Anti-trafficking education

Written on 17 January 2022.

In September, we published the latest issue of Anti-Trafficking Review themed ‘Anti-Trafficking Education’ and guest edited by Annie Isabel Fukushima, Annie Hill, and Jennifer Suchland.

The past decade has seen a dramatic increase in the sites for anti-trafficking education and the range of educators who shape how the public and institutions understand and respond to human trafficking. From rural communities to conference halls and university classrooms, anti-trafficking education is a growing field that impacts multiple groups, including prospective migrants, professionals in healthcare, law enforcement, social work and other fields, and school and university students.

The aim of the new Special Issue is to catalyse a collective process of reflection on and evaluation of the current state and stakes surrounding education on human trafficking. In six full-length research and conceptual articles, and four short articles, contributors detail various instructional materials and institutional settings, and intersectional, anti-oppressive, trauma-informed, and survivor-led approaches to teaching and learning about human trafficking.

The articles highlight the need to recognise that anti-trafficking education can perpetuate misinformation and myths about trafficking as well as legitimise carceral systems that lead to dehumanisation and violence. At the same time, critical approaches to teaching trafficking can encourage and inform endeavours to create structural change, social justice, and individual empowerment.

In October, we organised an online event to promote the issue and discuss ways in which education can lead to empowerment of low-wage workers, migrants, and marginalised groups. The three special issue guest editors were joined by Bandana Pattanaik from GAATW, Nalini Nayak from Self-Employed Women’s Association-Kerala in India, and Mariah Grant from the Sex Workers Project of Urban Justice Center in the United States. You can view a recording of the event here.