Another Reflection from the HTRL Spring 2025


Continuing my work within the Human Trafficking Research Lab has deepened my understanding of the issue and helped me recognize the essential skills and empathy required for this kind of work. Before joining the lab, I had a limited view of what human trafficking really entailed. Through hands-on research and survivor narratives, I’ve come to understand both the complexity of the crime and the shortcomings in how our legal system identifies and addresses it. Human trafficking might seem easy to define as it typically falls under one or more of three main elements: force, fraud, or coercion but simply knowing a crime occurred and actually proving a crime occurred are two different things. Through the stories shared by survivors and the patterns I studied within the lab, I've learned instances which involved human trafficking. The justice system has often struggled to name and prosecute trafficking for what it is. As a result traffickers are usually charged with a lesser offense that does not truly reflect the harm they've done. My experience in the human trafficking lab not only shaped my analytical skills but also taught me to understand the human side of trafficking. How human trafficking impacts lives beyond a simple criminal case, or statistical data. This work has shown me the importance of having both awareness and knowledge when dealing with human trafficking.

Akeila McNeal

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