on how best to measure human trafficking activities across different cultural settings, thus contributing to the overall development of reliable, effective, and standardized measurement tools across different populations and diverse cultural contexts.