SEXUAL OFFENDING, PROSTITUTION AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING
INTRODUCTION, AIM & PHENOMENA SELECTED
AIM
To gain a proper, nuanced and multi-perspective understanding of the causes, mechanisms,
dynamics and complexity of a cluster of specific (crime) phenomena, i.e. sexual offending,
prostitution and human trafficking, as well as of their interrelations and of societal and
(criminal) policy reactions thereto.
There is no true approach: there are various approaches and perspectives to look at a
certain phenomenon. The topics are sensative and the perspectives depend on the culture.
è Open atmosphere + multi perspectivism!
Understanding the complexity of things is important. In many cases the topics will trigger a
certain feeling and response.
- E.g. child sexual abuse: we immediately see this as a negative thing. But we first
need to learn what we are talking about and what legislators label as child sexual
abuse. Before we take a firm statement, we need to learn labels and be open enough
to approach things differently.
Most of the time, we study the phenomenon to comprehend it and confront it with the law. We
need to challenge the law and the legitimacy of criminalization. We need to study what the
legislator has criminalized and why the legislator has done that => opinion.
Issues (phenomena) selected | modules
- Trafficking in human beings
o Legal approaches and policies | phenomenon and dynamics
- Prostitution & sex work
o Legal approaches and policies | phenomenon and dynamics
- Child sexual abuse & abuse of power or authority
- Sexual exploitation of children, CSAM & grooming
- Rape, sexual assault & sexual harassment
- Bestiality & animal porn, BDSM & necrophilia
- Pornography, exhibitionism voyeurism
- AI & robots
PERSPECTIVES & DIMENSIONS
Legal dimension
- Domestic, European, international and comparative criminal,
administrative/immigration, social and extraterritorial jurisdiction law
Other perspectives
- Prevention strategies and societal and (criminal) policy reactions
- Phenomenological and epidemiological data
- Victim perspective
- Offender perspective
1
, - Children’s rights perspective
- Gender perspectives
- Woman perspectives
- …
Moral dimension: sexuality morality and attitudes
- Legislation and criminalization: it is based on moral grounds. That is to be hated
because just morality is not a good enough ground to criminalize.
Economic dimension: demand and supply (elasticity) in the sexual services market…
Corporate dimension: corporate and chain responsibility, sectoral self-regulation
Gender and gay dimensions
Migration perspective: international and EU third country national migration, free movement
EU => intersexionality
European and international policy level and actor perspective
- EU (Council, EC, EP, Europol, etc.), Council of Europe, OSCE, ILO, UN
Multi-actor perspective
- Police, labour and social inspection services, prosecution services, immigration
services, border guards, tax administrations, city administrations, neighbourhoods,
NGOs, health and welfare sector, ISPs
EXPECTATIONS (COMPETENCES)
Understand/unveil the interaction between legal/regulatory frameworks and evaluative,
normative and attitudinal frameworks/discourses regarding sexuality, sexual behavior and
exploitation.
- E.g. sexworkers as victims (radical feminist). If you approach this from a different
perspective than that is more meaningfull.
- Normative approach: allows us to see that prostitution policies fail to do right to
individuals working in the sector.
Independently consult, analyse and critically/scientifically assess sources, literature and
research data: paper.
Apply knowledge of the European and international institutional and policy development
context of criminology and criminal justice when addressing sexual offending, prostitution and
human trafficking and reactions thereto.
- Reproduce the thinking we do together + be able to work with opinions and compare
them to find our own ground => think independently!
Address sexual offending, prostitution and human trafficking multi-dimensionally, multi-
disciplinary, through multiple (theoretical) frames and from a multi-actor perspective.
Apply in-depth knowledge of the phenomena concerned (and reactions thereto) in scientific
research
2
,Understand and analyse current debates and issues regarding sexual offending, prostitution
and human trafficking crime (and reactions thereto).
Critically approach sexual offending, prostitution and human trafficking (and reactions
thereto) through research and the application of theory.
Articulate a scientifically-reasoned opinion about sexual offending, prostitution and human
trafficking (and reactions thereto) that pays due attention to ethical, cultural and legal issues.
Think independently and critically about societal and (criminal) policy reactions to the
phenomena of sexual offending, prostitution and human trafficking.
Write a clear report on the results of (own) scientific research and/or personal views.
Respect cultural differences, pluralism, gender and ethical standards.
