Matthew Villa Social Science
Prioritizing and Protecting the Most Vulnerable: An Analysis of Anti-Trafficking Organizational Campaigns in the Bay Area
Anti-trafficking organizations often acknowledge the gendered, racialized statistics of those from vulnerable communities that are disproportionately vulnerable to be trafficked; however, many organizations fail to obtain a distinct orientation towards addressing such realities in their respective services and advocation. Matthew’s project seeks to conduct an analysis of anti-human trafficking campaigns of Bay Area organizations, to see how well, and to what extent, they serve the most vulnerable communities. The methodological approach will consist of semi-structured interviews with the anti-trafficking advocates of the selected organizations accompanied by a document analysis of each organization’s framework, mission statement, and services. Matthew’s research question is centered around examining the extent to which carceral logics are reproduced through state social services and the compatibility of abolitionism in efforts to eradicate sexual exploitation.