There are still too many people in the world today who incorrectly believe that slavery came to an end long ago. Public awareness campaigns are therefore essential, since if modern slavery is not acknowledged, there is little chance of making significant progress tackling this crime. A lack of awareness means neighbours will not recognise the circumstances of the domestic worker next door. Traffickers will make their profits right under the noses of authorities. Victims won’t receive the help they need and might even be prosecuted themselves. We need a shift in social norms so that trafficking is recognised as trafficking, a form of modern slavery, and as an unacceptable crime.
This type of social change requires awareness as well as policy and legislative change. The shift we need to successfully battle this social ill needs momentum and power – a diverse movement to lead this charge by spreading awareness. Change, like success, has many mothers. Effective public awareness rarely acts alone. It works best alongside other initiatives including research, legislation, and policy development. Awareness facilitates change, creating the political space and will for action and ensuring effective implementation.
Accepting that there is a need to raise public awareness, let’s examine some of the tools required to do it, such as campaigns and public information. Some critics have described these tools as blunt instruments. Whilst there can sometimes be problems with specific campaigns, this type of criticism cannot be applied wholesale to all campaigning efforts in the field. Take, for example, ongoing efforts to educate the public regarding the scale of slavery. To do that effectively we need numbers. The Global Slavery Index (GSI) suggests 45.8 million people are held in modern slavery today. Critics of the GSI point to the application of the definition of slavery and the research methodology. Some of these criticisms may well stand scrutiny. However, the overall impact of having a number, albeit an estimate of uncertain precision, is that it has brought to life the public conversation about modern slavery. This in turn helps create political will to act. It places slavery on the agenda. By giving us a number, the GSI has helped make a positive contribution to the overall fight.
