Respondent-Driven Sampling: An Overview in the Context of Human Trafficking

TL;DR

This paper reviews respondent-driven sampling (RDS) as a method for studying hard-to-reach populations, specifically focusing on its application and challenges in researching human trafficking.

Contribution

It provides an overview of RDS methodology and discusses its recent use and potential future directions in the context of human trafficking research.

Findings

RDS is effective for accessing hidden populations like trafficking victims.

Challenges include sampling biases and estimation accuracy.

Recent studies demonstrate RDS's utility in trafficking research.

Abstract

Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) is both a sampling strategy and an estimation method. It is commonly used to study individuals that are difficult to access with standard sampling techniques. As with any sampling strategy, RDS has advantages and challenges. This article examines recent work using RDS in the context of human trafficking. We begin with an overview of the RDS process and methodology, then discuss RDS in the particular context of trafficking. We end with a description of recent work and potential future directions.