Inside the world of anti-trafficking, the calls are everywhere to centre survivors, create victim-centred work, and undertake survivor-led initiatives. And there are glimpses of what looks like change. From panel discussions to law enforcement initiatives, there is now more representation of individuals with lived experience than ever before. Some rare examples could now even be described as ‘faces’ of the anti-trafficking movement.
Yet, on the whole, these calls for inclusion have stalled shortly after take-off. The result has been tokenisation rather than meaningful inclusion of survivors. Tokenisation is antithetical to healing, so instead of building a survivor- or community-led movement, this has ironically fostered an atmosphere that inhibits repair, closes conversation, and impedes real progress in anti-trafficking efforts.
There are specific harms that need to be named. Above all, we need to call out efforts that ‘centre survivors’ in ways that directly benefit others while putting those in the spotlight, once again, in harm’s way.
