Past studies have indicated that the British public consider human trafficking to be remote from their personal experiences. However, an increase in local press reporting, alongside the emergence of locally co-ordinated anti-modern slavery campaigns, is starting to encourage communities to recognise the potential for modern slavery and human trafficking to exist in their own localities. In this article, we examine how local media and campaigns may be influencing public perceptions of modern slavery and human trafficking. We draw upon a content analysis of local newspapers to review how reports represent cases of modern slavery, and use focus group discussions to understand how local coverage modifies—and sometimes reinforces—existing views. We find that, whilst our participants were often surprised to learn that cases of modern slavery and human trafficking had been identified in their area, other stereotypical associations remained entrenched, such as a presumed connection between modern slavery and irregular migration. We also noted a reluctance to report potential cases, especially from those most sympathetic to potential victims, linked to concerns about adequacy of support for survivors and negative consequences relating to immigration. These concerns suggest that the UK’s ‘hostile environment’ to migrants may be undermining the effectiveness of ‘spot the signs’ campaigns, by discouraging individuals from reporting.

中文翻译：

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邻家奴隶介绍

过去的研究表明，英国公众认为人口贩运与他们的亲身经历相去甚远。但是，随着当地新闻报道的增加，以及当地协调开展的反现代奴隶制运动的出现，开始鼓励社区认识到现代奴隶制和人口贩运在其本国存在的潜力。在本文中，我们研究了当地媒体和运动如何影响公众对现代奴隶制和人口贩运的看法。我们利用对当地报纸的内容分析来回顾报告如何代表现代奴隶制案件，并使用焦点小组讨论来了解当地报道如何修改（有时增强）现有观点。我们发现 当我们的参与者经常惊讶地发现在他们所在的地区发现了现代奴隶制和人口贩运的案例时，其他刻板印象的协会仍然根深蒂固，例如现代奴隶制与非正规移民之间的假定联系。我们还注意到，不愿报告潜在案件，特别是那些最同情潜在受害者的案件，这与对幸存者的支持是否充足以及与移民有关的负面后果有关。这些担忧表明，英国对移民的“敌对环境”可能会通过阻止个人举报而破坏“发现标志”运动的有效性。我们还注意到，不愿报告潜在案件，特别是那些最同情潜在受害者的案件，这与人们对幸存者的支持是否充足以及与移民有关的负面影响有关。这些担忧表明，英国对移民的“敌对环境”可能会通过阻止个人举报而破坏“发现标志”运动的有效性。我们还注意到，不愿报告潜在案件，特别是那些最同情潜在受害者的案件，这与人们对幸存者的支持是否充足以及与移民有关的负面影响有关。这些担忧表明，英国对移民的“敌对环境”可能会通过阻止个人举报而破坏“发现标志”运动的有效性。