Exploring Predictors of Victim Blaming Attitudes towards Human trafficking Victims

Abstract

Human trafficking is a crime that has seen increased awareness over the past few decades. The purpose of this study is to explore predictors of victim blaming attitudes toward trafficked individuals in order to better understand the public’s perception. The variables that will be examined in the study is gender, the Human Trafficking Myth Scale (HTMS), a blame scale, and the Global Belief in a Just World (GBJWS). A survey was emailed to the entire school at a southeastern university. After responding to the HTMS and the GBJWS, participants read a vignette depicting an encounter where an individual was involved in a human trafficking. Participants were then asked to answer questions to gauge the amount of blame placed upon the victim. Previous research has shown that individuals who score high on the GBJWS and the HTMS attribute greater blame to victims and that there is a relationship between participant gender and blaming victims of violent or sexual crimes for their victimization. The results of the present study suggest that belief in a just world, gender, and human trafficking myth acceptance are significant predictors of victim blame toward victims of human trafficking.