TEACHING METHODS
Integration seminar
- Building on and aiming at integrating knowledge that was acquired during a range of
courses
- (limited) introduction to the topic and literature
- Enabling for/focused on group discussion
Guided self-study
- Course materials organized per module
- Mandatory readings [ahead of live sessions] | courtesy: version for print
- Optional readings as a courtesy (inspiration for papers, discretionary knowledge
consolidation, broadening & deepening)
Self-reliant study activities
- Critical paper (5/20), 1.750 to 2.000 words, excluding ToC, footnotes,
bibliography/reference list AND a mandatory annex in which students make
transparent if and how they made use of AI in an acceptable and reasoned fashion
EVALUATION
End-of-term assessment (75%) (15/20)
- This year: written exam with short-answer questions and open questions, balancing
legal and non-legal questions
- Open questions envisage testing students’ understanding and analytical and
interpretational skills regarding the causes, mechanisms, dynamics, complexity and
interrelations of the phenomena concerned and regarding societal and (criminal)
policy reactions thereto
- See sample questions (last class)
- Legal instruments for use during exam: bespoke reader
o Legal texts/instruments are included into the reader and we can bring it to the
exam! See ufora
o Non-annotated
3
, - Non-annotated bilingual translation dictionary allowed: can also be brought to the
exam
Continuous assessment (25%) (grade will be known before the exam)
- Critical paper (supra) | separate information session
- Mandatory annex in which students make transparant if and how they have made use
of AI in an acceptable and reasoned fasion (ugent guidelines).
- Feedback provided before exam (elaborate if failed).
Aim of the paper: per topic (8 topics bcs 8 courses) there is one cricitical statement written
by AI on ufora. We need to test these opinion papers that are generated by AI, by reading the
texts in the reader. That is going to force us to read the texts. In the second part of our paper
we need to write our own opinion briefly. We can chose freely which topic. For every single
written statements, there were different prompts (contra/pro) and we do not know which
prompts are used so we need to figure this out on our own.
- 1000 words testing
- 1000 words own opinion
è Read the literature to do this assignment!!
Expectations
- Read literature from reader
- Discover for yourself what the relation between the AI opinion is vs the literature
- Be curious
- Write your own opinion
- Be innovative and bold and original in your opinion (high score)
Score: rubric
- Language, structure, lay out (0,5)
- Sources, comprehensiveness, contextualization (1,5)
o Go further than the reader and read other sources!
o Be complete and full of knowledge
- Critical opinion and argumentation (2)
- Innovative ideas, originality, resourcefulness, personal reflectiveness (1)
Participation in both non-periodic and periodic evaluation is mandatory
- Otherwise, students will be declared “failed”: if the final score is ten or more (out of
twenty), it will be reduced to the highest non-pass grade (7/20)
4
INTRODUCTION, AIM & PHENOMENA SELECTED
AIM
To gain a proper, nuanced and multi-perspective understanding of the causes, mechanisms,
dynamics and complexity of a cluster of specific (crime) phenomena, i.e. sexual offending,
prostitution and human trafficking, as well as of their interrelations and of societal and
(criminal) policy reactions thereto.
There is no true approach: there are various approaches and perspectives to look at a
certain phenomenon. The topics are sensative and the perspectives depend on the culture.
è Open atmosphere + multi perspectivism!
Understanding the complexity of things is important. In many cases the topics will trigger a
certain feeling and response.
- E.g. child sexual abuse: we immediately see this as a negative thing. But we first
need to learn what we are talking about and what legislators label as child sexual
abuse. Before we take a firm statement, we need to learn labels and be open enough
to approach things differently.
Most of the time, we study the phenomenon to comprehend it and confront it with the law. We
need to challenge the law and the legitimacy of criminalization. We need to study what the
legislator has criminalized and why the legislator has done that => opinion.
Issues (phenomena) selected | modules
- Trafficking in human beings
o Legal approaches and policies | phenomenon and dynamics
- Prostitution & sex work
o Legal approaches and policies | phenomenon and dynamics
- Child sexual abuse & abuse of power or authority
- Sexual exploitation of children, CSAM & grooming
- Rape, sexual assault & sexual harassment
- Bestiality & animal porn, BDSM & necrophilia
- Pornography, exhibitionism voyeurism
- AI & robots
PERSPECTIVES & DIMENSIONS
Legal dimension
- Domestic, European, international and comparative criminal,
administrative/immigration, social and extraterritorial jurisdiction law
Other perspectives
- Prevention strategies and societal and (criminal) policy reactions
- Phenomenological and epidemiological data
- Victim perspective
- Offender perspective
1
, - Children’s rights perspective
- Gender perspectives
- Woman perspectives
- …
Moral dimension: sexuality morality and attitudes
- Legislation and criminalization: it is based on moral grounds. That is to be hated
because just morality is not a good enough ground to criminalize.
