Ideas on human trafficking. Lessons for crime prevention in Santander

Abstract

Trafficking in persons is a serious human right violation, whose complex classification can make it difficult for the State to act and for citizens to respond. Information and awareness-raising campaigns are preventive actions that seek to overcome, in part, this difficulty. For their proper design and evaluation, it is necessary to start from the knowledge citizens have about it. Through an online survey, a diagnosis was made of the ideas that exist about human trafficking in Santander, Colombia. The results indicate that, in general, people have a good level of knowledge about human trafficking, particularly, about its most common purposes and victims. However, there are still some common mistakes, in addition to an approach to the crime that focuses on denouncing it, as well as a lack of knowledge about victim’s assistance. Based on the main findings, recommendations are proposed for future actions against human trafficking in the region.