Laypersons' perceptions of sex trafficking victimisation and attribution of blame

Abstract Purpose A recurring challenge to combatting the significant problem of commercial sex trafficking, especially of minors, lies in identifying actual victims. Public campaigns have increased awareness of the occurrence of trafficking, but the depiction of victims often invokes stereotypes that fail to match characteristics known to be associated with experiences of trafficking, such as high levels of mistrust of authorities, prior victimisation, delinquent histories and uncooperativeness. We examined the extent to which the latter characteristics (i.e., delinquency and uncooperativeness) impact the general public's ability to identify minor victims of trafficking and to whom the public attributes responsibility when such characteristics are present. Method A total of 425 adults read vignettes alluding to trafficking that varied in references to delinquency (present vs. absent) and cooperation (high vs. low) of a minor victim and rendered decisions about what happened and who is to blame. Results When minors were described as delinquent, participants saw the minor as more likely to have committed a crime and as responsible for their situation. When minors were described as cooperative, participants viewed the adult as more likely to have committed a crime and as more responsible. Delinquency and cooperation did not interact to influence perceptions, but women placed more responsibility on the adult and held more pro‐victim attitudes than men. Conclusions Overall, lack of knowledge among the public regarding common victim characteristics seems to undermine the public's ability to identify some victims, highlighting the need for greater accuracy in awareness campaigns.