Economic dimension: demand and supply (elasticity) in the sexual services market…
Corporate dimension: corporate and chain responsibility, sectoral self-regulation
Gender and gay dimensions
Migration perspective: international and EU third country national migration, free movement
EU => intersexionality
European and international policy level and actor perspective
- EU (Council, EC, EP, Europol, etc.), Council of Europe, OSCE, ILO, UN
Multi-actor perspective
- Police, labour and social inspection services, prosecution services, immigration
services, border guards, tax administrations, city administrations, neighbourhoods,
NGOs, health and welfare sector, ISPs
EXPECTATIONS (COMPETENCES)
Understand/unveil the interaction between legal/regulatory frameworks and evaluative,
normative and attitudinal frameworks/discourses regarding sexuality, sexual behavior and
exploitation.
- E.g. sexworkers as victims (radical feminist). If you approach this from a different
perspective than that is more meaningfull.
- Normative approach: allows us to see that prostitution policies fail to do right to
individuals working in the sector.
Independently consult, analyse and critically/scientifically assess sources, literature and
research data: paper.
Apply knowledge of the European and international institutional and policy development
context of criminology and criminal justice when addressing sexual offending, prostitution and
human trafficking and reactions thereto.
- Reproduce the thinking we do together + be able to work with opinions and compare
them to find our own ground => think independently!
Address sexual offending, prostitution and human trafficking multi-dimensionally, multi-
disciplinary, through multiple (theoretical) frames and from a multi-actor perspective.
Apply in-depth knowledge of the phenomena concerned (and reactions thereto) in scientific
research
2
,Understand and analyse current debates and issues regarding sexual offending, prostitution
and human trafficking crime (and reactions thereto).
Critically approach sexual offending, prostitution and human trafficking (and reactions
thereto) through research and the application of theory.
Articulate a scientifically-reasoned opinion about sexual offending, prostitution and human
trafficking (and reactions thereto) that pays due attention to ethical, cultural and legal issues.
Think independently and critically about societal and (criminal) policy reactions to the
phenomena of sexual offending, prostitution and human trafficking.
Write a clear report on the results of (own) scientific research and/or personal views.
Respect cultural differences, pluralism, gender and ethical standards.
TEACHING METHODS
Integration seminar
- Building on and aiming at integrating knowledge that was acquired during a range of
courses
- (limited) introduction to the topic and literature
- Enabling for/focused on group discussion
Guided self-study
- Course materials organized per module
- Mandatory readings [ahead of live sessions] | courtesy: version for print
- Optional readings as a courtesy (inspiration for papers, discretionary knowledge
consolidation, broadening & deepening)
Self-reliant study activities
- Critical paper (5/20), 1.750 to 2.000 words, excluding ToC, footnotes,
bibliography/reference list AND a mandatory annex in which students make
transparent if and how they made use of AI in an acceptable and reasoned fashion
EVALUATION
End-of-term assessment (75%) (15/20)
- This year: written exam with short-answer questions and open questions, balancing
legal and non-legal questions
- Open questions envisage testing students’ understanding and analytical and
interpretational skills regarding the causes, mechanisms, dynamics, complexity and
interrelations of the phenomena concerned and regarding societal and (criminal)
policy reactions thereto
- See sample questions (last class)
- Legal instruments for use during exam: bespoke reader
o Legal texts/instruments are included into the reader and we can bring it to the
exam! See ufora
o Non-annotated
3
, - Non-annotated bilingual translation dictionary allowed: can also be brought to the
exam
Continuous assessment (25%) (grade will be known before the exam)
- Critical paper (supra) | separate information session
- Mandatory annex in which students make transparant if and how they have made use
of AI in an acceptable and reasoned fasion (ugent guidelines).
- Feedback provided before exam (elaborate if failed).
Aim of the paper: per topic (8 topics bcs 8 courses) there is one cricitical statement written
by AI on ufora. We need to test these opinion papers that are generated by AI, by reading the
texts in the reader. That is going to force us to read the texts. In the second part of our paper
we need to write our own opinion briefly. We can chose freely which topic. For every single
written statements, there were different prompts (contra/pro) and we do not know which
prompts are used so we need to figure this out on our own.
- 1000 words testing
- 1000 words own opinion
è Read the literature to do this assignment!!
Expectations
- Read literature from reader
- Discover for yourself what the relation between the AI opinion is vs the literature
- Be curious
- Write your own opinion
- Be innovative and bold and original in your opinion (high score)
Score: rubric
- Language, structure, lay out (0,5)
- Sources, comprehensiveness, contextualization (1,5)
o Go further than the reader and read other sources!
o Be complete and full of knowledge
- Critical opinion and argumentation (2)
- Innovative ideas, originality, resourcefulness, personal reflectiveness (1)
Participation in both non-periodic and periodic evaluation is mandatory
- Otherwise, students will be declared “failed”: if the final score is ten or more (out of
twenty), it will be reduced to the highest non-pass grade (7/20)
4
