"Prevention" as it has been conceptualized in normative frameworks is examined, as also how those frameworks have been narrowly implemented. Vulnerability, in particular the vulnerability of an individual in his or her social context, emerges as the missing link in formulating well-developed policies and practices. Focus is placed on what constitutes vulnerability to trafficking as a prerequisite for the development of valid prevention programs. New considerations are introduced as regards the development of strategic policies to prevent trafficking that are capable of addressing the real problems of vulnerable populations according to their own needs, in their own contexts. As an author, I question what is meant when experts describe human trafficking as a growing phenomenon, since any assessment of an increase in human trafficking is impossible to quantify except in general terms. Reasons for this include differences in national definitions of the crime of trafficking, as well as of who constitutes a victim of trafficking, along with a lack of consistent, reliable and comparable data.
