188 results on '"Sex trafficking"'
Search Results
2. Identification of Child Survivors of Sex Trafficking From Electronic Health Records: An Artificial Intelligence Guided Approach.
- Author
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Murnan, Aaron W., Tscholl, Jennifer J., Ganta, Rajesh, Duah, Henry O., Qasem, Islam, and Sezgin, Emre
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CHILDREN'S health , *ADULT child abuse victims , *PATIENTS , *IDENTIFICATION , *VICTIM psychology , *SUICIDAL ideation , *RESEARCH funding , *ARTIFICIAL intelligence , *AT-risk people , *CHILDREN'S hospitals , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *NATURAL language processing , *CHILD sexual abuse , *EMOTIONAL trauma , *ELECTRONIC health records , *ADVERSE health care events , *ANXIETY disorders , *HUMAN trafficking , *MENTAL depression - Abstract
Survivors of child sex trafficking (SCST) experience high rates of adverse health outcomes. Amidst the duration of their victimization, survivors regularly seek healthcare yet fail to be identified. This study sought to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to identify SCST and describe the elements of their healthcare presentation. An AI-supported keyword search was conducted to identify SCST within the electronic medical records (EMR) of ∼1.5 million patients at a large midwestern pediatric hospital. Descriptive analyses were used to evaluate associated diagnoses and clinical presentation. A sex trafficking-related keyword was identified in.18% of patient charts. Among this cohort, the most common associated diagnostic codes were for Confirmed Sexual/Physical Assault; Trauma and Stress-Related Disorders; Depressive Disorders; Anxiety Disorders; and Suicidal Ideation. Our findings are consistent with the myriad of known adverse physical and psychological outcomes among SCST and illuminate the future potential of AI technology to improve screening and research efforts surrounding all aspects of this vulnerable population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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3. Hot Spots of Commercial Sex Activities in New York City Neighborhoods: Lessons Learned.
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Suh, Brittany and Natarajan, Mangai
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SEX trafficking , *WORKPLACE romance , *SEX crimes , *SEX workers , *CRIMINAL methods , *HUMAN trafficking - Abstract
Understanding the spatial distribution of commercial sex activities (CSA) in urban environments is important in addressing the harms against sex workers and identifying sex trafficking operations. Guided by crime pattern theory, using Census data and New York Police Department (NYPD) prostitution-related arrests data (N = 29,075) from 2010 to 2019, this study examines the "hot spots" of CSA in New York City. Local Spatial Autocorrelation Analysis (LISA) identified distinctive spatial clusters of CSA, whereas logistic regression explained their significant congregation in immigrant and racial-ethnic enclaves. The heterogeneity of clusters by boroughs portrays the convergence of activity space of sex workers, patrons, and sex business opportunities reflecting the high-demand locations of CSA and human trafficking in NYC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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4. Dangerous Fieldwork: Reflections on Ethnographic Research with Irregular, Nigerian Streetwalkers and Madams in Spain.
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Tabuteau-Harrison, Sophie, Allen-Collinson, Jacquelyn, and Mewse, Avril
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SEX workers , *SEX trafficking , *MIGRANT labor , *THREATS of violence , *ETHNOLOGY research - Abstract
Recent calls have been made to investigate the lived experience of migrant sex workers, to broaden the scope and inclusivity of macro-level conceptualizations, and to develop contextually grounded forms of understanding. Our ethnographic study sought to explore the lived perspectives of an under-researched occupational group: migrant women working as irregular streetwalkers in a European city. Nineteen Nigerian Edo women working as prostitutes and Madams in Spain participated in an ethnographic, longitudinal study spanning five years of data collection. In this article, we focus on some of the key challenges, including ethical considerations, of undertaking ethnographic work in a hazardous fieldwork setting that presents psychological and physical dangers to both participants and researchers, including threats of violence, and researcher burnout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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5. "This is Not a Slippery Slope" Versus "The Queer Sex Panic is Just Beginning": Discourse About FOSTA-SESTA in Ideologically Diverse U.S. Mass media, 2017–2023.
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Reynolds, Chelsea
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CHILD sexual abuse , *UNITED States presidential election, 2020 , *SEX trafficking , *COMPUTER sex , *CRITICAL discourse analysis - Abstract
This research analyzes mass media coverage of The Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) and Stop Enabling Online Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA), two landmark 2018 bills that changed how sexual content is moderated by internet service providers in the United States. Using critical discourse analysis, I compare the framing of 101 news stories about FOSTA-SESTA published in mainstream U.S. newspapers, feminist media, and LGBTQ magazines over the course of 7 years. Findings describe coverage of online sex work, online child sexual exploitation, and free speech concerns that preceded and followed the landmark ruling from 2017 to 2023. I show FOSTA-SESTA's progression as a topic of discourse during the 2020 presidential election and compare differences between coverage in ideologically diverse U.S. media. While mainstream news originally supported FOSTA-SESTA's efforts to restrict the tech industry and prevent online child sexual exploitation, alternative media tended to present skeptical arguments that supported sex workers and other marginalized communities. Journalism industry interventions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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6. Impacts of the COVID-19 Public Health Crisis on Caring for Sex-Trafficked Persons.
