Social Action to Combat Human Trafficking

Submission note: A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology to the School of Psychology and Public Health, College of Science, Health, and Engineering, La Trobe University, Bundoora.

Human trafficking (HT), today’s equivalent of slavery, involves severe violations of human rights. While the majority of people might perceive, or believe, this global phenomenon to be wrong and inhumane, the belief does not appear to lead to a willingness to take action to stop the problem (UNODC, 2008). The aim of this research was to synthesise past theoretical approaches and empirical studies to understand better the failure to engage with changes needed to end HT. Across three studies, this research sought to understand Australians’ attitudes and emotional reactions to victims of HT, and to explore factors that might influence engagement in social action to combat this international problem. With insights gathered from the Australian community (Study 1), we experimentally manipulated factors that might possibly influence willingness to engage in social action, such as perspective-taking and beliefs about efficacy (Study 2) and participants’ perceptions of a victim’s responsibility for the problem of sex trafficking as well as responsibility for the solution (Study 3). Across the three studies we consistently found a strong correlation between personal distress and willingness to act. Distress (but not empathy) mediated the relationship between gender and willingness to engage in social action, which showed that women were more willing than men to combat HT. Taking the perspective of the victim did not have any significant effects on willingness to act. Victims who were presented as having control over their entry into sex trafficking were judged negatively and evoked less empathy and distress, leading participants to be less willing to engage in social action. Throughout this thesis, we discuss further results and the implications for promoting social action, canvassing ways to encourage societal change in order to counter the oppression of human beings.