Through Perpetrators' Eyes

Fri, September 19 | 9:45 AM EDT–10:45 AM EDT

Topic: Conceptual | Knowledge Level: Intermediate

Matthew C. Clarke, MSc, MCogSci

In attempting to reduce the prevalence of human trafficking or modern slavery, the anti-trafficking movement has not paid enough attention to understanding and engaging with the perpetrator side of the problem. “Perpetrator” includes anyone who benefits from the abuse, exploitation, and coercion of human trafficking: those on the supply side as well as those who generate the demand for such abuses. If we expect to change the behaviors of perpetrators, understanding their motivational ecology is essential. What internal psychological factors underlie those behaviors? What external familial, socio-economic, and cultural factors drive those behaviors? There is little hard data on that motivational ecology, but in this session, attendees will learn from some actual cases. Attendees will join small group discussions about three cases that focus on the perpetrator’s side of the story. The cases come from previously published descriptions of online sexual exploitation of children in the Philippines, domestic servitude in the UK, and bonded labor in India. The session will draw on attendees’ reactions to these cases, and will encourage attendees to learn from each other by discussing what led to the perpetrators’ behavior and what could have been done to prevent those behaviors. This reflective learning approach encourages everyone to read beyond the surface and interpret motives, rationalizations, and self-deception. It also challenges us to interrogate our own presumptions and emotional reactions. The method can be helpfully applied to any form of human trafficking or modern slavery, from sex trafficking and forced marriage to labor exploitation and child soldiers.

Trigger Warning: This presentation contains information (written, spoken, or visual) that may be triggering or (re)traumatizing to attendees.

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Presentation Objectives

• Highlight the importance of understanding the motivational ecology of people who perpetrate the abuses, exploitation, and coercion of human trafficking
• Present cases studies of actual perpetrators for attendees to engage in discussion
• Elicit ideas about what could be done to prevent the destructive behaviors in those case studies
• Present a reflective learning approach that moves beyond first reactions to deeper questioning of motives, rationalizations, and self-deception