In this volume of The ANNALS, we present a collection of empirically based research projects on migrant smuggling, seeking to create a more nuanced understanding of the topic that supersedes perspectives that are often found in mainstream narratives of unscrupulous and ruthless criminal gangs preying on vulnerable and desperate migrants. The contributing authors rely on field data to reveal the complex and often symbiotic relationships between migrants and the people behind their journeys. Often misunderstood in juxtaposition to narratives of security and control, the lived experiences of migrants describe smuggling facilitators as relatives or close friends, acquaintances or distant operators—all members of a social network of varying relational proximity. Vulnerability in migration grows as the travel distance and transit points increase and the density of one’s own community ties decreases. The procurement of smuggling services is always situated within the collective wisdom and lived experiences of the migrants and their communities, and the strategies to increase the odds of success and to reduce the hazards and uncertainty of traversing foreign terrains.

The research community on human trafficking has grown significantly in the past two decades, and consequently produced a large body of literature. There is much to celebrate – the volume of scholarship and advocacy literature have exerted sizable influence on policy making and funding priorities. More specifically, much progress has been made on measurement and prevalence estimation techniques, and some consensus is forming gradually on the common measures and counting rules to quantify human trafficking activities. Another major change is the growing rigors in outcome evaluation. Although still few and far between, funding agencies increasingly request an assessment of program impact through randomized controlled trials in different parts of the world. This paper provides an overview of the significant development in three areas: (1) the development of common measures to define what counts as human trafficking in empirical settings; (2) the development of strategies to estimate prevalence of human trafficking activities using primary as well as secondary data; and (3) the growing demand for rigorous evaluation for anti-trafficking interventions. Suffice it to say, research on human trafficking has passed its infancy and is now at an adolescent stage where exciting projects, ideas and field strategies are multiplying rapidly, as seen in the collection of select papers in this special issue.