Discuss the sampling procedure you will use and identify the sample size you hope to achieve

• Research Design
  •   Provide a clear rationale for the research method(s) you have selected including references to research methods texts to explain and justify your choice. Ensure the methods you have selected are appropriate to answer the question you have set yourself.
  •   Discuss the sampling procedure you will use and identify the sample size you hope to achieve, or if using secondary survey data, how the original data was collected and what was the sample size. If you are using documents outline and justify the sources of data you will draw on and explain how you plan to access them (i.e. what search terms you might use to find or delimit your sample). Will your sample be representative? If not, how can you justify the particular sample you have selected?
  •   If you are doing quantitative secondary analysis explain how you will identify and access an appropriate data set. Explain what variables you need to answer your research questions and if possible, include copies of the relevant questions from the original questionnaires (as appendices and not included in the word count). If possible, identify your dependent and independent variables.
  •   What approach will you take to analysing your data? 23
•   Outline each stage of the research – think about the practical steps involved in accessing, collecting and analysing your data.
•   Prepare a timetable outlining when you plan to carry out each stage of your research and how long each component should take.
• Ethics, Safety and Research Integrity
•   Read and refer to some of the suggested sources and guidance on research ethics
•   Are there any particular ethical issues which relate to your research?
•   If there are any risks involved assess the likelihood of these risks being 
realised as high, medium or low. Think about how any risks might be
•   Think about how you will ensure the quality and transparency of your 
 How will you ensure that your research is valid and reliable (think about what these concepts might mean if you are conducting qualitative research)? Are findings from your project generalisable?

1.1  Background Information

Human trafficking is a form of trade, which involves people as merchandise, especially from one region to another to produce various forms of manpower to the buyers (Shelley 2010). In most cases, human trafficking is aimed at availing people to exploit in terms of forced work, sexual benefits, and commercial sex works. Other reasons for human trafficking include availing a spouse for forced marriages or sourcing for vital biological organs, which are costly, for example, the heart and the kidney. It is an act associated with denial of human rights to the victims such that they do not have the chance to choose the kind of activities they would wish to engage in, neither are they justly paid. As such, human trafficking has been condemned by international conventions as an act of human right violation. For instance, the United Nations under United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC), lists human trafficking as one of the internationally unaccepted acts that deprive the victims of a right to choose and enjoy their lives as a God-given gift to the human race (Gallagher 2010). It is punishable by the law as per the rules of various world organizations and governments. It is an illegal activity that aims to benefit a group of individuals whose actions are driven by their self-interests.

The question of human trafficking has been faced with numerous controversies, especially due to the diverse cultural approaches and significance, which are associated with the social issue. Different myths have been formulated to explain the relevance and the condemnation of human trafficking. In actuality, it is a social vice, which is associated with a universal desire for it to be eliminated from the society. Different ethical codes have illustrated varied levels of condemnation and dislike for the act. The origin of human trafficking can be traced back to the ancient days where it occurred in the form of slavery, where may believe that trafficking is a form of modern day slaver. Slavery is one of the world’s saddest historical events, which led to billions of Africans and the minority groups being sold to America and the west to work as forced labourers in the whites’ industries (Miers & Kopytoff 1979). Slavery was considered an act of lack of humanity through which the victims were exploited at the expense of their masters’ welfare. It was an act of discrimination on accounts of race, religion, geographical background and many other distinguishing factors (Miers & Kopytoff 1979).

1.2        Research Objectives and Questions

1.2.1        Myths and Theories of Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is defined as the act of selling human being to other regions and traders for the purpose of forced work, sexual activities, and general exploitation of their abilities to do work and other beneficial activities (Lee 2013). According to Constance (2012), human trafficking is usually based on the tendency one has to use the victims for sexual desires. The author points out that the sexual contract theory has led to the development of human trafficking till today. According to the sexual contract theory, all men were believed to be equally created while the female counterparts were left out. As such, certain stereotypes crop up that put women in a position where they are only viewed as meant to be sexually used.

The western culture was initially built on the assumptions of the sexual contract theory as an allowed perspective of human trafficking (Constance 2012). According to this theory, human trafficking is attributed to the social stratification that has put men ahead of the social classes such as families. Therefore, every human trafficking event must have some association with sexual exploitation of women. However, this theory does not explain the origin and purpose of male slavery. The possible reason why the theory came into existence is the use of male chauvinism as an excuse to undertake various vices among the societies.

Muftic (2013) gives an account of how the prostitution myth and the training of officers relate to human trafficking. In his findings, officers who are not trained well in handling cases of human trafficking end up being incompetent in trying to stop such activities due to ignorance. In this myth, moreover, the assumptions made regarding what officers associate human trafficking to are based on discriminative factors in the society. Therefore, the reasons that justify the criminals who engage in human trafficking are based on the expectation of sexual availability for the female counterparts; hence can be exploited for money (Muftic 2013). The research relates prostitution myth to human trafficking alongside evaluation of the law enforcers’ competence levels. This is important in establishing causality for the occurrence of the myth. As a recommendation, the study indicates that adequately training the officers who handle human trafficking cases can lower the occurrence frequency.

