Sexual exploitation of children in the context of travel and tourism (SECTT) has been described as a serious and growing problem. This study critically analyzes political debates and policy... Show moreSexual exploitation of children in the context of travel and tourism (SECTT) has been described as a serious and growing problem. This study critically analyzes political debates and policy measures proposed by the Dutch government between 1995 and 2020 to combat SECTT. To understand how SECTT is framed in Dutch political discourse, Bacchi's ‘what's the problem represented to be?’ approach guided a systematic critical discourse analysis of over 200 political documents. Our analysis shows that SECTT has, over time, predominantly become framed as a crime problem. Offender detection, international cooperation, awareness raising, public–private partnerships, and prevention targeted at known sex offenders are the most commonly proposed solutions. Despite the focus on apprehending offenders, the political discourse offers no concrete clues as to who they are; still, conducting research or evaluating policies' effects is seldom proposed as a response. This problem representation overlooks the connections of SECTT with structural issues, such as victim vulnerabilities, colonization, and global inequality on the one hand, and mental health, sexual expression, and cultural values on the other. Show less
In deze bijdrage gaan we geinspireerd door het werk van Janneke Plantenga aan de UU in op de gezamenlijke inspanningen van de Nederlandse rechtenfaculteiten om diversiteit en inclusiviteit te... Show moreIn deze bijdrage gaan we geinspireerd door het werk van Janneke Plantenga aan de UU in op de gezamenlijke inspanningen van de Nederlandse rechtenfaculteiten om diversiteit en inclusiviteit te bevorderen, mede in het kader van het Sectorplan Rechtsgeleerdheid. Show less
Previous research suggests that perceived negative treatment by police officers may have consequences for victims’ willingness to share information with the police. This might explain why... Show morePrevious research suggests that perceived negative treatment by police officers may have consequences for victims’ willingness to share information with the police. This might explain why particularly repeat victims are less likely to cooperate with the police. The current study explores why this would be true by conducting in-depth interviews with 32 crime victims who had recently reported their victimisation of property crime or violent crime to the police. Results indicate that victims of both types of crime had similar thoughts on what was deemed fair treatment. Victims who were deeply touched by the crime and/or the offender thought it was also important that the police took a clear-stance against the crime. While rapid case handling seemed to be more important for property crime victims than police officers’ investigative actions and the outcome, victims of violent crime expected the police to find the offender to make it clear to the offender that such (law-breaking) behaviour was not tolerated. When victims of violent crime felt that the police had failed in this task, they would feel abandoned by the police. This feeling had not only negative consequences for these victims’ willingness to cooperate, but could even lead to feelings of vigilantism, particularly among victims of violent crime who knew their offender. Implications for policy and future research are discussed. Show less
Human traffickers are usually depicted in public discourse as evil villains: the crème de la crèmeof organized crime. Although this image has also been dominant among scholars for a long time, it... Show moreHuman traffickers are usually depicted in public discourse as evil villains: the crème de la crèmeof organized crime. Although this image has also been dominant among scholars for a long time, it has become increasingly controversial. On the one hand, this debate is fueled by discussions amongst criminologists on criminal networks, on the other hand by the expansion of the legal definition of the crime since 2005. Apart from exploitation in the prostitution sector, various other forms of human trafficking are distinguished now, including labor exploitation. This article explores the question of which organizational forms play a role in labor exploitation. Through a review of the empirical research literature on labor exploitation, the authors show that in the field of labor exploitation, there is probably less involvement in criminal syndicates or criminal networks that maintain contacts with other criminal networks. In many cases, labor exploitation is committed by individuals or family businesses, or smaller loosely organized networks that are not necessarily embedded in other criminal networks. For researchers and policy makers alike, it is therefore advisable not to approach labor exploitation exclusively from the perspective of transnational organized crime. Show less
Brouwer, J.; Woude, M.A.H. van der; Leun, J.P. van der 2018
Research suggests that social identity plays an important role in citizens’ views of legal authorities. This article draws on fieldwork observations and semi-structured interviews or surveys to... Show moreResearch suggests that social identity plays an important role in citizens’ views of legal authorities. This article draws on fieldwork observations and semi-structured interviews or surveys to examine both officers’ perceptions and the experiences of people that are stopped in the context of border policing in the border areas of the Netherlands. Our results indicate that non-Dutch citizens and Dutch majority group members generally find these stops acceptable, while Dutch ethnic minority group members perceive them as more problematic. This was mostly related to the feeling of being profiled and a lack of clarity about the reason for the stop. While officers were committed to fair treatment, they also believed that the impact of a stop is very limited. The article finishes by discussing the implications of these findings for issues of belonging and legitimacy. The article finishes by discussing the implications of these findings for issues of belonging and legitimacy. Show less