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Recknor, Frances, Kelly, C. Emma, Jacobson, Danielle, Montemurro, Frances, Bruder, Rhonelle, Mason, Robin, and Mont, Janice Du
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SEX work , *RESEARCH funding , *SOCIAL services , *INTERVIEWING , *CRISIS intervention (Mental health services) , *SOCIAL case work , *RESEARCH methodology , *PUBLIC health , *SOCIAL support , *COVID-19 pandemic , *HUMAN trafficking - Abstract
Background: Sex trafficking of persons, a pervasive public health issue disproportionately affecting the most marginalized within society, often leads to health as well as social consequences. Social service provision to meet the resulting needs is critical, however, little is known about the current pandemic's impact on providers' capacity to deliver requisite care. Method: To examine social service providers' perspectives of care provision for domestically sex-trafficked persons in Ontario, Canada, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 providers and analyzed these using Braun and Clarke's analytic framework. Results: Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on social service care provision were connected to individuals' increased vulnerability to trafficking, difficulties safely and effectively providing services to sex-trafficked persons amid pandemic restrictions, and reduction in in-person educational activities to improve providers' capacity to serve this client population. Securing safe shelter was particularly difficult and inappropriate placements could at times lead to further trafficking. Conclusion: The pandemic created novel barriers to supporting sex-trafficked persons; managing these sometimes led to new and complex issues. Future efforts should focus on developing constructive strategies to support sex-trafficked persons' unique needs during public health crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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7. The Reconsecration of the Self: A Qualitative Analysis of Sex Trafficking Survivors' Experience of the Body.
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Juraschek, Elise, Legg, Alexander, and Raghavan, Chitra
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QUALITATIVE research ,ATTITUDES toward sex ,INTERVIEWING ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,EXPERIENCE ,THEMATIC analysis ,INFORMED consent (Medical law) ,RESEARCH methodology ,MEDICAL coding ,WOMEN'S health ,DATA analysis software ,HUMAN trafficking ,SELF-perception - Abstract
The understudied bodily harm women experience after commercial sex (CS) may be partially explained by the prominence of Cartesian mind–body dualism in psychological science. Accordingly, we qualitatively explored the mind–body relationship among 79 female sex trafficking survivors. Survivors reported long-term negative alterations in feelings about the body, sex, and physical touch posttrafficking and these negative outcomes did not differ across women who self-perceived as consenting and women who self-perceived as forced. Implications for future research are presented, particularly on measuring dehumanization in CS which contributes to extensive harm even in the absence of physical aggression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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8. "You come up from the ashes, and you're like a phoenix." Survivors of sex trafficking define resilience.
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Knight, Logan and Yoon, Susan
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PSYCHOLOGICAL resilience , *HEALTH literacy , *HEALTH attitudes , *QUALITATIVE research , *SEX crimes , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *THEMATIC analysis , *TRUST , *HUMAN trafficking - Abstract
The study of resilience has largely relied on definitions and conceptualizations of resilience produced by academia, with little of the knowledge produced being grounded in the experience and perspectives of those outside academia. The voices of marginalized and stressed populations are particularly rarely integrated into sanctioned institutional discourses of knowledge, reproducing inequality where these institutions have influence. Specifically, little research has explored the ways in which survivors of sex trafficking define and conceptualize resilience. Thus, academic inquiry into survivor resilience may risk missing what is important to survivors themselves regarding the issue. Using thematic analysis, this study explored survivors' responses to the question "What does 'resilience' mean to you?", which resulted in five themes: resilience as (1) resistance, (2) transition, (3) a sustained force over time, (4) transformation, and (5) resources. Participants defined resilience as being primarily a person-centered phenomenon, rather than a process-centered phenomenon, that was the output of their inherent and enduring personal power to survive or overcome and adversity, and to shape their lives in preferred ways despite adversity. Differing from academic definitions of resilience in several significant ways, participants conceptualized resilience as being promoted by external resources and opportunities but existent even in the absence of such resource and opportunities. Findings suggest that for resilience inquiry to resonate with survivors, it must first acknowledge the inherent power of survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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9. From Human Services to "Justice Enterprises": Reframing the Market-Mission Tension in U.S. Organizations Serving Survivors of Commercial Sexual Exploitation.
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Corple, Danielle
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HUMAN services , *SEX crimes , *SOCIAL enterprises , *SEX trafficking , *BUSINESS enterprises - Abstract
Nonprofits must navigate a unique tension—meeting the financial demands of the market while pursuing a social mission. As a result, market and mission concerns are often framed in a competitive, dualistic relationship. However, organizational communication scholars argue that the mission-market tension is a natural, even ontologically defining feature of nonprofits. Thus, rather than seek to resolve these tensions, scholars should examine how organizational members construct the market-mission relationship, as these understandings are essential to strategically navigating market-mission concerns. This study examines how organizational members construct the market-mission relationship at 18 organizations that serve survivors of commercial sexual exploitation, 15 of which operate social enterprises. The findings indicate that organizations frame "the market is the mission but much more," positioning mission and market in a synergistic relationship that births creative possibility and organizational third space. This article charts the local-level tensions organizational members experience, identifying how they are discursively framed and pragmatically navigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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10. "He Loves Me Hard and Then He Abuses Me Hard": How Service Providers Define and Explain Trauma Bonds Among Sex Trafficking Survivors.
