ABSTRACT
In the transnational circulation of norms and policies against human trafficking, victims’ testimonials serve an important function in making truth claims about trafficking and its harm to individuals. This chapter discusses how the key symbol of anti-trafficking campaigns—the “trafficked woman”—is constructed and deployed in the cultural advocacy of non-government organizations (NGOs). Interrogating “the mediations involved in the discovery and presentation of testimony,” 1 it argues that the focus on sexual harm and the driven pursuit of victimization narratives silence and erase the agency and personhood of individuals. This chapter assesses how the “victim” is framed within the political ideals, ideological commitments, and strategic considerations of the NGO, often removed from the experiences and needs of those for whom they advocate.
