West Haven, Conn., September 28, 2009–University of New Haven (UNH) criminal justice student and Oakland, N.J. resident, Stacey McMillin '10, joined UNH Associate Professor and Coordinator of Crime Analysis, Christopher Sedelmaier, Ph.D. and UNH Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Criminal Justice, Mario Gaboury, Ph.D. in presenting research findings at the 13th International Symposium on Victimology in August at Tokiwa University in Mito, Japan.
McMillin spent her summer as an undergraduate-research fellow studying the relationship between economics and its effect on human trafficking rates under the guidance of Sedelmaier and Gaboury. Using data gathered from sources including the U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report and the World Bank’s annual World Development Report, McMillin concluded that countries with lower socio-economic statuses are most often the point of origin for victimization and trafficking of persons, and those countries with higher socio-economic statuses fuel the demand. McMillin confirmed this theory by conducting statistical analyses with analytical software known as SPSS.
"It was an eye-opening experience to be able to research and gather data on such a hidden crime,” said McMillin, who attended and presented at the symposium for the first time. “It was very rewarding to make a small step in combating human trafficking.”
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