A Call to Anger : A feminist participatory approach to anti-trafficking communication for social change in collaboration with the Youth Advocacy Group of NGO Atina

Abstract: Voices of women affected by trafficking in human beings for sexual exploitation (THBSE) are often marginalized and they are not usually included in the design and implementation of anti-trafficking campaigns. Although these campaigns present themselves as Communication for Social Change, the final result often betrays the principles of this form of communication. This thesis aims to tackle that gap, in partnership with the Serbian NGO Atina and their Youth Advocacy Group. The objective is to understand what is the perspective of women affected by THBSE in regards to institutional imagery of anti-trafficking campaigns and its persuasive potential for social change. The methodology was informed by a feminist participatory approach which included a) a focus group where participants were shown examples of anti-trafficking imagery, b) a workshop where participants designed their own campaign, and c) two expert interviews. After analyzing a sample of 21 images of anti-trafficking campaigns from 12 countries (Serbia, USA, Canada, France, Spain, Portugal, Romania, Brazil, Luxembourg, Colombia, Ukraine and Israel), this thesis finds that anti-trafficking campaigns tend to fail at their potential for social change. This is due to misrepresentations that ignore the complexity of THBSE as a system of exploitation and by perpetuating harmful stereotypes about what a victim should or should not look like, thereby contributing to the silencing and marginalization of victims. Anti-trafficking campaigns also tend to rely on awareness-raising rather than promoting social change. This thesis also presents what a campaign designed by women affected by sexual exploitation would look like, which focused on systemic change rather than individualized narratives. Based on the research, it was also possible to propose guidelines for participatory approaches to communication against THBSE.