The theoretical part of this paper focuses, firstly, on providing a basic understanding of human
trafficking, all its forms, and explaining the relevant terminology. Secondly, to demonstrate the
severity and scope of the problem European statistical data are presented. It is continued by
presenting a discussion of three aspects of human trafficking, namely; organized crime, illegal
migration, and human rights violations. Furthermore, a discussion on human trafficking in
Slovenia, more specifically on the manipulation of women for the purpose of sexual
exploitation, where the statistics and means of recruitment are explained. To conclude, a
synthesis of preexisting research on high school students’ understanding and perception of the
issue is presented.
The empirical part consisted of a survey which aimed to determine the scope of knowledge high
school students in Slovenia have on human trafficking, victim characteristics, human
traffickers, types of trafficking, and the crime itself. Its finding showed that most Slovene high
school students have general knowledge on human traffickers, types of human trafficking, and
the legal aspects of it, but they are lacking knowledge on victim characteristics. Moreover, it
was found that Slovene high school students have a good understanding of the term ‘human
trafficking’. Addittionally, levels of knowledge were compared based on the following
variables: gender, neighborhood, and type of high school. The findings indicate that the first
two variables have no significant effect on the level of understanding. The type of high school
one attends, however, is associated with knowledge levels, namely, gymnasium students have
more knowledge than students attending vocational high schools.
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