UNDERSTANDING THE RELATION BETWEEN HUMAN TRAFFICKING CASES AND TRANSPORTATION IN INDIAN STATES USING SPATIAL ANALYSIS.

One of the most pivotal topics of discussion in current international criminological discussions has been the prevention of human trafficking at national and international borders. Trafficking in humans happens in an organised criminal network with fundamental components of action, means, and purpose. To build a potential scenario of human trafficking, one component that is quintessentialistransportation across borders typically from sourceto destination. The relationships between different forms of transportation to depict the trends in human trafficking have not been explored yet. This study addresses this gap by investigating the geography of human trafficking and how it relates to transportation by air, rail, or water. In this study, a micro-level analysis of three modes of transportation and the number of human trafficking cases was done using spatial analysis which has advantages over quantitative data. By mapping out the transportation ways and hubs, a hotspot analysis of human trafficking on a national level was performed. The resulting maps demonstrate links between a number of human trafficking incidents and with a number of airports, sea ports, railway junctions, disjoint railway lines, sharing of coastal lines, and international borders. The research will help the anti-trafficking initiatives to strategize their prevention measures geographically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]