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Casassa, Kaitlin, Ploss, Alexa, and Karandikar, Sharvari
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HUMAN trafficking ,SOCIAL workers ,CROSS-sectional method ,INTERVIEWING ,EXPERIENCE ,QUALITATIVE research ,INTERPERSONAL relations ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,WOUNDS & injuries ,THEMATIC analysis - Abstract
There is a dearth of research on trauma bonding among victims of sex trafficking. This study aims to fill this gap by seeking to understand how service providers working with survivors of sex trafficking conceptualize and observe trauma bonding in their clients. This qualitative study involved interviews with 10 participants. Purposeful sampling was employed among licensed social workers or counselors. Two themes emerged: defining trauma bonding (with four subthemes: embracing intensity, power imbalance, distortion of love, and inescapability) and the development of trauma bonds (with three subthemes: universality, gendered, and grooming). These findings provide much-needed insight into the complexities of trauma bonding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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11. Damsels, monsters, and superheroes: Exploring the metanarrative of sex trafficking.
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Heber, Anita
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Sex trafficking narratives tend to follow the same storyline: a young, female victim is lured into sexual slavery by a foreign offender, and in the end, she is rescued by a Western hero. This article examines the sex trafficking narrative, and its accompanying characters in popular media, with a specific focus on the victim. It combines sex trafficking research with theories about folk tales and concepts of purity and the sacred. Empirically, the article explores the narratives of sex trafficking in six internationally influential films and books. The analysis creates an understanding of why one particular victim, and one metanarrative of sex trafficking, continue to dominate contemporary popular media. It traces the moralistic narrative continuities of sex trafficking, and creates an understanding of why we keep repeating this particular narrative, and why we seem to need it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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12. The (not so) secret governors of the internet: Morality policing and platform politics.
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McDowell, Zachary J and Tiidenberg, Katrin
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INTERNET governance ,OBSCENITY (Law) ,INTERNET pornography ,SEX trafficking ,PORNOGRAPHY addiction ,INTERNET - Abstract
A growing body of academic work on internet governance focuses on the 'deplatforming of sex', or the removal and suppression of sexual expression from the internet. Often, this is linked to the 2018 passing of FOSTA/SESTA – much-criticized twin bills that make internet intermediaries liable for content that promotes or facilitates prostitution or sex trafficking. We suggest analyzing both internet governance and the deplatforming of sex in conjunction with long-term agendas of conservative lobbying groups. Specifically, we combine media historiography, policy analysis, and thematic and discourse analysis of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation's (NCOSE, formerly Morality in Media) press releases and media texts to show how conservative moral entrepreneurs weaponize ideas of morality, obscenity, and harm in internet governance. We illustrate how NCOSE has, directly and indirectly, interfered in internet governance, first by lobbying for rigorous enforcement of obscenity laws and then for creating internet-specific obscenity laws (which we argue CDA, COPA, and FOSTA/SESTA all were for NCOSE). We show how NCOSE adjusted their rhetoric to first link pornography to addiction and pedophilia and later to trafficking and exploitation; how they took advantage of the #metoo momentum; mastered legal language, and incorporated an explicit anti-internet stance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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13. Crossing borders: Does it matter? Differences between (near-)domestic and cross-border sex traffickers, their victims and modus operandi.
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Kragten-Heerdink, Suzanne L. J., van de Weijer, Steve G. A., and Weerman, Frank M.
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SEX trafficking ,BORDER crossing ,SCIENTIFIC knowledge ,VICTIMS - Abstract
Hardly any research exists that empirically compares (near-)domestic and cross-border sex trafficking. The few studies that do are based on relatively small samples and only represent US data. This study substantially extends the scarce scientific knowledge about the differences between the two types of sex trafficking, based on European data. Our sample consists of all 658 (near-)domestic sex traffickers and all 424 cross-border sex traffickers, registered by the prosecution service in 2008–2017 who are brought to court in the Netherlands. We collected data on these traffickers from registers of the prosecution service, from a file analyses on the indictments/verdicts, and from registers of Statistics Netherlands. These data provide insight into the characteristics of the traffickers, their victims and modus operandi. Our findings show that significant differences between the two types of sex trafficking exist, which is of great importance for better tailored prevention and identification strategies. The most prominent finding is that the threshold to get involved in (near-)domestic sex trafficking is lower than for cross-border sex trafficking. (Near-)domestic sex traffickers are, compared to cross-border sex traffickers, younger (as are their victims), they seldom need to migrate, they operate on a smaller scale (more one-to-one and for a shorter period of time) and practically never in a criminal organization. Furthermore, they use violent means of coercion to control their victims more frequently than cross-border sex traffickers, which can be interpreted as additional evidence for a less organized practice. These findings contribute to a more complete understanding of sex trafficking, in particular of the traffickers who were seldom the direct subject of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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14. Sex Trafficking of Women and Girls in Canada: A Scoping Review of the Scholarly Literature.
