We are excited to share the next installment of our ongoing Student Blog Series! The student blog series highlights original pieces authored by first-year law students at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Their previous pieces can be found here, here, here, and here. Read on for Paige Pihl Buckley’s contribution to the Student Blog Series, and check back soon for additional installments of our series.
Allies: It’s Not Our Story
I recently stumbled across an article in the Denver Post, published back in January, titled “Child sex-trafficking victim sues filmmaker, Netflix for revealing her identity in ‘Tricked’.” As someone who considers herself an ally in the movement to end commercial sexual exploitation, I found the accusations leveled in the article particularly troubling. A survivor of child sex trafficking, identified by the pseudonym Jane Roe, alleged that in the documentary Tricked, Sergeant Daniel Steele of the Denver Police Department identified her by her first name and showed a photograph of her during an interview. She further alleged that her full name was listed in the film’s credits, and that the story Sergeant Steele recounted about her in the film was untrue. Now she fears that her young daughter and others in her life will learn about her experience by watching the film.
While the lawsuit stemming from these allegations was recently settled outside of court, it is clear that some damage was done. A filmmaker, intending to tell the important story of commercial sexual exploitation, and a law enforcement official, dedicated to recovering survivors and apprehending perpetrators, inadvertently left a survivor feeling re-victimized and exploited. Her story was used to highlight a systemic problem and Sergeant Steele’s individual efforts. It was no longer her own. And while their efforts were admirable, and certainly needed, their execution was problematic.
This incident illustrates the importance of allies who are conscientious and respectful as they attempt to amplify the voices of survivors. While those of us who identify as allies may sometimes have access to resources that some in the survivor community do not, it does not give us license to take something that is not our own, even if we believe it is for the greater good. Films like Tricked are an important contribution to the movement to end commercial sexual exploitation. They boil complicated issues down to an hour and a half, appealing to a wider audience and mobilizing action, even if only for a short period of time. However, all of that is for naught if we further exploit survivors in the process.
Many survivors choose to utilize their stories in furtherance of the movement. Others do not. Both are valid choices, and neither is a choice that anyone but the survivor should make. When allies pressure survivors to share by telling them that they can help others with their stories, or when we share stories without permission, we too are guilty of exploitation.
While Tricked – now streaming on Netflix – brought much needed attention to the crisis of commercial sexual exploitation and told the story with a nuance that is often lacking, the incident with Jane Roe is a major blemish on its efforts. Whether Sergeant Steele lied, whether Roe gave her permission and then rescinded it, or whether she consented at all, a survivor was left feeling taken advantage of by those who set out to help her. As allies, it is incumbent upon us to make sure that the survivors we seek to amplify are truly willing, able, and ready to share their stories. These stories are not ours to tell.
Paige Pihl Buckley is currently a first-year law student at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Paige is from Framingham, Massachusetts and received a Bachelor of Science in Print Journalism and African Studies from Boston University. After graduation, Paige hopes to become an advocate for juvenile justice or police reform.
All views expressed herein are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law or of Villanova University.