Myths, facts and alternatives for sex trafficking imagery – The Canadian Centre To End Human Trafficking

When it comes to human trafficking, finding pictures online that accurately represent the reality faced by victims and survivors, while also being trauma-informed and victim-centered, can be a bit of a challenge. Today’s post debunks common myths conveyed through the use of popular images, presents readers with critical questions they can ask themselves before selecting an image, and provides alternative imagery options.

A simple Google search for images of ‘human trafficking’ reveals pictures featuring young girls, often locked up, in ropes or chains, without the ability to speak. These images can be found on posters, in awareness campaigns and in news stories that portray human trafficking. The unfortunate reality is that, more often than not, imagery in campaigns and news articles intended to combat human trafficking and raise awareness of the crime differs from the lived experiences of victims and survivors. As imagery is the most efficient way to quickly share information, it is not surprising that these highly publicized images have become intertwined with actual narratives of trafficking experiences. These misconceptions have the potential to shape community and individual responses to this crime; they may negatively affect how someone being trafficked views their own experience, and it affects the ability of community members to prevent trafficking, identify victims, and understand different narratives.

*While this blog post focuses primarily on sex trafficking imagery, it is important when discussing human trafficking to reference the prevalence of both sex and labour trafficking in Canada. For more information on labour trafficking, click here. We have also included alternative examples imagery that portray both sex and labour trafficking at the end of this post.

Image: A victim’s hands bound, with another hand or an object such as tape covering their mouth, or a barcode tattooed on their body

Chains, ropes, and cages are not typically used nor necessary to traffic someone. The concept of being physically bound promotes a problematic rescue narrative, dismissing the systemic realities that perpetuate trafficking and keep victims and survivors entrapped in harmful situations. Traffickers often play mind games to create an attachment and control individuals psychologically. Most often, traffickers manipulate and control someone by meeting their most pressing basic needs, such as access to food, shelter, substances, or a relationship. Victims of trafficking often become reliant on their traffickers and can feel a complex range of emotions towards them, including care, fear, hope, and necessity – all while keeping their freedom of movement to some extent. Click here to read about how sex trafficking happens and why it is so hard to simply leave. Additionally, although branding and tattoos are common in sex trafficking, as a symbol of the ownership a trafficker claims, it is very unlikely that the tattoo would be as overt as a barcode on a highly visible part of the body.

Guiding question: What does human trafficking look like in your community? Does this image reflect the reality of trafficking in my community? What are people with lived experience and frontline social service providers saying about the issue?

Image: Dark, unkempt rooms with little to no light

Human trafficking is not as hidden as one might think and is commonly referred to as a crime happening in plain sight, at any time of day. Traffickers may first establish a relationship with a victim online, at a mall, at school, or elsewhere in the community. Someone may be a victim of trafficking but still living at home, attending school, or participating in their usual extracurricular activities, particularly in the earlier stages of exploitation [see infographic]. Furthermore, sex trafficking most often happens in spaces accessible by the general public, including online forums and marketplaces, hotels, motels, short term rentals, truck stops, massage parlours, and clubs.

Guiding question: Where is human trafficking happening in your community? Are there spaces where traffickers may be luring and grooming potential victims?

Image: Child, most often a young girl, often Caucasian

Anyone can be trafficked regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, race, and culture. Although child sex trafficking does happen in Canada, recent police-based data suggests that the majority of trafficking victims identified by police are females aged 18-24. It is also true that certain groups of people are disproportionately targeted by traffickers. For example, Indigenous women and girls are trafficked at higher rates than other groups due to racism, trauma resulting from colonization, and other systemic issues. Homeless youth, youth struggling with addictions, and youth in the child protection system are also at a higher risk for exploitation. Additionally, it is likely that other groups are being trafficked, including transgender and genderqueer individuals and males – however, these groups are less likely to be represented in trafficking campaigns, potentially resulting in reduced disclosures and identification.

Guiding question: What does your community look like? Who are traffickers targeting in your community? Is the imagery reflective of the diversity of people being trafficked?

Image: A woman appearing to be selling sex on the street

Although sex trafficking does happen on the streets, over the years it has largely shifted away from street-based exploitation and into online or indoor spaces. It is important to also make the distinction that the sale of sex is not always necessarily indicative of human trafficking. Individuals engage in the selling of commercial sex for a variety of reasons; some make the choice to do so, others may do so due to certain life circumstances, like poverty, and others are forced to do so through coercion by a trafficker. Sex trafficking victims have no control over the acts they perform, how many people they see, and much of the money earned, if not all, is turned over to the trafficker. It is also worth noting that an individual can move along this spectrum of choice-circumstance-coercion.

Guiding question: “What are some of the factors/circumstances in your community that could lead someone to sell commercial sex? What kind of imagery could better reflect these realities?”

CONCLUSION

There are always exceptions to these myths and facts; no two people’s experience with trafficking is the same. It is certainly possible that the experiences of a victim or a survivor may fit the imagery we have discussed and labeled above as problematic. However, this is not the norm. If the goal of human trafficking campaigns and articles using such imagery is to encourage disclosure and detection, and prevent further victimization, it is important that writers, journalists, and advocates make a shift in the imagery they use in order to be accurate and relevant to the majority of lived experience. This involves resisting oversimplified narratives, so that we may accurately depict the complexity of this crime Canada.

Only looking for physical signs of human trafficking such as the ones mentioned in the above myths ultimately does a disservice to victims and survivors, as it allows traffickers and their victims to move through our communities un-noticed. These symbols can also amplify the stigma faced by victims and survivors of trafficking whose experiences don’t align with being kidnapped, taken, or physically trapped. That’s why, it is important to consider using images representing people in everyday situations, such as an individual taking the subway, text messaging, or walking down the street, and ensure the images are reflective of the diversity that exists in our communities. Below, we have included examples of images which could be referenced as part of future articles and campaigns.

Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline Images (downloadable here)

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