University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications assistant professor of practice Sriyani Tidball’s research on sex trafficking has been published. The study, entitled “Buying Sex On-line from Girls: NGO Representatives, Law Enforcement Officials, and Public Officials Speak out About Human Trafficking—A Qualitative Analysis,” is available on SpringerLink.
Tidball collaborated with University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Education and Human Sciences professor John W. Creswell and Ph.D. candidate Mingying Zheng to analyze the data collected on the Microsoft grant that Tidball had completed on the role of the Internet when men buy girls. Using qualitative data analysis software MAXQDA Tidball, Creswell and Mingying Zheng analyzed the data collected from the 38 qualitative interviews completed in four different locations in the United States about the how the increased use of technology and the high rate of trafficking minors have led to a need to better understand purchasing girls online for sex.
“There is such a lack of research done on the issue of sex trafficking in the U.S., and now with the ease of purchase due to our thriving Internet, our young girls have become just another commodity available for purchase,” Tidball said. “This study confirmed that all my fears regarding trafficking in the US were true. It is time to band together and be the change that needs to happen.”
From the research six themes emerged, “(1) familiarity of the interviewees with sex trafficking and its research: (2) law enforcement anti-trafficking practices, (3) the buying side of sex trafficking, (4) the criminal treatment of victims, (5) lack of safe places for girls to stay, and (6) the prevention, intervention, and assessment of sex trafficking programs,” according to the study.
Tidball has been honored time and again for her commitment to women’s rights and ending human trafficking. The Council for International Exchange of Scholars awarded her a Fulbright Specialist grant to serve as a communication specialist in communications and journalism with the Centre for Women’s Research in Sri Lanka. The University of Nebraska–Lincoln Women’s Center honored Tidball as a “woman of character, courage and commitment” during Women’s Week 2015. And this spring, Tidball participated in the Shut Out Trafficking campaign on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln campus as a keynote speaker.
The article will available on Springer Link online and then printed in their Journal by the end of the year.
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