Reconstructing agency using reported private thought in narratives of survivors of sex trafficking

Abstract This project investigates narratives of survivors of sex trafficking posted on YouTube and focuses specifically on moments when the survivor started a transition from being trafficked to becoming free. Narrative analysis is used to explore recurrent narrative features and we find that the description of life or death circumstances is one common context for the decision to escape being trafficked. Furthermore, we show how speakers use reported private thoughts (RPT) to narrate the turning point in which they had a realization about their current situation. We examine how the speaker reconstructs her realization, her in-the-moment stance, and subsequent agency in her turning point narrative as she reports how and why she took action to make a change in the situation. The analysis provides insight into how survivors of sex trafficking have transitioned away from trafficking, and how they reconstruct their agency in doing so.