Attitudes Towards the Victim and the Client of Sex Trafficking in Greece: The Influence of Belief in a Just World, Structural Attributions, Previous Experience, and Attitudes Towards Prostitution

Authors: Digidiki, Vasileia; Dikaiou, Maria & Baka, Aphrodite

Abstract: Although scholarly interest in human trafficking has grown over the years, public attitudes towards the victim and the client of sex trafficking remain understudied. The present study explores these attitudes in Greece, a country that plays an important role in the sex-trafficking chain, through a sample of 624 Greek male and female participants. It further examines belief in a just world, structural attributions towards human trafficking, previous experience as a client of the sex industry, and attitudes towards prostitution as potential factors influencing these attitudes. The research aims to help further an already active agenda on trafficking in Greece and to ensure that future policies are properly informed. The findings indicate that participants adopt more negative attitudes towards the client than the victim and attribute human trafficking to inadequate legislation and crime syndicates, indicating that policies may benefit from a more client-centered approach. It suggests that attitudes towards prostitution and belief in a just world significantly contribute to predicting attitudes towards the victim, while structural attributions towards human trafficking, attitudes towards prostitution, and previous experience as a client of the sex industry significantly influence attitudes towards the client. The implications of the findings and potential future research are discussed.

Keywords: attitudes towards the client, attitudes towards the victim, belief in a just world, Greece, human trafficking, prostitution, structural attributions