| Summary: | Human trafficking is a growing global problem and is inextricably linked to migration, which is often theorised through a consideration of push and pull factors. An effective response to human trafficking needs to fully address the push factors in the country of origin and pull factors in the country of destination, including any law enforcement response. However, most academic studies only focus on human trafficking in either the country of origin or the country of destination. Therefore, there is a lack of full understanding of push and pull factors, and their interaction in a specific context between a country of origin and a country of destination. This study helps to fill this gap in understanding by investigating the trafficking in Vietnamese women to China using the theory of both push and pull factors. Push factors are defined as those in the country of origin that impel people to leave their home, and make them vulnerable to trafficking. Pull factors are dynamics in the country of destination, which encourage people to migrate there, and make them vulnerable to trafficking. Pull factors also create opportunities for criminals to traffic people from the country of origin. The research uniquely draws not only on the lived experience gathered by semi-structured interviews with twenty-four law enforcement personnel, who are involved in investigating incidents of the trafficking of Vietnamese women to China, but also on the lived experiences of seven trafficking victims, a group who are rarely interviewed. A sample of 326 incidents of the trafficking in Vietnamese women to China, collected from online newspapers, and eight final investigation reports, are analysed by using quantitative content analysis, to cross-check interview data. The original results of the study reveal push and pull factors for the trafficking of Vietnamese women to China, and how push and pull factors are interconnected to create the dynamics of the trafficking of Vietnamese women to China. The challenges facing investigators in the fight against trafficking in Vietnamese women to China are also revealed. Based on the theory of push and pull factors, a number of possible solutions are proposed to prevent and combat the trafficking of Vietnamese women to China. In addition, this study aims to lay a foundation for further research and discussion on push and pull factors theory in other geographical locales.
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