Graduation Year
2025
Date of Submission
12-2024
Document Type
Campus Only Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
History
Reader 1
Sarah Sarzynski
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2024 Gwen A Mascha
Abstract
This thesis examines the narratives of anti-human trafficking advocates through oral histories and personal interviews to explore how systemic challenges, survivor leadership, and community-driven care intersect in combating human trafficking. It argues that trafficking arises from and perpetuates gender-based violence, racial inequities, and structural oppression. I draw from in-depth interviews with activists, including survivors like Wilnisha Sutton and faith-based leaders like Sister Jeanne Christensen. The findings reveal love and relational care as transformative frameworks within activism. This thesis critiques traditional punitive models and savior narratives, advocating for survivor-led initiatives and trauma-informed care that prioritize systemic reform and education. The thesis proposes actionable strategies in a toolkit for future activists. The thesis ultimately shows that there is a need for collective, intersectional, and empathetic approaches to disrupt cycles of trafficking in the short term and to help end the systemic imbalances that cause them in the long term.
Recommended Citation
Mascha, Gwen, "Beyond Rescue: Love, Leadership, and Systemic Change in Anti-Human Trafficking Advocacy" (2025). CMC Senior Theses. 3802.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/3802
This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.