Ganpat, S.M.; Leun, J.P. van der; Nieuwbeerta, P. 2017
Internal borders are a major but understudied site of crimmigration as most scholarship has focused on external borders (Van der Woude and Van Berlo, 2015). Internal borders were supposed to... Show moreInternal borders are a major but understudied site of crimmigration as most scholarship has focused on external borders (Van der Woude and Van Berlo, 2015). Internal borders were supposed to disappear under the principle of free movement within the European Union. But today we see EU member states policing the borders inside Schengen, checking identification, verifying passage, and regulating mobility in so-called ‘gray zones’. This article investigates this type of policing within the EU, focusing on the case of the Netherlands. It argues that the policing of internal borders is highly dependent upon discretionary power, a significant factor in the crimmigration process that we do not know enough about. Following Hawkins (1992, 2003), Schneider (1992), and Bushway and Forst (2013) on discretion and discretionary decisionmaking, we examine the interaction between decisions by law-makers and policy-makers that create discretionary space for law enforcement officials on the ground, and the way in which these street-level bureaucrats perceive the discretionary space attributed to them. By zeroing in on the interaction between these two actors, we aim to find the discretionary decision that matters the most in terms of explaining the crimmigration practices, offering a more holistic and interdisciplinary approach to border control. We discuss the implications of this power and the consequences for the European Project as such. Show less
Woude, M.A.H. van der; Barker, V.; Leun, J.P. van der 2017
In this article we examine whether the proposal to criminalize illegal stay in the Netherlands was preceded by increased negative media attention for unauthorized immigrants. Using a corpus... Show moreIn this article we examine whether the proposal to criminalize illegal stay in the Netherlands was preceded by increased negative media attention for unauthorized immigrants. Using a corpus linguistics approach, we carried out a quantitative discourse analysis of all newspaper articles on unauthorized migrants over a period of 15 years. Our results show that the amount of media coverage actually strongly decreased in the years before the proposal, and this coverage was moreover increasingly less negative. This study thus nuances the somewhat popular belief that unauthorized migrants are increasingly portrayed in negative ways and shows that the framing of migrants as criminals is a more diffuse process in which the media seem to follow rather than fuel politics and policy. Show less
Koster, N.N.; Bal, M.; Leun, J.P. van der; Kunst, M.J.J. 2017
In het huidige vignettenexperiment onder 414 studenten in Nederland wordt het effect van de politierespons op de medewerkingsbereidheid verkend en wordt onderzocht of dit verband gemedieerd wordt... Show moreIn het huidige vignettenexperiment onder 414 studenten in Nederland wordt het effect van de politierespons op de medewerkingsbereidheid verkend en wordt onderzocht of dit verband gemedieerd wordt door percepties van de legitimiteit van de politie. Dit wordt gedaan op basis van Tylers procedurele rechtvaardigheidstheorie en eerder onderzoek onder slachtoffers van criminaliteit. De politierespons werd in het voorgelegde vignette op twee manieren gemanipuleerd: de politie bood een rechtvaardige/onrechtvaardige bejegening en voerde wel/geen opsporingsactiviteiten uit. In een controlegroep werd geen contact met de politie gelegd. De resultaten suggereren een positief effect van de politierespons op medewerkingsbereidheid en impliceren dat deze relatie wordt gemedieerd door gepercipieerd vertrouwen in de politie. Show less
Migratie is een internationaal verschijnsel en van alle tijden. Naast binnenlandse migratie is er ook veel migratie over landsgrenzen. De acceptatie van en het geloof in een multi-etnische... Show moreMigratie is een internationaal verschijnsel en van alle tijden. Naast binnenlandse migratie is er ook veel migratie over landsgrenzen. De acceptatie van en het geloof in een multi-etnische samenleving die gaandeweg leek toe te nemen, kreeg een sterke knauw rond de millenniumwisseling. Momenteel is het beeld verre van eenduidig. Enerzijds is de multi-etnische samenleving allang een feit, zeker in de grote steden, anderzijds is er een voortdurend ongemak over migratie en integratie en alles wat daarmee samenhangt, zowel in het politieke als in het bredere maatschappelijke debat. Migratie is daarmee een complex thema dat veel emoties oproept. De laatste jaren wordt onder andere door de sterke stijging van het aantal asielzoekers vaak gesproken van een migratiecrisis en is ook de link naar binnenlandse veiligheid steeds zichtbaarder. Dit themanummer brengt een aantal actuele onderzoeken bijeen die aandacht besteden aan zowel migratie en veiligheidsvraagstukken als het debat daarover. Show less
