SENSATIONALIZED SEX: MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT HUMAN TRAFFICKING

In last week’s blog, There Is such A Thing as Bad Publicity (see below), I wrote about the media’s use of language that often leads to misconceptions about human trafficking.  This week I continue this focus by looking at the media outlets common use of sensationalized text, because in our society sex sells. It is no surprise that sex trafficking cases triumphs labor trafficking cases in the media, since the appeal of sex is much stronger.

A great example that demonstrates the detrimental effects on sensationalizing human trafficking is the Super Bowl. A very common misconception is that the Super Bowl is the biggest event for human trafficking in the United States; and that is something that is widely acknowledged by not only the media but also certain professionals and advocates. It seems reasonable to claim that the Super Bowl is the biggest hot spot for trafficking because hypothetically it makes sense. The idea that thousands of football fans, mostly men, are traveling to a city for the biggest sporting event of the year with a lot of money to spend, that naturally, they will seek out strip clubs and prostitutes. This then causes pimps and johns to supply more trafficked women and girls to meet the growing demand. However, that is not the case. In reality, there is NO single largest incident of human trafficking because each year there is no evidence or statistics to support such claims. Nonetheless, news outlets try to sensationalize sex trafficking but the problem is so dire that there is no need for it to be amplified. Even though the Super Bowl brings a lot of attention to the issue of human trafficking, it does so at the expense of the truth. The media attention hinders the credibility of the campaign against human trafficking and limits long-term resources necessary for victims to recover.

The primary way individuals and communities will be able to combat trafficking is if they are informed and educated about its realities. It is important to understand that language and imagery play an influential role in perpetuating misconceptions. The media’s selection of language is strategic and helps create a misinformed public, which prevents necessary efforts from being examined.

Take Action:  One of the reasons that I like being a part of the Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force (MHTTF) is because the MHTTF Director and the task force members want to focus on truth and not sensationalism.  I encourage the readers of this blog to continue addressing these common misconceptions that are often perpetuated by the media and to inform others of the reality of human trafficking.  Accurate information enables us to effectively use our resources, time and effort to help all victims of human trafficking.

Sona Movsisyan is a senior at Michigan State University, studying in the James Madison College. Her aspiration is to be a human rights attorney and an advocate for victims of human trafficking. 

THERE IS SUCH A THING AS BAD PUBLICITY: MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN MICHIGAN

We have all heard of the phrase, ‘there is no such thing as bad publicity,’ which is accredited to Phineas T. Barnum, the 19th century American showman and circus owner. However, the idea that publicity can do no harm is very disputable.

During my immigration policy senior seminar last semester, I researched four common human trafficking misconceptions to analyze how the media perpetuated these false beliefs. The four common misconceptions I focused on for Michigan included that human trafficking only:

1.   Involves sex trafficking,

2.   Happens across international borders and not in the U.S.,

3.   Involves powerful gangster or strangers that randomly kidnap individuals, and

4.   Affects women and not men.

As a result of my research, I discovered that media coverage of human trafficking contradicts Barnum’s phrase, because in reality there is such a thing as bad publicity, which leads to common misconceptions.

In today’s post and then again next week, I will be sharing some of the information I learned about how media coverage can be misleading about human trafficking.

Journalists use several techniques to perpetuate common misconceptions and to shape public opinion. A necessary goal for media outlets is to receive high ratings and make a profit, even if the information they are relaying is not completely accurate. Contrary to academic researchers who write for very specialized journals with a professional audience, news writers adjust their work to capture the attention of the general public.

Newspaper journalists have the capacity to shape social agendas because the public uses news stories to attach meaning to certain events and groups of people. This is largely accomplished through the language that is used because reporters are able to steer the readers in whichever direction they wish and encourage the sort of reaction they want. Certain patterns I noticed throughout my research were the:

·      Us verses them dichotomy, which illustrates how reporters categorize victims as either criminals or innocent targets;

·      Willing and unwilling victims;

·      Illegal verses undocumented or irregular migrants;

·      Strangers verses familiar traffickers; and

·      Sensationalized text (more on this next week).

Take Action:  In this fast paced world most of us quickly read an article or listen to a reporter without analyzing the language and questioning what is being said.  As individuals who are concerned that the publicly receives the correct information about human trafficking, let’s continue to pay close attention to the language media uses and point out to others how it is often misleading.

Next weeks topic will be Sensationalizing Sex

Sona Movsisyan is a senior at Michigan State University, studying in the James Madison College. Her aspiration is to be a human rights attorney and an advocate for victims of human trafficking. 

WE GOT HER! SHE'S SAFE!

We Got Her! She’s Safe!

“We got her! She’s safe!” I was holding my breath as I heard those words on the other end of the phone! My heart was beating so fast!

She was only 14-years-old when she agreed to meet face-to-face with the 14-year-old boy she had met online.  What a NICE guy, she had grown to like him after their many online “talks.” 

