Coalition Podcast | Research & Advocacy with Dr. Glenn Miles
What does strong advocacy against human trafficking look like? In this episode of the Ending Slavery podcast, Dr. Glenn Miles gives us an answer to this question: careful research and disregarding stereotypes. Dr. Miles is an independent researcher, evaluator, and trainer who pioneered three NGOs (non-profit organizations that operate independently of any government) and conducted an evaluation of the Chab Dai longitudinal study "The Butterfly Project." His research has focused primarily on boys' sexual exploitation, which is an area of human trafficking where damaging stereotypes run rampant. The biggest misconception about the sexual exploitation of boys is that it's not really a problem. While it is true that girls are exploited more than boys, that doesn't mean the trafficking of boys should be ignored. Additionally, boys are typically seen as "stronger" than girls, which assumes they can "handle" the trauma of being exploited better than girls can. This simply isn't true. All of this information about what is fact and what is fiction came from careful research, putting a particular emphasis on listening to survivors themselves! Survivors are the experts regarding their experiences and can shed light on what trafficking really looks like. Dr. Miles also touches on the dangers of the exposure of young people to pornography. The false reality of pornography distorts young people's ideas of sex, their bodies, and how to create authentic relationships. To hear more about Dr. Miles' research, you can listen to the full podcast below!