De-Shalit, Heynen, & van der Meulen (2014) give an account of some of the myths that are known from the Canadian society. It is believed that human trafficking in Canada is associated with some of the governmental organization, according to the media (De Shalit et al. 2014). The eventual results show that some of the Canadian judgmental instances are made out of assumptions rather than concrete evidence. The issue of human trafficking has however escalated over time despite the never-ending campaigns to stop the vice. It is believed, through the Canadian media myths, that human trafficking is a trade carried out by some of the political bigwigs in the country who are ironically expected to handle the problem. The myth is built on the fact that the government of Canada has depicted various cases of inconsistent performance regarding transparency matters. The research does not, however, reveal the actual contribution of the myths to the human trafficking community vice.

A clear issue of migration is the rise of human smuggling and trafficking. It is important to note the differences between the two as many usually confuses on with the other or deem them the same. Human smuggling involves the illegal movement of individuals for profit (Gallagher, 2002). Smuggled individuals are not only economic migrants but can also be refugees who cannot claim asylum in the country they are in (Gibney, 2000). On the other hand, human trafficking profit comes from the trade of the individuals being trafficked for sexual, labour or other form of exploitation rather than from the movement itself (Gallagher, 2002). It is one of the fastest expanding criminal market in the world due to the scale of profit it is generation and the amount of individual’s being used (Crossette, 2000), with women and children are the most vulnerable to traffic (Castles and Miller, 2009). It is unclear how law and regulation affected human smuggling and human trafficking, some argue that the increase of restrictive measure in Europe created a greater demand for them (Castles and Miller, 2009). As the government increases efforts to decrease both human trafficking and human smuggling, clear distinctions has been made for each of them for laws and regulations to be effective.

1.2.2        Research Questions

The research will be carried out based on the given research scope. As such, the entire research process and data collection will be driven by the need to synthesize participants’ responses to answer the research questions and to achieve the agenda of the research objectives. The following are the research questions that will be used throughout the study as guidelines.

• What are some of the “myths” that exist towards Human Trafficking?
• What are the reasons for the existence of these myths about human trafficking among various groups?

1.2.3        Research Objectives

The main Objective of the study will be

• To find out what people think about human trafficking and if it is true or not as there are a lot of misconception and to find out whether there are different answers from different groups and the reasons why they exist.

Specific objectives to be used will be

• To identify different myths of human trafficking from different groups of people.
• To determine whether the myths are true or just misconceptions.
• To compare the answers from different groups.
• To explain the existence of the various myths identified.

2.1       Research Design

The research will be carried using quantitative and qualitative analysis methods. Primary data, which will be collected through online surveys, with open-ended questions, and analysed. As such, data will be generated through various methods, which are deemed necessary, effective, and applicable to the topic of study. The use of a mixture of methods for data collection and analysis will provide a wide variety of findings and a basis for comparative analysis. To avoid an ethical issue, sampling will be used based on systematic method principles. This is to ensure that the ethical provisions on discrimination of the minority groups of people are adhered to for a smooth data collection process. Systematic sampling is also deemed adequate in data collection since the various sources of data will be evenly represented in the samples (Gilbert, 2008). The methods to be used in data collection process are online survey questionnaires, and other secondary data sources such as literature works, articles, and National Crime Agency data on human trafficking. These methods were selected based on their reliability, relevance, costs, and adequacy. As such they can provide the most relevant, accurate, and enough data that can be used to make deductions about the topic of study. Secondary data that will be collected through the research will be analysed to enable comparative analysis in reference to the primary data, which will be collected during the study (Bryman, 2012).

Through the selected research designs, it will be possible to access a large number of respondents who will provide enough information for the study. For instance, the use of online survey questionnaires is based on the concept that the rate at which people across the world are accessing the internet is growing every day (Bidgoli 2004). As such, it is more likely to meet many respondents who are willing to provide honest information to answer the research questions via the internet. The questionnaires will be designed in a way that will capture the background of each respondent. This is to facilitate systematic sampling techniques to be used in data sorting and analysis at later stages. The data used to make conclusions will be a representative of the entire sample size.

Data analysis will be based on critical evaluation of the information collected and processes to make sound judgments based on logic. Therefore, the data collected will be subjected to critical evaluation to deduce causality, effects, and, reason. The survey questions will be designed to match the interest of the research objectives and to be bound by the boundaries of the study scope. This is important to ensure that relevant data is collected throughout the research timeline. This will also minimize the research costs to be incurred by reducing time and resources used to sort and process data. Expertise and knowledge, which are required to accurately make deductions out of the collected data, will also be used. Numerical data will be computed and tabulated prior to analysis through qualitative techniques using SPSS (Tracy 2012).

Questionnaire will be emailed and posted on social media sites. The number of participants should be enough to draw conclusions based on the various myths of human trafficking as represented by various groups of people across the world.  The success of the research will be determined by the accuracy and the number of honest respondents who will be willing to give information. As such, the stipulated research will be carried out within a specified time-frame according to the expectations of the researcher. Availability of resources and other relevant factors will enhance the performance of the research and the accuracy of the processes in reference to the allocated time. This is to form a basis of guidelines to be used (Wright, 2005).

