The face-to-face interview was held on 13 July 2018 at 4pm in a coffee shop. The interviewee is a friend studying at a local university. I have known the interviewee for a while and during our conversations, I noticed that she had interesting views on human trafficking.
The interviewee is aware of the severity of the human trafficking problem however; her perceptions seem to have been shaped by the portrayal of human trafficking in the media. The interviewee is aware that the United States only focused on the human trafficking issue in 2000. Prior to that year, the issue had not received sufficient attention. Congressional hearings in 2000 consequently led to the passing of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act in 2000. The act established human trafficking as a social issue and a crime punishable by law. Additionally, the interviewee is aware that issues such as human trafficking often go through a problem-framing procedure to enhance particular interpretations of the issue. The interviewee believes that human trafficking exists due to some underlying factors such as poverty and political instability therefore the issue can be solved by focusing on these issues. The interview confirms my believe that media perpetrates sex trafficking myths and contribute to women objectification and disempowerment.
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The interviewee has an oversimplified view of human trafficking mostly shaped by media outlets such as movies, and newspapers. She believes that most human trafficking victims are often women; additionally she believes that victims of trafficking are often foreign nationals trafficked for sex trade in the United States. As we discuss the issue, she refers to a 2009 film Taken played by a dad rescuing his daughter from a trafficking ring (Austin, 2016). She recalls that the movie was the first exposure she had to human trafficking. Other movies she has watched and newspapers she has read have contributed to the fulfillment of the perceptions she harbored. Such forms of media make viewers like my interviewee believe that only young women travelling to foreign countries would be at risk of being trafficked. The interviewee believes that young women and girls are most often the victims, and foreigners such as Albanians and Russians perpetrate crimes of human trafficking (Austin, 2016). The interviewee is quite aware of representation sex trafficking but has very limited knowledge of other forms of trafficking such as labor trafficking. International Labor Organization actually reports that the number of labor trafficking victims is much higher than that of sex trafficking victims.
The interviewee agrees that the image portrayed about women in human trafficking is completely disempowering and objectifying. She informs me that most movies she has watched on trafficking often portray women battered, in chains, scantily dressed or packaged like animals. She agrees that the portrayal enhances the objectification of women by depicting them as items and helpless victims. In the course of the interview, she admits that anti-trafficking efforts could be more effective if they focused on public empowerment with the purpose of increasing peoples’ ability to apply influence over their lives. The interviewee admits that most of these movies often end happy stories hence indicating a successful conclusion for victims. I informed her that this is not the true picture of human trafficking as rescues are often complicated endeavors and not as simplified as in the media. Human trafficking does not always end with rescues it is only the beginning of a much challenging process. Moral support and assistance should be provided for the survivors in their recovery and reintegration into the community (Kara, 2009).
I informed the interviewee that although these movies are entertaining they contribute to perpetrating of myths about human trafficking. With all the myths, dominating public discourse it would be difficult for policymakers and the public to act against the vice. She admits that the media has a significant role to play in shaping perceptions about human trafficking. Therefore, they need to educate themselves on the truth about the issue so they can sensitize the public and invoke the reactions of policy makers and politicians (European Network Against Trafficking in Human Beings, 2013). I inform the interviewee about the severity of human trafficking by telling her that about 800, 000 people are trafficked in the United States each year. These individuals are mostly children and children; however, individuals of all genders and ages are trafficked too. The United States is ranked among tier one countries concerning human trafficking. That means that legislation about human trafficking exists and is enforced with purpose and consistency. The country is also involved in efforts to enable integration of trafficked individuals back into the society. Despite the efforts by the nation’s agencies, the issue of human trafficking persists.
The interviewee is unaware that trafficking also involves sell of organs, children and forcing individuals to work as beggars. Trafficking was mostly concentrated in African countries, Latin America and Asia however; today a large part of traffic originates from countries in Eastern Europe and former Soviet Union. These countries are ridden by poverty, turmoil, war or political instability. Another main denominator for these countries is gender inequality; women are considered the weaker sex than men so most often they volunteer to be transported to countries such as the United States (Kara, 2009). The interviewee is surprised to learn that sometimes trafficking is not forced some victims volunteer in the quest for a better life. Additionally these countries are characterized by human rights violations, corruption and organized crime therefore women and children are vulnerable making them more susceptible to human trafficking. The United Nations passed a bill against human trafficking and prostitution in 1949 to fight trafficking involving women and children. I inform the interviewee that sex trafficking is the actualization of global capitalism since it was a result of harmful inequalities spread by economic globalization. The story told by Siddharth Kara in his book about Maya a young sex worker trafficked to Mumbai invoked strong emotions in my interviewee (Kara, 2009). The story in Siddharth’s book about Maya is one that is true of thousands of girls trafficked into prostitution each year due to poor economic conditions (Kara, 2009).
Generally, the interviewee is quite knowledgeable about the issue of human trafficking. Lessons I learnt in this course have contribute to the knowledge I was able to divulge to the interviewee. Participating in this course has invoked my feelings toward human trafficking therefore I am hoping that I can be an effective advocate for victims. Learning the different dimensions of human trafficking in this course will help me be a critical decision maker in the field of human trafficking. Additionally, I learnt that human trafficking results from other factors such as poverty, inequality and political instability; that will help me make decisions that tackle human trafficking from its roots. The media contributes greatly to public perceptions about human trafficking therefore they should strive to be aware of the facts about the issue. The images portrayed about women in human trafficking narratives contribute to women objectification and disempowerment. The information I have learnt about human trafficking in this course has greatly enhanced my knowledge on the matter however, I would not consider myself an expert. I will strive to conduct more research and learn more about the issue in a quest to be an expert.
References
Austin, R. (2016). Human Trafficking in the Media: A content Analysis on Human Trafficking Frames in Documentaries, Movies and Television Episodes. Retrieved from https://repository.library.northeastern.edu/files/neu:cj82n4337/fulltext.pdf
European Network against Trafficking in Human Beings. (2013). Trafficking in the Media. Retrieved from http://lastradainternational.org/about-lsi/lsi-opinion/trafficking-in-the-media
Kara, S. (2009). Sex Trafficking: Inside the business of modern slavery .
