Who is a ‘victim’ of human trafficking? The importance of representation
How do we choose to talk about people who are trafficked? Do we refer to them as victims, survivors, people with agency and human dignity, or vulnerable people in need of rescue? In our efforts to advocate against human trafficking, it is important to be aware that the words and images that we use hold power, as we are providing others with a representation of the people who are trafficked. Because human trafficking is a pervasive crime that takes a variety of forms and impacts millions of people worldwide, the challenge to reach every victim and leave no one behind leads to the question: who are the people being represented as victims of human trafficking, and who are the people being excluded?
It is time we move on from spreading narratives that sensationalise people who are trafficked and create narrow representations of human trafficking. A stereotypical depiction of people who are trafficked that continues to appear is the portrayal of ‘vulnerable’ women and girls in foreign countries who have been transported across borders to be exploited for sex. Commonly shared images include women in shadows or dark rooms, tied up and gagged, or looking out barred windows. Such representations of human trafficking sensationalise and exploit people’s trauma, creating a generalisation of experiences that are not representative of the many forms that trafficking takes.
In recent years we have been made aware of exploitation in Aotearoa New Zealand in industries such as agriculture, fishing, and construction, and the people in these situations and their experiences often do not match the stereotypical ‘human trafficking victim’ image. Representations of human trafficking shape people’s understanding of trafficking, and this in turn can impact the support that is offered to people who are trafficked. If only one experience and one definition of a victim of human trafficking is being represented and reinforced to the public, who is speaking up for people that are trafficked whose experiences do not fit into this mould? How will they find support if no one associates their experiences with trafficking?
During the time I have been involved in advocacy around human trafficking and exploitation, it has been encouraging to see increased efforts to raise awareness around the different types and experiences of human trafficking, through the hard work of many individuals and groups. We can hope that the typical image of a ‘victim’ of human trafficking has begun to shift. However, there remains much room for improvement in how we talk about people who are trafficked.
We still see narratives that promote shock around the fact that people in Aotearoa New Zealand are trafficked by others. Phrases that imply such disbelief, such as ‘human trafficking even happens here,’ feature too commonly in resources about human trafficking. By continuing to perpetuate the idea that it is rare and shocking for people in Aotearoa New Zealand to be trafficked, we make it harder for systems to be put in place that support those who are harmed and bring justice to perpetrators of human trafficking.
Leaving no one behind means challenging stereotypes of who might be considered a victim of human trafficking, and this is something that all of us can do. Pope Francis declared on human trafficking that “whoever uses human persons in this way and exploits them, even if indirectly, becomes an accomplice of injustice”. Reaching every person who is trafficked is not just a task for governments, law enforcement, or survivor support organisations, but a responsibility for each of us in the ways we talk about human trafficking.
Article by Grace Morton