Engendering justice? A feminist exploration of the relationship between trafficked persons and the Criminal Justice System

本项目建议结合Joe Norris的“戏剧构建”和Augusto Boal的“被压迫剧场”技术，作为一种高度创新的社会法律研究方法，突出人口贩运幸存者的叙述，并将其传播给刑事司法专业人员，带来个人和系统的变化。这样做的目的是：使人们了解性别对试图诉诸司法的被贩运者所起的作用；改善边缘化群体获得和参与研究的机会；了解这对政策前景的影响，提供研究证据和洞察态度和文化驱动因素，以引导政策变革。通过使用上述以艺术为基础的方法，可以改变和彻底改变社会关系/理解（例如，被贩运者与刑事司法从业人员之间的关系）（Shank和Schirch， 2008）。这种“社会文化赋权”（van Erven, 2001）应用于戏剧实践，能够发展社会包容性，建立自信（Beddow, 2001），同时揭露社会不公正（Cohen-Cruz, 2006）。最重要的是，正如Bell（1994）所指出的，“对于那些被他人建构为客体的人来说，表演是最有效的手段之一……进入话语并创造一个直接的主体位置。”该项目将使用应用戏剧技术，在一个安全的空间里，与一个有着独特共同理解的社区一起，促进参与者的故事的表演。小组练习将通过探索记忆和情感，同时发展身体感官，帮助参与者和研究人员识别和分析经验和内化的压迫。讲习班之后将进行半结构化访谈和/或焦点小组（视情况而定），以进一步了解所确定的具体问题。除了为有效和积极的政策变革所需的驱动因素提供见解和证据外，该项目还旨在为未来将应用戏剧作为一种实用和解放的社会法律研究方法提供路线图。

This project proposes using a combination of Joe Norris' Playbuilding and Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed techniques, as a highly innovative methodological approach in socio-legal research, to foreground trafficking survivors' narratives and disseminate these to criminal justice professionals, bringing about individual and systemic change. In doing so, it aims to generate: knowledge of the role gender plays for trafficked persons attempting to access justice; improved access to and participation in research for marginalised groups; and an understanding of the effect that this can have on the policy landscape moving forwards, providing both the research evidence and insight into attitudinal and cultural drivers to lead policy change. By using the aforementioned arts-based methods, societal relationships/understandings (e.g., those between trafficked persons and criminal justice practitioners) can be transformed and revolutionized (Shank and Schirch, 2008). This 'sociocultural empowerment' (van Erven, 2001), which applied theatre practice enables, develops social inclusiveness and builds self-confidence (Beddow, 2001), whilst uncovering societal injustices (Cohen-Cruz, 2006). Most importantly, as Bell (1994) notes, 'performance is one of the most effective means for those who have been constructed by others as objects [...] to enter into discourse and create an immediate subject position.' The project will use applied theatre techniques to facilitate the performative telling of participants' stories in a safe space, with a community who have a unique shared understanding. The group exercises will assist the identification and analysis by both the participants and the researcher of experiential and internalised oppression, by exploring memories and emotions whilst developing the physical senses. Workshops will be followed by semi-structured interviews and/or focus groups (as appropriate) to gain further insight into specific issues identified. As well as providing insight and evidence into the drivers required for effective and positive policy change, the project aims to provide a roadmap for the future use of applied theatre as a practical and emancipatory socio-legal research methodology.