St. John's University Law Faculty Blog

On December 18th, Professor Robin Boyle was the Keynote Speaker at a conference at Shanxi University in China.  The theme of the conference was “The 2nd Cultic Phenomenon Studies Workshop, 2021.” Professor Boyle’s topic was “Human Trafficking and Coercion.”  Her presentation was pre-recorded and was provided to the audience in English. 

In her presentation, Professor Boyle addressed the prevalence of the crimes of sex trafficking and labor trafficking worldwide, an overview of the federal and state legislation in the United States, and examples of criminal prosecutions in American courts.  She discussed the element of coercion, vulnerable populations frequently targeted as victims, and indicators of trafficking. She concluded with words from Congress, urging countries to work together to combat this transnational crime and to bring perpetrators to justice.

Professor Boyle has spoken domestically and internationally on the topic of human trafficking, undue influence and coercion, and cults.  Her work was previously presented on this topic in China.  In 2015, her paper, Employing Trafficking Laws to Capture Elusive Leaders of Destructive Cults, was presented on her behalf before the Center for the Study of Cultic Groups & Religious Culture at Beijing Union University’s conference.

Professor Boyle has published several articles in peer-reviewed and law school journals.  Her most recent article, which helped to form the basis of her Keynote speech, is Preventing Predatory Alienation by High-Control Groups:  The Application of Human Trafficking Laws to Groups Popularly Known as Cults, and Proposed Changes to Laws Regarding Federal Immigration, State Child Marriage, and Undue Influence, 1(2) Int’l J. Coercion, Abuse, & Manipulation 27 (2021) (peer-reviewed).