The Role of Climate Change in Driving Sex Trafficking in Louisiana
Date
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This thesis examines how anti-trafficking service providers of East Baton Rouge Parish and Orleans Parish, Louisiana understand climate change’s role in driving sex trafficking. In exploring their understanding, this project investigates whether climate change is a factor in sex trafficking patterns and whether anti-trafficking service providers see climate change as a factor. I argue that climate change is a factor in sex trafficking patterns as climate change exacerbates vulnerabilities to sex trafficking. By drawing on interviews done with two service providers of East Baton Rouge Parish, four service providers of Orleans Parish, and one with relations in both locales, this project uses narrative theory to draw out the perspectives of service providers on these issues and the reasoning for those perspectives. Including their perspectives will add to the limited knowledge of the climate change and sex trafficking nexus. Through localizing this knowledge, I hope to foster specific policy responses to this phenomenon.