Scott Downman







Victims of exploitation or victims of the media: Rethinking media coverage of human trafficking

During the past decade there has been increasing media coverage about human trafficking. In most cases the victims are depicted in stereotypes. For example, once freed from their abuse they are referred to as being 'rescued', usually by a foreigner, or they are presented as being vulnerable people, sold by greedy or drug-affected parents with little regard for their children. This simplistic presentation of complex transnational crimes inaccurately depicts human trafficking and stigmatises the survivors of human exploitation. This paper is based on eight years of research, including four as a community development worker in Southeast Asia with anti-trafficking non-government organisations.

Keywords: human trafficking, exploitation, slavery, reporting, media


References

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Note on the contributor

Scott Downman is a lecturer in journalism and public relations at Griffith University, Australia. For the past 10 years he has been involved with community development projects Southeast Asia aimed at addressing the issues of human trafficking, labour exploitation and work migration. From 2007-2009 he worked as a fieldworker for the Thai-based NGO Mekong Minority Foundation, in an AusAID-funded project in northern Thailand. He is the director/founder of HELP International, an anti-human trafficking not-for-profit organisation. He was the 2012 winner of Australia's Future Justice Award for his anti-trafficking work in Thailand. Contact: s.downman@griffith.edu.au or helpinternationalinc@gmail.com