Religious Conviction and Human Trafficking: Motive Matters

Individuals and groups acting primarily out of a sense of religious conviction form the backbone of a great deal of anti-human trafficking work being done today. Religious groups of many differing faiths have undertaken various projects both to free victims and to provide services to survivors. Funding and resources for these projects typically come from appeals to congregations, temples, and individuals using imagery and illusions to shared religious practice. This paper aims to analyze how these convictions affect the stated and practiced goals of religiously based groups, focusing on how such convictions and foci manifest in: gender issues, religious diversity, “rescue” and “rehabilitation” practices, and the training level of direct aid providers. Of primary interest will be what each group articulates as the primary motivating factors for its work, looking specifically for evidence of the primacy of proselytizing and evangelism