It’s Blue and It’s Up to You! Policy Narratives and Anti-Trafficking Awareness in the United States

• In Event: Critical Approaches to Sex Crime and Sex Offending in Law, Policy, and Reform Movements

Abstract

In the US, members of the media, government, and advocacy groups have declared that human trafficking is a pervasive form of modern day slavery largely hidden from view. To educate the public (and, ultimately, identify victims, prosecute traffickers, and spark policy changes), various public awareness campaigns have emerged. This paper focuses on the most prominent national example of these--the US Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign--to ask what it teaches the public about human trafficking and the role of government more broadly. Using qualitative-interpretive methods of data collection and analysis, and drawing from policy narrative literature, this paper argues that the Blue Campaign conveys a narrative defining human trafficking as a massive humanitarian problem that is largely invisible to the public. However, instead of locating the causes of and solutions to human trafficking in public policy or the economy, the Blue Campaign holds individuals variously responsible for their own victimization and that of others, and for bringing victims to the attention of state authorities. Consequently, it instructs the public that the government’s role regarding trafficking is largely disciplinary, emphasizing punishment over prevention and protection. The campaign highlights how governments may avoid taking responsibility for the socio-economic conditions that make human trafficking possible.

Author

• Samantha Majic, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY