Powerful organizations and advocates wielding power unethically has contributed to violence and bullying even between survivors. This is harmful, unethical, and exploitative, and is a big part of the reason we only hear from survivors who agree with the existing narratives. This movement is not safe when survivors are pitted against each other, and many survivors who don’t fit the mold leave the anti-human trafficking movement to work in other anti-violence and harm reduction fields. Sometimes they are pushed out of the movement by bullying, harassment, and being talked over repeatedly. Other times they avoid even connecting with the movement because it is so dysfunctional.
Survivors who don’t agree with the narratives dominant within the anti-human trafficking movement may do things like create anonymous “sock puppet” accounts on social media, not to do harm but to be able to engage with other folks without worrying that it will lose them their income. They regularly reach out to other anti-violence and harm reduction professionals secretly because even association can bring consequences.P.S. “Pimp lobby,” “not a real survivor,” “you must be a buyer not a survivor,” “why are you protecting the rights of buyers and traffickers” in response to someone advocating for safety of people trading sex, and “your voice doesn’t count because you lack X marginalization” are all smoke and mirrors misdirections, red flags for bullying, and a sign that you’re not working with a survivor leader who leaves room for genuine dialogue.This dynamic is exacerbated when survivors build their incomes on telling their stories, or when they create their own survivor empowerment initiatives that rely on their brand. It is also exacerbated when newer survivor leaders who have been mentored by powerful survivor leaders feel loyalty and are afraid to question someone who they know believed in them when they were struggling.Being asked not to abuse others is not itself abuse. Check out DARVO for more information on this.
If you are a survivor of human trafficking looking for a workbook to reflect on your role in this movement, check out The 6 C’s of Becoming an Advocate.
And if you’re someone who has experienced force, fraud, or coercion in any form of labor (including the sex trades), or someone who began trading sex as a minor, your voice is just as valid as any other survivor. Don’t think you fit in? You’re not alone. We need your voice. Those of us who get it will have your back.
The World Health Organization Violence Prevention Alliance’s definition of violence is “the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, […]