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Simon Munn

Professor Fielding

WRTC 103

21 February 2018

I created this PSA to put forth the issue of law enforcement officials dealing with human

trafficking in a way which is brash, ineffective, and harmful to those whom they are attempting

to protect. This argument is based on the article “Olympic Sex-Trafficking Myth Creates Climate

of Fear” by Giedre Steikunaite, wherein she argues that the commonly held belief that sex

trafficking increases around sporting events is a myth which does more harm than good by

distracting from the real issues of human trafficking. The intended audience of this PSA would

be policy makers, volunteers, and law enforcement authorities who decide how these issues

are dealt with. The PSA primarily focuses the viewer’s attention on the shocking imagery of

armed and armored police treating seemingly passive people with disturbing brutality. The

front image of the police officer readying a baton to strike a group of frightened people

especially draws the eye of the audience.

I used dark, serious, frightening colors like red and black to evoke a feeling of fear and

danger. I also washed out the color in the central image to make it more oppressive and

saddening. I also used a bold and sharp font for the text to create a feeling of accusation when

combined with the big question, “Is this how you would help a victim?” These elements all work

together to create a very dark and angry mood that puts the audience on edge. The content

itself relates to a specific message from Steikunaite’s article regarding how those who and
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meant to and intend to protect are harming the people. I am hoping to connect with people’s

concerns that law enforcement officials sometimes do more harm than good as well as the

cultural sensitivity that we should help those who are less fortunate and powerful.

The main point of this PSA is how in trying to carry out harsh and rash actions against

things like human trafficking and prostitution without proper knowledge is putting sex workers

at risk. The white text on the image giving information about what things like raids are doing to

these victims supports the claim that we are in fact harming those in need. To get this point

across I used logos through describing the effects that raids and crackdowns have on. I then

followed this with the mention that the myth about sporting events increasing sex trafficking

has exacerbated the problem further. However, I feel that my strongest appeal was to pathos.

The colors in the piece play a huge role in creating the tone of the PSA and the central image

does a great job at grabbing attention due to its shocking nature. These in tandem create a

feeling of disturbance and unrest the may help to galvanize people into calling for change with

how we deal with human trafficking. It also serves as a metaphor for my main point regarding

well intentioned actions having a negative effect. A quote from Steikunaite’s article that

summed up what the PSA was trying to get across was utilized, which, on top of giving ethos to

the PSA through the author’s research and experience with the subject, also adds to the logos,

telling of the unseen consequences for the ways in which sex trafficking is dealt with. A non-

profit can also be seen in the bottom right corner of the PSA, also adding to the ethos of the

message.
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Works Cited

Steikunaite, Giedre. "Olympic Sex-Trafficking Myth Creates Climate of Fear." The Olympics,

edited by Noah Berlatsky, Greenhaven Press, 2016. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in

Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010557231/OVIC?u=viva_jmu&xid=bc984f7b.

Accessed 2 Feb. 2018. Originally published in New Internationalist, 1 Feb. 2012.

“Human Trafficking Awareness Partnerships, Inc. .” Guidestar.org, Guidestar.org,

www.guidestar.org/profile/30-0370679.