Campaigners, activists and government officials spend much of their time and energy crafting messages that are designed to win specific audiences over to their cause. The main goal behind these messages is to ‘raise awareness’ of specific problems or issues, and to offer target audiences with potential solutions or remedies. Drawing upon modern marketing techniques, these public awareness campaigns take increasingly diverse forms, including lectures and talks, symbolic displays of solidarity, documentaries and movies, public performances, and social media initiatives.
In the case of human trafficking awareness campaigns, which are our subject for debate, recent initiatives include the Blue Heart Campaign as an ‘international symbol against human trafficking’; media reports instructing people to ‘spot the signs’ of trafficking and slavery in locations such as airports, nail salons, or hospitals; numerous public marches under banners such ‘walk for freedom’ or ‘tasting freedom’; the installation of life-sized human dolls on street corners under the banner ‘children aren’t playthings’; and the launch of both documentaries and fictional movies designed to get the message out.
Some awareness campaigns are targeted at specific audiences, such as making workers aware of their legal rights and available resources. Others are much more general. These campaigns are not confined to civil society, but regularly include governments and international organisations. In 2010, the United States Senate designated 11 January ‘human trafficking awareness day’, which was later expanded to awareness month in 2011. The United Nations has similarly designated 30 July as ‘world day against trafficking in persons’. In this policy debate, we take the US version as an opportunity to reflect on the benefits and costs of raising awareness campaigns.
