A Prototype Comparison of Human Trafficking Warning Signs: U.S. Midwest Frontline Workers’ Perceptions
Issue Date
2020-11-01Author
Schwarz, Corinne
Xing, Chong
Britton, Hannah E.
Johnson, Paul E.
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Type
Article
Article Version
Scholarly/refereed, publisher version
Rights
© 2020 Taylor & Francis
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Guided by the cognitive prototype approach, this article examines the prototype structure of the frontline workers’ perceptions concerning warning sign indicators in human trafficking. Online survey responses across a range of workplace sectors were analyzed using multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis (MG-CFA) for three groups. These groups were based on respondents’ self-reported human trafficking experiences: no witness (no encounter of human trafficking), sex trafficking witness, and labor trafficking witness. The MG-CFA analysis revealed a three-factor structure – physical condition, reproductive health, and personal risk – representing the participants’ perceptions of the warning signs. Further analysis showed group-level mean (latent intercept) and variance differences between the prototype structures of the three witness groups. The final structural model results indicate that these group-level prototype differences can be explained by two organizational resource variables: identification protocol and training. The results are discussed in light of the current empirical literature on human trafficking identification, stereotypical frames of victimhood, and policy practices.
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Citation
Corinne Schwarz, Chong Xing, Hannah E. Britton & Paul E. Johnson (2022) A Prototype Comparison of Human Trafficking Warning Signs: U.S. Midwest Frontline Workers’ Perceptions, Journal of Human Trafficking, 8:4, 419-440, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23322705.2020.1834772
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