Human Trafficking in the Kyrgyz Republic: How Roadblocks, Barriers, and Methodological Challenges Transformed an Investigation
Rochelle Dalla, PhD; Sarbinaz Bekmuratova, PhD; Baktygul Imankulova, MD & Marina Duishenkulova, MD | September 18 | 9:45-10:45 am EDT
Topic: Research, International | Knowledge Level: Advanced
In conducting qualitative field research, especially involving a vulnerable population on a highly sensitive topic, challenges emerge that require research flexibility. Indeed, van Assche and colleagues (2023) astutely muse, “The practice of science is never merely an application of [the] scientific method, it is also a craft,” (p. 44). Their statement is germane to the presenters’ experiences investigating human trafficking (HT) in Kyrgyzstan, a former member of the Soviet Union. Although HT is thought rampant in Kyrgyzstan, little empirical data exist. Thus, the aim of this presentation is threefold, including: (1) delineation of key challenges confronted in an investigation of HT in Kyrgyzstan, where little prior literature exists; (2) discussion of key decisions made over the course of the study to overcome those challenges; and (3) explanation of how the study was transformed in sample, theory, and methodology, given challenges encountered and decisions-made. This discussion is significant on a number of fronts. First, the presenters provide a realistic account of field work adaptations that are not uncommon in qualitative methodologies, but which are rarely discussed. Realistic difficulties and how those can be approached is particularly relevant for new scholars. Second, this discussion reveals limitations of dominant methodological paradigms, thereby opening avenues for research, policy, and practice implications. Finally, this presentation will provide a window into the cultural and political conditions which deeply impact the diversity of lived experiences of HT survivors. This too has broad implications for continued research, policy and practice.
Presentation Objectives:
• Provide an overview of key challenges that make research on sex trafficking in Kyrgyzstan extremely difficult-but also necessary
• Describe key methodological challenges encountered in an investigation of human trafficking in Kyrgyzstan
• Explain critical decisions made in response to challenges encountered in the field that transformed the data collection strategies, sample, theory, and foci of this research