Human Exploitation and Resilience

The Human Exploitation and Resilience initiative, led by Meredith Dank, documents and elevates the voices of the exploited and the vulnerable, highlighting their resilience and perseverance through rigorous, empirical research. This initiative has a number of ongoing studies, primarily focused on human trafficking—both labor and sex trafficking—, as well as gender-based violence. Programming is conducted both domestically and internationally, in more than a dozen countries including Belize, Brazil, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Philippines, Uganda, and Vietnam. Current and past funders include federal agencies (Department of Justice, Department of State, Department of Health and Human Services, and National Science Foundation) and private foundations.

 

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Featured Blog Posts

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Blog
/ Jun 06,2023

Meredith Dank Participates

in Human Trafficking Conferences

more on: forced labor
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Blog
/ Apr 12,2023

Marron Program Spotlight: 

Human Exploitation and Resilience

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Blog
/ Sep 22,2022

Senior Researcher Opportunity

in the Human Exploitation and Resilience Initiative

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Blog
/ Oct 05,2022

Meredith Dank Receives $5.5 Million Grant

to Work with India’s Denotified Tribes to Combat Human Trafficking

more on: forced labor
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Blog
/ Jun 02,2022

Meredith Dank Awarded Funding:

Two Projects From U.S. Department of State

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Blog
/ May 05,2022

Meredith Dank Explores Labor Trafficking

of U.S. Citizens

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Blog
/ Mar 24,2022

Meredith Dank Receives Award from the Freedom Fund

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Blog
/ Mar 09,2022

Meredith Dank Awarded Funding From

Innovations For Poverty Action

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Blog
/ Nov 10,2021

Meredith Dank Joins the NYU Marron Institute

Featured Press Posts

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Initiative Lead: Meredith Dank

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Meredith Dank
Research Professor / Director's Office Labs

Meredith Dank, PhD, is a Research Professor and directs the Human Exploitation and Resilience initiative of the NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management. She is a nationally recognized expert on human trafficking. She has served as principal investigator for nearly two dozen human trafficking studies, funded by both federal agencies (including the Department of Justice, US Department of State, Department of Health and Human Services, among others) and private foundations. She has an extensive and nuanced understanding of sex and labor trafficking and has numerous current projects focused on this topic, both in the United States and overseas, that range in focus from law enforcement response to sector-specific issues. Experienced with a range of analytic methodologies, Dr. Dank has conducted research in more than a dozen countries, including India, Nepal, Vietnam, Uganda, Belize, Cambodia, Brazil and the Philippines.  She has also participated in a number of federal-level stakeholder meetings on trafficking, including a White House stakeholder meeting on victim services for survivors. She holds a Ph.D. in criminal justice from John Jay College. She is the author of numerous peer-reviewed articles as well as The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (LFB Publishing, 2011).