ETDs

This collection includes most of the ASU Theses and Dissertations from 2011 to present. ASU Theses and Dissertations are available in downloadable PDF format; however, a small percentage of items are under embargo. Information about the dissertations/theses includes degree information, committee members, an abstract, supporting data or media.

In addition to the electronic theses found in the ASU Digital Repository, ASU Theses and Dissertations can be found in the ASU Library Catalog.

Dissertations and Theses granted by Arizona State University are archived and made available through a joint effort of the ASU Graduate College and the ASU Libraries. For more information or questions about this collection contact or visit the Digital Repository ETD Library Guide or contact the ASU Graduate College at gradformat@asu.edu.

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Does Blackness Matter in the Antitrafficking Community? A Collaborative Work with Five Black Female Antitrafficking Activists A Discussion about America’s Racial Roots in Trafficking and the Impact that it has on Black Bodies in Antitrafficking Organizations

Description
The issue of sex trafficking has been heightened the last several years but has deep history with racial injustice. Black women are disproportionately the victims of sex trafficking and criminalized in prostitution. However, within nonprofit agencies that help provide services and resources to these Black women, the women providing services…

The issue of sex trafficking has been heightened the last several years but has deep history with racial injustice. Black women are disproportionately the victims of sex trafficking and criminalized in prostitution. However, within nonprofit agencies that help provide services and resources to these Black women, the women providing services do not proportionality represent the population being served. To investigate this problem of the lack of diversity and representation within antitrafficking organizations, the research conducts interviews with several Black women who are working for an antitrafficking organization. This study highlights the importance of representation within an organization to have better outcomes and participation of services without tokenizing the Black woman being hired. The research connects the individual experiences of being a token within an organization with the racial roots of sex trafficking to highlight the importance of representing the individuals being served. In order to accomplish this, the research employs qualitative interpretive research methods through semi structured interviews. It employs a critical race feminist theory approach to data analysis to show how Black women in antitrafficking organizations are tokenized but struggling to balance being the most likely to represent the women they are trying to serve.
ContributorsTomlinson, Madeleine (Author) / Behl, Natasha (Thesis advisor) / Smith-Cannoy, Heather (Thesis advisor) / Redeker-Hepner, Tricia (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
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Misconceptions of Human Trafficking: How Misunderstandings about the Causes of Human Trafficking Distract And Negatively Impact Efforts to End the Crisis in the United States

Description
Human trafficking is the exploitation of people for the use of labor, services or commercial sex. Trafficking varies in different regions of the world, with different vulnerabilities and risk factors that differ based on a number of factors. Thousands of people, most often minors or young adults, are trafficked throughout…

Human trafficking is the exploitation of people for the use of labor, services or commercial sex. Trafficking varies in different regions of the world, with different vulnerabilities and risk factors that differ based on a number of factors. Thousands of people, most often minors or young adults, are trafficked throughout the United States every year and face a unique set of problems that relate to the black market of ‘sex for sale.’ Human trafficking is not an entirely ‘secret’ issue, in fact most people in the US are aware that it happens in their state and have some recollection of the magnitude of the crisis. With so much data on the topic from documentaries, news stories and nation-wide organizations spreading awareness, we wonder why this underground industry continues to spread and thrive across the country. Through private interviews, surveys, and data collection, I was able to use my field research to determine that there are numerous misconceptions about human trafficking. Inaccurate data, social media trends, Hollywood films and mass fear create a false narrative about the actual risks of trafficking that parents and children should be aware of. Rather than knowing the root causes and predispositions that make children vulnerable to trafficking, we are looking for what television or social media says to be looking for. My study uses qualitative research to gather a unique type of data to understand what traffickers are looking for so that we can collectively keep each other safe from a growing industry that thrives on ignorance and vulnerabilities. By gathering information from those working with survivors and ideas believed by parents living in the US, I am able to determine what misconceptions are most often spread and compare to true data about the crisis in the US.
ContributorsHeath, Heather Allison (Author) / Smith-Cannoy, Heather (Thesis advisor) / Redeker-Hepner, Trisha (Thesis advisor) / Funk, Kendall (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023