Telling no one, she left to meet him at a park in the town.  The 14-year-old boy turned out to be a man who dealt in human trafficking.   She was kidnapped - TAKEN to a larger city!

Her mother frantic and not knowing what had happened contacted local law enforcement.  It soon became apparent through the communication discovered on the girl’s computer that she “voluntarily” went to the park.  Runaway was listed on the police records.

After a period of time law enforcement services were no longer provided to find the woman’s daughter.  This was not unusual due to the large number of runaways in the U.S. and law enforcement's limited amount of manpower.

The single mom frustrated and overwhelmed called our private investigator, a service we provide without cost, to see if we would help.  We agreed to take on her case.

Even as we were working on the case, the mother made a common mistake - she went to the streets of the city to try to find her daughter. We understood that she was distraught and blaming herself, nevertheless, we had to deter her from looking for her daughter.  Why? So that the detectives, who were working with the authorities, could do their job without mom “blowing it out of the water.”

Believing her daughter to be gone for good or dead, the mother contemplated taking her own life.  I tried to contact her, praying for the right words to say.  I left numerous messages on her answering machine and cell phone.  I told her that she was a good mom, this was not her fault, and that I was praying for her and her daughter. I encouraged her to not give up hope. 

That night her daughter was rescued!

Thanks to the hours and hours of our team working along side of law enforcement, we located her. The policemen literally broke down the door to where she was being held. The traffickers had shaved her head, completely changed her appearance, drugged, beat, raped and sold her body on line and on the street. She was helpless, celebrating her birthday in captivity.

The daughter and mother were whisked away to special care and protection with only the clothes on their back.  The trafficker had got away.

Even in the midst of her ordeal, the mother sent word of “Special Thanks” to me for making all those supportive phone calls that night!

TAKE ACTION:  The story of this teenage girl has been played out over and over again, because of our children’s vulnerability. Our youth often believe that everyone who are on their social media friends’ lists are actually their friends.  This belief makes them susceptible to being lured by a nefarious adult to a dangerous meeting.  As adults we can take action to try to prevent this by:

• Teaching our children not to chat with or accept as a friend anyone that they don’t know.
• Discussing the dangers of going and meeting with someone they have met online.
• Making sure all privacy settings are set on ALL electronic devices,
• Monitoring our children’s Internet use and the apps they have on their phone (7 Dangerous Apps parents should know about for their kids), and
• Teaching them why it is important to tell you about any sexual or suspicious activity that occurs online, and then as a parent reporting it to law enforcement (Cyber Tip Line).

Saundra Lawson is the Founder and Executive Director of Project Liberty, a nonprofit investigative human trafficking task force and victim assistance/support team based out of Mid-Michigan, which primarily serves victims in America.

FIND YOUR FIT - FIGHT HUMAN TRAFFICKING LOCALLY

There are many networks and resources available nationally and globally with the sole purpose to combat human trafficking. When I first started researching human trafficking about five years ago, I was overwhelmed with the number of organizations that are devoted to protecting human rights and ensuring that victims have a voice.

Examples of national human trafficking organizations that accomplish substantial work in the U.S. as well as abroad are:

·      The Polaris Project has served hundreds of victims, trained thousands of individuals, including foreign nationals, and provided resources, such as the National Human Trafficking Hotline 

·      International Justice Mission has investigative efforts around the world;

·      The NationalCenter for Missing and Exploited Children is a leading non-profit organization that works with law enforcement and other professionals to ensure the well-being of all children;

·      Shared Hope International  offers a variety of victim services; and

·      Free the Slaves is an international grassroots anti-slavery organization.

For some these large organizations may seem out of our reach, because they are not located in your community.  The good news is that local efforts to combat human trafficking have expanded greatly in the last decade.  Many states in the U.S. have regional and statewide task forces that help connect people from all professions. Volunteers at the various task forces are accomplishing substantial work by offering their skill sets to collaboratively combat human trafficking.  This is why I decided to start locally and see where I could help, which is how I got involved with the Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force.

Human trafficking will not be combated without the ongoing help from all levels of government, including prosecutors, policy makers, law enforcement, medical professionals, grassroots groups, activists and YOU and ME.

TAKE ACTION:  If you are already on the frontline and working to fight human trafficking don’t give up!  Think about all the positive things you have accomplished and what yet needs to be done and use these reflections to keep you moving forward. 

If you are not involved yet, but you are reading this blog, then it probably means that you have concerns about this issue.  Take the next step and find a task force in your area and see how your experiences and qualities can be put to use. If a task force doesn’t exist, find a group of people who share your same vision and create one.  The most important thing you can do is get involved because you never know how valuable your time and expertise can be to someone else.

Sona Movsisyan is a senior at Michigan State University, studying in the James Madison College. Her aspiration is to be a human rights attorney and an advocate for victims of human trafficking.  Sona is currently an intern working for MHTTF.