Doing No Harm—Ethical Challenges in Research with Trafficked Persons

Abstract

Central to any ethical research is the principle of ``do no harm'', that when conducting research we do no harm to the persons we are researching and whose experiences we are seeking to explore and understand. This principle is especially critical when conducting research with persons in vulnerable situations, such as trafficking victims. And yet, avoiding harm is neither simple nor direct; there are many challenges and fault lines in terms of navigating this ethical space. This chapter discusses the different aspects of providing information about assistance to respondents when conducting research with trafficking victims, as a means of preventing and mitigating research harm. At the same time, we highlight the obstacles in identifying assistance options and offering referral information to respondents, in terms of both the actual existence of services and their appropriateness and desirability for respondents. Challenges include situations when services are unavailable, when services are available but inappropriate or undesirable, when services are inaccessible to trafficking victims due to their legal status, and difficulties in accessing services because of personal and practical barriers.