Media Reporting on Human Trafficking:

At the Intersection of Storytelling, Education & Mobilization

With an estimated 27 million slaves in the world today
and just 42,000 identified last year, human trafficking
is one of the most pressing yet underreported issues of
our time. It is also notoriously complex and easily
misunderstood. This complexity makes it difficult to
build the knowledge base that informs the actions
required of the non-governmental, private, and
government sectors. As messenger, educator and
storyteller to the masses, the news media is thus
uniquely positioned to inform and encourage the
identification and prevention of human trafficking.

Role of the Media

Human trafficking stories have high news value: they
are proximate, timely and impactful. They illustrate
conflict between people and sectors and always
include a human interest story at their core. Because
slavery is an affront to human dignity, stories of
compulsion and exploitation invariably resonate with
readers. Quality coverage helps media consumers
realize how profoundly relevant human trafficking is to
their lives. Media has the opportunity to change the
course of this problem by exposing the commercial
exploitation of human beings and mobilizing the public
to act in their capacity to identify or prevent slavery.

Media in Action
Journalists worldwide have contributed excellent
reporting regarding modern slavery. In 2010, CNN
International launched the CNN Freedom Project, a
first-of-its-kind multimedia news campaign dedicated
to telling the stories of people toiling in slavery,
exposing the industries that exploit such labor, and
mobilizing civil society to take action against it. For
example, the CNN Freedom Projects expos on child
slavery in the chocolate industry has brought
significant visibility to the efforts of the worlds largest
chocolate manufacturers that are adopting additional
practices to address slavery in their supply chains,
thereby heightening both corporate accountability and
consumer awareness.

Al Jazeeras flagship public affairs program, People &

Power, has also produced several in-depth
investigative pieces on different forms of modern
slavery, routinely giving thorough treatment to the
root causes and the problems that former slaves face
post-liberation. One program from December 2011,
which focused on Vietnamese children in the United
Kingdom cannabis trade, explained how debt and
poverty trap children in unventilated indoor cannabis
farms, where they are exposed to toxic chemicals and
perpetual fire hazards. Even more troubling was Al
Jazeeras discovery that, after police raid these illegal
operations, most of the children are treated as
criminals rather than as victims. By taking the time to
ask what happens next, the Al Jazeera piece
underscores the fact that even after trafficked persons
are liberated, their ordeal is often far from over.
Photojournalists and documentary filmmakers have
traveled to the places where trafficking flourishes
whether on a farm or just across the street in order
to bring honest images of the abhorrent practice to
light. A number of prestigious media organizations
offer fellowships and special recognition for journalists
who take on the challenge of reporting stories of
human trafficking. Yet daily news reports published on
human trafficking tend to limit their accounts to raids,
arrests and prosecutions. This presents media
professionals with an incredible opportunity to
improve the depth of reporting on human trafficking.

The Complexities of Human

Trafficking
There are several common misconceptions about
human trafficking that when perpetuated can
frustrate progress on the issue. An article that relies
on such faulty understanding reflects one-dimensional
reportingalready an undesirable resultbut the
real danger lies in the way it reinforces these
misconceptions among the public. A truly
multifaceted news piece exposes the complexities
that contribute to the causes of human trafficking and
the solutions required to address this issue.

Human trafficking is a human rights issue that

implicates international development, economics and
commerce, criminal justice, labor and rule of law as
well as socioeconomic factors such as caste, gender
and poverty. In addition to prostitution, laborintensive industries are prone to human trafficking. It
affects women and men, children and adults,
developed countries and emerging economies. It also
touches unassuming aspects of everyday life because
consumers unknowingly purchase and use products
made in part with slavery, including clothing,
consumer electronics, carpets, food and more.

Challenges
In general, the greatest challenges lie in connecting
trafficking to the audience, avoiding oversimplification
and presenting an accurate account. The effort is
often compounded by lack of dependable data,
unavailability of experts, and difficulty finding and
developing trust with trafficked persons who are
willing to share their stories.
This becomes
exceedingly difficult when on a short deadline. There
are also the inherent dangers of investigating a
transnational or organized crime syndicate and
potential government complicity.

Elements of Effective Reporting

To date, media coverage has helped to raise general
awareness of human trafficking. Yet, all too often, the
story ends after a report of a law enforcement raid or
a conviction of a trafficker. In this case, it is easy for
the audience to disconnect and think human
trafficking is irrelevant to them. Establishing the
connection makes the coverage more impactful, more
relevant and more interesting, which can be
accomplished through reporting that:

Explains the macro issues that fuel trafficking

including
globalization,
immigration
and
migration, and the complexities of modern
corporate supply chains
Examines opportunities to prevent human
trafficking based on an analysis of these causes
Delves into the multiple opportunities to have
identified a trafficked person earlier and offers
best practices to effectively identify human
trafficking
Informs consumers about products made with
forced labor and where they can direct corporate
inquiries
Emphasizes the humanity of trafficking survivors
and their lives post-liberation
Describes existing local laws to prevent trafficking
and the rigor of enforcement efforts
Assesses achievements and remaining challenges
to address human trafficking
Offers information for vulnerable populations to
protect themselves from traffickers
Highlights solutions that the audience can adopt
or support
Includes resources for people to learn more
about and take action against human trafficking.

Reporting on human trafficking represents an

essential part in shaping public anti-trafficking
awareness and responses. Investigatory and editorial
decisions shape public perception about human
trafficking and can reduce misconceptions and
misinformation, which will improve identification and
prevention. Journalists want their work to be
impactful; the issue of human trafficking offers an
incredible opportunity to do exactly that because
media can educate and equip a range of professionals
to take action.

Support for Media Professionals

The Global Freedom Center offers media professionals
everything they need for accurate and compelling
human trafficking reporting, whether for in-depth
investigatory pieces or short deadline articles. This
includes background information, the latest
developments on the issue, reliable statistics,
potential story angles, and experts available for
interview. Additionally, Center experts are available
for trainings at media organizations.
Contact us at info@GlobalFreedomCenter.org.

Special thanks to Belinda Liu for her contributions to this fact

sheet.