Perceptions of Psychological Coercion and Human Trafficking in the West Midlands of England: Beginning to Know the Unknown
Date
2016-05-05Abstract
Modern slavery is less overt than historical state-sanctioned slavery because psychological
abuse is typically used to recruit and then control victims. The recent UK Draft Modern Slavery
Bill, and current UK government anti-slavery strategy relies heavily on a shared understanding
and public cooperation to tackle this crime. Yet, UK research investigating public
understanding of modern slavery is elusive. We report community survey data from 682 residents
of the Midlands of England, where modern slavery is known to occur, concerning
their understanding of nonphysical coercion and human trafficking (one particular form of
modern slavery). Analysis of quantitative data and themed categorization of qualitative data
revealed a mismatch between theoretical frameworks and understanding of psychological
coercion, and misconceptions concerning the nature of human trafficking. Many respondents
did not understand psychological coercion, believed that human trafficking did not
affect them, and confused trafficking with immigration. The public are one of the most influential
interest groups, but only if well informed and motivated towards positive action. Our
findings suggest the need for strategically targeted public knowledge exchange concerning
this crime.
Description
Open access article
The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.
Citation : Dando, C.J., Walsh, D., Brierley, R. (2016) Perceptions of Psychological Coercion and Human Trafficking in the West Midlands of England: Beginning to Know the Unknown. PLoS ONE, 11(5), e0153263.
Research Institute : Institute for Evidence-Based Law Reform (IELR)
Peer Reviewed : Yes
Collections
- Department of Law [683]