Narrating Trauma as Victims of Human Trafficking in China: A Study on Select North Korean Memoirs

Abstract

The memoirs titled In Order to Live; A North Korean Girl's Journey, to Freedom and; A Thousand Miles to Freedom: My Escape from North Korea are written by Yeonmi Park and Eunsun Kim two women who managed to escape from North Korea. They went through an experience of being forced into labour in China as victims of trafficking. In their memoirs these authors vividly depict the pain that comes with being exploited. The main aim of this study is to analyse how memoirs can effectively address the issue of trafficking. These remarkable women skilfully use the memoir genre to make a personal plea for action. They strategically make choices appeal to readers emotions openly share their distressing experiences and support their stories with research and evidence that connect their experiences with the broader problem of human trafficking in China. This study clearly shows that both these memoirs emphasize the importance of the memoir genre in advocating for rights. It also highlights how survivor memoirs have the potential to inspire advocacy and involvement, in combating trafficking.