The Celebritization of Human Trafficking

• Date: 01 May 2014
• Author: Dina Francesca Haynes
• DOI: 10.1177/0002716213515837
• Published date: 01 May 2014

ANNALS, AAPSS, 653, May 2014 25

DOI: 10.1177/0002716213515837

The

Celebritization

of Human

Trafficking

By

DINA FRANCESCA

HAYNES

515837ANN The Annals of the American AcademyThe Celebritization of Human Trafficking

research-article2013

Human trafficking, and especially sex trafficking, is not

only susceptible to alluring and sensational narratives,

it also plays into the celebrity-as-rescuer ideal that

receives considerable attention from the media, the

public, and policy-makers. While some celebrities

develop enough expertise to speak with authority on

the topic, many others are neither knowledgeable nor

accurate in their efforts to champion antitrafficking

causes. Prominent policy-makers allow celebrity activ-

ists to influence their opinions and even consult with

them for advice regarding public policies. Emblematic

of larger, fundamental problems with the dominant

discourse, funding allocations, and legislation in cur-

rent antitrafficking initiatives in the United States and

elsewhere, celebrity activism is not significantly advanc-

ing the eradication of human trafficking and may even

be doing harm by diverting attention from aspects of

the problem and solution that sorely require attention.

Keywords: human trafficking; human rights; celebrity

activism

Celebrities now regularly engage as activists

with human trafficking policy. A “sexy”

topic, human trafficking is not only susceptible

to alluring, fetishistic, and voyeuristic narratives,

it plays into the celebrity-as-rescuer-of-victim

ideal that receives a huge amount of attention

from the media and the public. As a result, sev-

eral top celebrities now characterize themselves

as antitrafficking activists, with an admiring

public viewing their claims as expertise.

This article examines the ways in which

celebrities and celebrity culture influence legal

and policy responses to human trafficking with

a critical analysis of celebrities’ typically

Dina Francesca Haynes is professor of law at New

England Law | Boston. She has worked on human traf-

ficking, human rights, and legal matters for the UN

High Commissioner for Refugees, the Organization for

Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the U.S.

Department of Justice.

NOTE: I thank Sarah Hawkins for help with this article.

26 THE ANNALS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY

simplistic approaches to human trafficking. A “celebrity” is defined here as a

person who attracts a large audience or following through his or her artistic

endeavors, or sometimes political, journalistic, and humanitarian work. The

celebrities examined in this article also appeal to that audience through regular

public-relations activities.

Methodology

Media accounts of celebrity involvement in human rights campaigns abound.

This article focuses on celebrity involvement in human trafficking, placing it in

the broader context of celebrity activism more generally. In this study, celebrities

were identified through a broad survey of news media, electronic databases, gov-

ernment documents, and promotional materials of various international organiza-

tions (IOs) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Assessments of celebrity

activism in the human trafficking sphere over the past decade were made by

examining transcripts of congressional witness testimony from 2000 to 2011, sur-

veying the commendations awarded by the relevant United Nations (UN) agen-

cies, reviewing transcripts of celebrity talks and public statements on human

trafficking; examining the operation of celebrity advisors where available; exam-

ining the tax returns of nonprofit NGO’s where accessible; and considering the

publicity for books, movies, films, and music that are publicized as raising aware-

ness of human trafficking. Where applicable, the promotional materials and tax

returns of foundations and charitable organizations created and run by celebrities

themselves were also reviewed for the claims made therein. To the extent possi-

ble, I attempt to assess the impact of celebrity endorsements on policy-makers’

framing of trafficking issues by comparing laws and draft bills with celebrity

statements and recommendations.

Why Celebrity Involvement Is Problematic

There are arguably some advantages to celebrity activism; celebrities have the

potential to be more neutral than politicians or politically motivated NGOs (Hart

and Tindall 2009) and to help activists to gain access to policy-makers and donors

that they would otherwise never attain (Meyer and Gamson 1995). Those poten-

tial advantages, I argue, are outweighed by the potential drawbacks, particularly

when celebrities enter the activism arena and veer from “mere awareness raising”

into giving policy recommendations, as they most often do1 (Demaine 2009,

105–6). The primary drawbacks to celebrity activism in the arena of human traf-

ficking are (1) the superficial or uninformed trafficking narratives that celebrities

often present and (2) celebrities’ lack of accountability for the solutions they

propose to ameliorate trafficking, policies that may have adverse unintended

consequences if implemented.