Campus Location
Abilene Campus (Residential)
Date of Award
Spring 5-2017
Document Type
Thesis
Department
Communication
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
Dr. Lauren Lemley
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Dr. Kristina Davis
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
Dr. Paul Lakey
Abstract
This thesis explores various facets of human trafficking ranging from signs of victims to recruitment methods of traffickers, focusing specifically on the inherent connection of complex trauma as an effect of experiencing exploitation. Trauma serves as the overarching theme throughout this paper as I analyze anti-trafficking institutional organizations and their training curricula as well as non-institutional organizations and their awareness-raising material. The questions I focus on are: How do institutional texts and training curriculum prepare individuals to interact with victims of trauma? And how do non-institutional awareness-raising materials educate audiences who do not work directly with victims of trafficking on trauma? By utilizing a rhetorical framework for analysis, I use social norms, framing, and standpoint theory to examine the texts of each institutional and non-institutional organization. I find that being educated on and comprehending the social norms of trafficking victims, how to frame messages about trafficking, and understanding the experiences lived by victims of trafficking, are all fundamental to institutional and non-institutional organizations’ goal of effectively training individuals to work directly with trafficking victims as well as creating a heightened and realistic sense of awareness for varying audiences who do not work directly with victims of human trafficking.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Runyan, Kaylen, "Bound to a Brothel: A Rhetorical Analysis of Institutional and Non-Institutional Anti-Trafficking Training Curriculum and Awareness-Raising Material" (2017). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 49.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/49