2.2       Research methods

The research will be carried using the following techniques. These techniques are deemed the most appropriate for the specific topic as they are time-saving, reliable, and efficient in proving highly relevant information on human trafficking myths across the world.  The methods include library reading, use of online survey questionnaires, and secondary data analysis of National Crime Agency data on human trafficking. As stipulated in the scope of the study and the objectives, the methods must be designed to synchronise the targets of the study. Each objective and question of the research will form the basis of every piece of information collected to depict relevance and respect for research professional ethics. As such, the research will ensure that all the information collected is in line with the expectations of the research as a method of creating new relevant information. A key factor to take care of, while undertaking the research, will be the ethical code as provided in the universal society’s accepted virtues. Therefore, commotion will be avoided by every possible measure with the aim of sustaining smooth operations during the study without jeopardizing the functionality of other organisations and individuals. These study methods will also enhance easy comparison of data collected from various parts and individuals; hence they are efficient for the topic of study (Namey, E, E., MacQueen, K, M., Guest, G., 2012).

2.3.1    Library Reading

Relevant works of literature will be evaluated on a critical point of view to develop the answer to the research questions. The secondary information materials to be used during this process will entail books, articles, pamphlets, web pages, and records with information regarding the reasons for various myths about human trafficking across the world. The relevance of the materials will be determined by its contribution to the topic of study such that, irrelevant materials will not directly provide information to the research questions. However, related materials will also be reviewed to create a comparison and to develop a basis for the various deductions to be made of the study. Other related research works such as articles will also be used as guidelines for the primary data collection processes. Some results from these literature works will be compared to the research’s findings to establish the differences and causes to given phenomena. This will also form the backbone of the study given that it will give an insight and clear understanding of the topic of study and what to be expected (Tracy 2012). The research will draw much reference from these works by scholars to identify a gap in knowledge that must be filled by the end of the research.

2.3.2    Online Survey

The online survey will be designed in the form of questionnaires that will be emailed and posted on social media sites. I intent on using an online survey, Survey Monkey, to create an online surveys that individuals will can easily access. As the internet is accessed by many individuals from different backgrounds, a web survey is there for the most appropriate way for this research. This will provide me with the easiest, cheapest and safest way to access the public (Saldana, 2009).

It is likely that a web survey will result in a snowball sampling to help me reach individuals beyond my reach. This will be done through asking individuals to pass along the survey link to their contact. This will help me reach more respondents than I could on my own (Wright, 2005).

The online survey does not require participants to have specific set of characteristic or knowledge, as such, anyone could take part. The research sample will include individuals I am acquainted with; however, I do not foresee this to have an adverse effect on the reliability of the data.

The web surveys are anonymous and consist of 24 questions. Information sheet and consent forms will be provided from participants before the start of the survey. Additionally, it is designed in a way to give participants the option from withdrawing from the survey and their responses will not be recorded.

After the data is collected, it will be analysed using SPSS data set with each respondent’s answer recorded as an individual case. The data will be analysed to compare the different answers of specific groups with one another. Additional analysis using t-test will be required to compare answers of different topics. Lastly, a multivariate regression analysis will be carried out to assess any relationships between demographics and specific questions (Buckingham and Saunders, 2004).

The data collected and analysed for this research will be stored at the university’s server’s Home Drive where they will be automatically deleted at the end of my university registration.

2.3.3    Secondary Analysis

Secondary analysis of public data from National Crime Agency. The data that will be used are from Human Trafficking: National Referral Mechanism Statistics 2015. The statistics are divided into four separate pdf file.: January to March 2015, April to June 2015, July to September 2015, and October to December 2015. This will be used to provide a baseline to compare primary data collected on people’s attitude with recent human trafficking data available. This will be done to help establish whether any ‘myths’ exist on human trafficking and whether these ‘myths’ hold any truth to them. As the data is a public record, authorisation or consent to use the data is not required (Bryman, Berman, Grande, 2014).

2.3.4    Ethical Considerations

The research will be carried out with great caution to avoidance of ethical clashes. As such, controversial factors such as discrimination and identity issues will be addressed during the research process (Israel & Hay 2006). To avoid the issue of discrimination as an ethical crime, the research will use systematic sampling in any case that requires selection to avoid claims of sexism and racism. This will also help cover the entire region through data collection as an evenly represented sample. The question of the identity of respondents and informers is also worth attention. Therefore, the research will be carried out successfully, as data will be collected from people whose identity will remain anonymous to the public and those who will be accessed to the research findings. The research will also be subjected to ethical approval due to the complexity and high sensitive nature of the topic of study and the information to be collected. The research will include a clear and concise information sheet and consent forms that will be signed by the appropriate parties prior to the commencement of the research activities. This is to ensure that the participants and any other affected parties do understand the scope and provisions of the research clearly.