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Hodgins, Evelyn, Mutis, Julie, Mason, Robin, and Du Mont, Janice
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HUMAN trafficking , *IMMIGRANTS , *HEALTH services accessibility , *SYSTEMATIC reviews , *SOCIAL stigma , *SEX work , *INFORMED consent (Medical law) , *SOCIOECONOMIC factors , *PSYCHOLOGY of women , *SEX crimes , *INTERPERSONAL relations , *ABORIGINAL Canadians , *RESEARCH funding , *LITERATURE reviews , *FAMILY relations , *CONTROL (Psychology) - Abstract
Sex trafficking has been identified as a prominant health and human rights concern in Canada. However, there has been little empirical research on the topic and existing studies are largely found within the grey literature. This review sought to identify and summarize the current scholarly literature about sex trafficking of women and girls in Canada. We identified empirical studies using a keyword search in ProQuest, Web of Science, and Scopus. Eligible articles were published in English in 2000 or later, included a focus on women victim/survivors, and analyzed human/participant data. Only 14 studies met eligibility criteria. Most studies were qualitative, based on interviews or focus groups primarily with stakeholders, and set in the province of Ontario. Key findings highlighted challenges in conceptualizing sex trafficking centered largely around issues of coercion and consent. Pathways into trafficking (economic displacement, past abuse, and broken ties with family and community) and gaps and barriers in anti-trafficking responses (narrow or conflicting definitions, stigmatization and criminalization of sex work, and a lack of accessible or appropriate services) particularly impacted Indigenous, im/migrant, and other marginalized women and girls. There is a pausity of empirical studies on sex trafficking in Canada and this has implications for the development of data-driven policies and protocols. Further research should seek to highlight the voices of survivors and impacted communities and evaluate strengths and limitations of Canadian anti-trafficking interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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15. Examining the Geography of Illicit Massage Businesses Hosting Commercial Sex and Sex Trafficking in the United States: The Role of Census Tract and City-Level Factors.
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de Vries, Ieke
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SEX trafficking , *HUMAN trafficking , *SEX industry , *SOCIAL disorganization , *GEOGRAPHY ,UNITED States census - Abstract
Despite extensive theory and research on the geography of crime, few studies have examined the geography of commercial sex and sex trafficking through a criminological lens. As such, this study explores how social disorganization and routine activities help explain the geography of commercial sex venues, specifically illicit massage businesses (IMBs) that host commercial sex. Because IMBs have also been linked to sex trafficking, understanding which environmental contexts are conducive to their presence may also help identify sex trafficking premises. Findings from hierarchical logistic regression models indicate that both theories point to significant correlates of IMB placement in census tracts and cities, yet neither theory provides a sufficient explanation alone. Implications for future research and policy will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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16. Successful Criminal Prosecutions of Sex Trafficking and Sexual Abuse of Minors: A Comparative Analysis.
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Quas, Jodi A., Mukhopadhyay, Shreya, Winks, Kaitlin M. H., Dianiska, Rachel E., and Lyon, Thomas D.
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CHILD sexual abuse laws , *HUMAN trafficking , *DISCLOSURE , *SERVICES for caregivers , *CRIME victims , *COMPARATIVE studies , *RESEARCH funding , *COURTS , *DECISION making , *JUVENILE delinquency , *CRIMINAL justice system - Abstract
Despite increased awareness of sex trafficking of minors in the U.S., prosecution of traffickers remains difficult, in part because of victim uncooperativeness. There are questions about how that uncooperativeness is expressed, whether it is evident in successfully prosecuted cases, and whether it is unique to trafficked minors or it emerges in similar age victims of sexual abuse. To provide insight relevant to these questions, we compared appellate opinions in two types of successfully prosecuted criminal cases: sex trafficking and sexual abuse of adolescent victims. In the trafficking opinions, victims were rarely described as disclosing on their own or as knowing their trafficker before the victimization. The opinions also often alluded to the trafficking victims' uncooperativeness and delinquency history, and frequently mentioned electronic evidence and prosecution experts. The sexual abuse opinions, in contrast, tended to suggest that victims' own disclosures initiated the case, perpetrators were known and trusted adults, and caregiver support during the case was common. Finally, the sexual abuse opinions never explicitly mentioned victim uncooperativeness or electronic evidence and rarely mentioned expert testimony or delinquency. The different characterizations of the two case types highlight the need for improved education concerning effective prosecution of sex crimes against minors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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17. The Behavioral Health Sector Response to Child Sexual Abuse, Exploitation, and Trafficking: A Call to Action.
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Seth, Rajeev and Greenbaum, Jordan
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CHILD sexual abuse , *SEX trafficking , *SEXUAL assault , *ORPHANS , *MEDICAL school curriculum , *ADULT child abuse victims , *SEX crimes , *ORGANIZATIONAL response - Abstract
Child sexual violence is a major public health problem in India and is associated with myriad short- and long-term behavioral health effects. Affected children are at an increased risk of post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, anxiety disorders, behavioral problems, and substance misuse. Behavioral health professionals are highly likely to encounter patients at risk of or with a recent/remote history of child sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, or sex trafficking. Caregivers of patients may report a history of child sexual violence. Clinicians must possess the knowledge and skills to recognize and appropriately respond to suspected child sexual violence using a culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and rights-based approach. Many behavioral health professionals lack the knowledge of child sexual violence and the confidence of working with affected patients. Child sexual violence is not routinely addressed in medical school curricula, nor is it systematically addressed in postgraduate training programs. Practicing clinicians may feel ill-equipped to recognize and manage patients exposed to child sexual violence and may miss opportunities to offer critical support and assistance to vulnerable children and their families. The behavioral health sector needs an organized, systematic, and trauma-informed response to child sexual violence, and this requires specific training of professionals and development of organizational response protocols tailored to fit the needs of the organization and its patient population. Multiple resources are available in India to assist behavioral health professionals, and organization administrators accomplish these goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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18. Adolescents' Victim-Blaming Responses to Narratives About Sex Trafficking: Strategies for Curriculum Development.
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Hedrick McKenzie, Ashley, Friedman, Barbara, and Johnston, Anne
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HUMAN trafficking prevention ,TORTURE victims ,RESEARCH ,BEHAVIORAL assessment ,ONE-way analysis of variance ,FEAR ,CRIME victims ,CRONBACH'S alpha ,PSYCHOSOCIAL factors ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,QUESTIONNAIRES ,CHI-squared test ,RESEARCH funding ,CURRICULUM planning ,EMOTION regulation - Abstract
In the United States, sex-trafficking awareness and prevention has increasingly become part of government-mandated health education. This exploratory study surveyed 250 U.S. adolescents to learn more about the use of media narratives in curricula about sex trafficking in light of research findings about victim-blaming responses to survivor narratives, as well as adolescents' still-developing emotion-regulation skills. Victim blaming is counterproductive to the goals of trafficking awareness and prevention curricula. Participants viewed one of four narrative messages about a sex-trafficking victim/survivor. Over half of participants reported victim-blaming responses after viewing the message. Participants reported low perceived efficacy regarding the ability to recognize the signs of trafficking, and some participants experienced intense fear responses to the messages. Victim blaming was not associated with fear or perceived efficacy, contradicting predictions from the Extended Parallel Process Model. This study concludes with recommendations for educators and others tasked with communicating with adolescents about sex trafficking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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19. Women trafficking networks: Structure and stages of women trafficking in five Dutch small-scale networks.
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Diviák, Tomáš, Dijkstra, Jan Kornelis, van der Wijk, Fenna, Oosting, Indra, and Wolters, Gerard
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RANDOM graphs ,LAW enforcement agencies ,CORE & periphery (Economic theory) ,SEX trafficking ,TRUST - Abstract
In this study, we investigated the relation between the different stages of women trafficking (i.e. recruitment, entrance, accommodation, labor, and finance) and the structure of five criminal networks involved in women trafficking in the Netherlands (N s ranging from 6 to 15). On the one hand, it could be argued that for efficiency and avoidance of being detected by law enforcement agencies, the network structure might align with the different stages, resulting in a cell-structured network with collaboration between actors within rather than across stages. On the other hand, criminal actors might prefer to collaborate and rely on a few others, whom they trust in order to circumvent the lack of formal opportunities to enforce collaboration and agreements, resulting in a core-periphery network with actors also collaborating across stages. Results indicate that three of the five networks were characterized by a core-periphery structure, whereas the two other networks exhibit a mixture of both a cell-structured and core-periphery network. Furthermore, using an Exponential Random Graph Model (ERGM), we found that actors were likely to form ties with each other in the stages of recruitment, accommodation, and exploitation, but not in the stages of transport and finance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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20. The ethics and urgency of identifying domestic minor sex trafficking victims in clinical settings.
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Zhou, Avery, Kennedy, Margaret Alexis, Bejinariu, Alexa, Hannon, Leah, and Cimino, Andrea N
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SEX trafficking of minors , *SEX trafficking , *SEX crimes , *MEDICAL personnel , *HELP-seeking behavior - Abstract
A critical opportunity for identifying children experiencing domestic minor sex trafficking exists in healthcare settings. This quantitative study documented the disconnect between youth seeking help and interventions offered by healthcare providers. Ninety-one sex youth exploited through sex trafficking answered questions detailing their experiences of seeking medical treatment for injuries associated with selling or trading sex. Healthcare providers who were aware that injuries were sustained due to sex trafficking did not always alert legal or mandated reporting authorities. This analysis identified violations of the four pillars of ethical healthcare. This investigation revealed lost opportunities to intervene on behalf of youth suffering trauma and abuse from sex trafficking highlighting the necessity for a formal protocol in healthcare settings to effectively intervene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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21. Human Trafficking Education: A Pilot Study of Integration into Medical School Curriculum.
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Das, Devika M, Talbott, Jennifer MV, Dutcher, Jordan S, Buras, Matthew, Lim, Elisabeth, Vegunta, Suneela, David, Paru, and Kling, Juliana M
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MEDICAL school curriculum , *HUMAN trafficking , *CURRICULUM evaluation , *SEX trafficking , *SCHOOL integration , *EDUCATIONAL standards , *MEDICAL students - Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Few medical schools incorporate formal education on human trafficking (HT) and sex trafficking (ST) into their curriculum. Our objective was to develop, implement, and evaluate education on HT and ST in the first-year medical student curriculum. METHODS: The curriculum included a standardized patient (SP) experience and lecture. As part of their mandatory sexual health course, students interviewed an SP who presented with red flags for ST and then participated in a discussion led by a physician-facilitator in an observed small group setting. A multiple-choice survey to assess knowledge about HT and ST was developed and administered to students before and after the SP interview. RESULTS: Of the 50 first-year medical students, 29 (58%) participated in the survey. Compared with the students' baseline scores (according to the percentage of correct responses), scores after the educational intervention showed a significant increase in percentage correct on questions related to trafficking definition and scope (elder care, P =.01; landscaping, P =.03); victim identification (P <.001); referral to services (P <.001); legal issues (P =.01); and security (P <.001). On the basis of the feedback, a 2-hour lecture, which was adapted from the American Medical Women's Association–Physicians Against the Trafficking of Humans "Learn to Identify and Fight Trafficking" training, was presented the next year to all first-year medical students as part of their longitudinal clinical skills course and before the SP case. Curriculum objectives included learning trafficking definitions, victim/survivor identification, intersections with health care, the local impact of HT, and available resources. CONCLUSION: This curriculum fulfills course objectives and could be replicated at other institutions. Further evaluation of this pilot curriculum is necessary to evaluate its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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22. Challenges to Reintegration: A Qualitative Intrinsic Case-Study of Convicted Female Sex Traffickers.
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Love, Debra A., Fukushima, Annie I., Rogers, Tiana N., Petersen, Ethan, Brooks, Ellen, and Rogers, Charles R.
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HUMAN trafficking ,SEX trafficking ,CRIMINAL convictions ,ACTIVE learning ,FEMALES - Abstract
Limited research focuses on the nature of the lived experiences of women engaged in sex trafficking. This study employed qualitative methods of in-depth structured interviews with 10 convicted sex traffickers (ages 24–56; 100% identifying as female). Participants' lived experiences revealed circumstances that led them to trafficking, specific needs, and the stigmatization they faced after exiting economies tied to trafficking. Inductive analysis yielded three key barriers to reintegration success: limited choice; negative labeling; and unmet physical, emotional, and social needs. These findings enhance understanding of the factors influencing the successful reintegration of convicted female sex traffickers into mainstream society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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23. Re-Conceptualizing Success: Investigating Specialized Units Responses to the Sexual Trafficking of Female Victim-Survivors.
- Author
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Ballucci, Dale and Stathakis, Felicia
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PROCEDURAL justice ,DISTRIBUTIVE justice ,HUMAN trafficking ,SEX trafficking ,POLICE ,SEMI-structured interviews - Abstract
This paper explores police officers' experiences working in a specialized human trafficking unit in Canada to identify challenges, strategies, and responses to working with victim-survivors. Analyzing data from semi-structured interviews, we find that officers deploy victim-centered responses reflecting procedural justice outcomes due to their awareness that the criminal justice process often re-victimizes. Officers' deployment of procedural justice acknowledges the victim-survivor trauma, but also allows them to build a stronger case through evidence gathering, increasing the potential for charges and convictions, also known as distributive justice. We argue that this illustrates that these two approaches to justice are interdependent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
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24. Examining Housing Instability Among Females Who Are System-Involved: Comparing Females With and Without Histories of Commercial Sexual Exploitation.
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Dierkhising, Carly B., Eastman, Andrea L., and Brown, Kate Walker
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CHILD sexual abuse & psychology , *HUMAN trafficking , *RISK assessment , *T-test (Statistics) , *PSYCHOLOGY of women , *CHILD welfare , *CHI-squared test , *JUVENILE offenders , *FOSTER home care , *CRIMINAL justice system - Abstract
Females involved in child welfare (CW) or juvenile justice (JJ) systems are at-risk for commercial sexual exploitation (CSE). This study used administrative data from CW and JJ agencies in Los Angeles County to examine out-of-home care experiences and identify the types of homes that were associated with housing instability for females who experienced CSE. Demographic and case characteristics of females with a history of CSE and a matched sample without a reported history of CSE were compared using X2 analyses and t-tests. Females with a history of CSE experienced significantly more housing instability compared to their matched counterparts. Housing instability was associated with leaving care without permission (LCWOP), and females were most likely to move because of LCWOP from group homes. These findings highlight the extremely unstable living situations for females with histories of CSE. Recommendations align with new federal policy, which aims to reduce reliance on group homes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2022
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25. A Scoping Review of Resilience in Survivors of Human Trafficking.
- Author
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Knight, Logan, Xin, Yitong, and Mengo, Cecilia
- Subjects
- *
HUMAN trafficking , *PSYCHOLOGY information storage & retrieval systems , *SYSTEMATIC reviews , *QUALITATIVE research , *RISK assessment , *INTERPERSONAL relations , *AT-risk people , *LITERATURE reviews , *PSYCHOLOGICAL resilience , *SOCIAL case work - Abstract
Resilience is critical among survivors of trafficking as they are mostly vulnerable populations who face multiple adversities before, during, and after trafficking. However, resilience in survivors of trafficking is understudied. This scoping review aims to clarify the current state of knowledge, focusing on definitions of resilience, how resilience has been studied, and factors associated with resilience among survivors. Five databases were searched using key words related to trafficking and resilience. Studies were included if they were published in English between 2000 and 2019 and focused on resilience with the study design including at least one of these four features: (a) use of standardized measures of resilience, (b) qualitative descriptions of resilience, (c) participants were survivors or professionals serving survivors, and (d) data sources such as case files or program manuals directly pertained to survivors. Eighteen studies were identified. Findings indicated that resilience was primarily described as emergent from interactions between the survivor and the environment. Resilience in trafficking appeared largely similar to resilience in other kinds of victimization. Nonetheless, trafficking survivors also may display resilience in alternative ways such as refusing treatment. Positive interpersonal relationships were the most commonly mentioned resilience factor. In addition, current research lacks studies featuring longitudinal designs, interventions, participatory methods, types of trafficking other than sexual trafficking, and demographic characteristics such as age, gender, and national origin. Future research needs to establish definitions and measures of resilience that are culturally and contextually relevant to survivors and build knowledge necessary for designing and evaluating resilience-enhancing interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
26. Cultural Adaptation and Validation into Spanish of the Scale to Measure Attitudes Towards the Sex Trafficking of Women and Girls in Students of the University of Salamanca.
- Author
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Herrero-Villoria, Cristina, Picornell-Lucas, Antonia, and Patino-Alonso, Carmen
- Subjects
HUMAN trafficking ,RESEARCH ,PILOT projects ,STATISTICS ,STATISTICAL significance ,IMPLICIT bias ,PSYCHOLOGY of college students ,CONFIDENCE intervals ,FACTORIAL experiment designs ,RESEARCH evaluation ,RESEARCH methodology evaluation ,ATTITUDE testing ,QUANTITATIVE research ,CRONBACH'S alpha ,PRE-tests & post-tests ,MULTITRAIT multimethod techniques ,PSYCHOMETRICS ,UNIVERSITIES & colleges ,FACTOR analysis ,CHI-squared test ,LATENT semantic analysis ,SOCIAL status ,INTELLECT ,STUDENT attitudes ,DATA analysis ,DATA analysis software ,PSYCHOSOCIAL factors - Abstract
The aim of this study was to validate and analyze the psychometric properties of a Spanish version of the Sexual Trafficking Attitudes Scale towards women and girls (STAS). A sample of 204 students from the University of Salamanca (Spain) was used. The exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a multifactorial structure of six factors (70.1% of variance). The Cronbach's α internal consistency index obtained for the sample was 0.87 and composite reliability was 0.94. Convergent validity was determined between the full scale and the six dimensions, and divergent between subscales. The Spanish version of the instrument consisted of 25 items, proving to be a reliable and parsimonious measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
27. Disentangling practitioners' understandings of child sexual exploitation: The risks of assuming otherwise?
- Author
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Weston, Samantha and Mythen, Gabe
- Subjects
- *
SEX crimes , *CHILD trafficking , *SEX trafficking , *YOUNG adults , *POLICE intervention - Abstract
This article reports findings from a qualitative study investigating the efficacy and the effects of a child sexual exploitation awareness raising intervention with young people. Drawing on in-depth interviews with members of a multi-agency team set up to prevent child sexual exploitation, we elucidate the way in which practitioners communicate the problem of child sexual exploitation and how risk registers are deployed to assess the dangerousness of young people's behaviours. In examining practitioners' understandings of child sexual exploitation, we illuminate the ways in which educative interventions in this domain are informed by a confluence of policy guidelines and personal/experiential perceptions. Unravelling the tensions arising between these two frames of interpretation, we illustrate that – despite routine recourse to embedded professional knowledge – underlying moral and cultural assumptions alongside anxieties about childhood sexuality influence practitioners' understandings of the nature of risk, who is at risk and the context in which risks manifest themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2022
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- View/download PDF
28. Exploring the role of Spanish judges in the investigation and prosecution of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
- Author
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Meneses-Falcón, Carmen, Rúa-Vieites, Antonio, and Uroz-Olivares, Jorge
- Subjects
- *
SEX crimes , *SEX trafficking , *GOVERNMENTAL investigations , *JUDGES , *JUDICIAL process , *PROSECUTION - Abstract
This study explores the difficulties that Spanish judges face during the judicial investigation and trial of the trafficking of human beings for sexual exploitation. Here, we highlight the issues of judges' lack of training and the saturation of the courts due to the excessive work that these crimes entail. To collect data, responses from 71 Spanish judges were collected through a questionnaire, and nine semi-structured interviews were conducted in three Spanish provinces (Barcelona, Malaga and Madrid). Noteworthy findings include the fact that almost half of the judges had dealt with a case involving this type of crime and that a third ended up closing the case. In the responses received, the lack of victims' collaboration in the judicial process was highlighted as one of the difficulties as was the lack of resources to investigate these crimes and the involvement of other crimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2022
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- View/download PDF
29. Adolescent Experiences of Violence Victimizations Among Minors Who Exchange Sex/Experience Minor Sex Trafficking.
- Author
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Franchino-Olsen, Hannabeth, Martin, Sandra L., Halpern, Carolyn T., Preisser, John S., Zimmer, Catherine, and Shanahan, Meghan
- Subjects
- *
HUMAN trafficking , *CONFIDENCE intervals , *VIOLENCE , *SEX work , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *RESEARCH funding , *LOGISTIC regression analysis , *ODDS ratio - Abstract
This work investigates the associations between experiences of domestic minor sex trafficking and adolescent interpersonal violence victimizations, including intimate partner violence (IPV) and community violence. Abuse and violence in childhood are commonly proposed as risk factors for domestic minor sex trafficking. However, less is known about how interpersonal violence victimizations in adolescence connect to domestic minor sex trafficking experiences. The poly-victimization framework provides a means to understand domestic minor sex trafficking as a type of violence amid a web of additional interconnected violence victimizations. Efforts to better understand the interpersonal violence experienced by survivors of domestic minor sex trafficking are valuable in contextualizing trafficking experiences for adolescents. Data from The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, a population-based sample of adolescents in the United States (n = 12,605) were used to examine experiences of domestic minor sex trafficking for minor respondents, as measured throughquestions about exchanging sex for money or drugs. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to estimate the associations between domestic minor sex trafficking and IPV or community violence, while controlling for demographic variables and adolescent risk behaviors. Minors who experience community violence had significantly greater odds of having exchanged sex (aOR: 1.86; 95% CI: 1.32 -2.64). However, IPV was not significantly associated with minors' experiences of sex exchange (aOR: 1.14; 95% CI: 0.85 -1.54). Alcohol or drug use (aOR: 1.87; 95% CI: 1.32 -2.65) and having run away (aOR: 2.04; 95% CI: 1.53 -2.72) were also significantly associated with minor sex exchange. As experiences of domestic minor sex trafficking were significantly associated with community violence victimizations, prevention and intervention efforts targeting youth at high risk for or survivors of domestic minor sex trafficking should consider how community violence victimizations impact these adolescent populations, and programming/messaging should be adjusted to account for these additional violence victimizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
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30. Human Trafficking: Empowering Healthcare Providers and Community Partners as Advocates for Victims.
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Combs, Marielle A. and Arnold, Tracy
- Subjects
HUMAN trafficking ,NURSING models ,HUMAN rights ,PUBLIC health ,CRIME ,CURRICULUM ,MEDICAL screening ,SELF-efficacy ,PRE-tests & post-tests ,T-test (Statistics) ,HOLISTIC nursing ,NURSING interventions - Abstract
Human trafficking, also known as modern-day slavery, is a public health crisis and a growing worldwide crime exploiting approximately 40.3 million victims. A decade ago approximately 79% of human trafficking crimes were related to sexual exploitation and 18% were related to forced labor, but more recent reports show approximately 50% and 38%, respectively. Although sexual exploitation continues to make up the majority of human trafficking crimes, forced labor continues to grow at an alarming rate. The purpose of this paper is 2-fold. First, to empower healthcare providers and community volunteers serving potential victims of human trafficking in traditional and nontraditional settings with human trafficking identification training. This education should include the use of a validated human trafficking screening tool and the timely provision of resources. Second, to guide professional nurses in the holistic approach to caring for potential victims of human trafficking. The core values of holistic nursing practice and Watson's Theory of Human Caring are the pillars guiding mindful and authentic nursing care. Merging evidence-based practice with holistic care will boost victim identification and rescue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
31. Trafficking, Client and Police Violence, Sexual Risk and Mental Health Among Women in the Sex Industry at the Thai-Myanmar Border.
- Author
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Decker, Michele R., Meyer, Sarah R., Branchini Risko, Casey, Abshir, Nada, Mar, Aye Aye, and Robinson, W. Courtland
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SEX trafficking ,RISK-taking behavior ,NOMADS ,RESEARCH methodology ,CROSS-sectional method ,VIOLENCE ,MENTAL health ,SEX work ,QUALITATIVE research ,FRAUD ,REFUGEES ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,CONDOMS ,POLICE ,WOMEN'S health ,MEDICAL needs assessment ,CONTROL (Psychology) ,UNSAFE sex - Abstract
This study describes sex trafficking and associations with violence and health among female migrants in the sex industry in Mae Sot, Thailand. The mixed-methods study included a qualitative interview phase (n = 10), followed by a cross-sectional survey phase (n = 128). Entry via trafficking (force, fraud, or coercion [FFC], or as minors) was prevalent (76.6%), primarily FFC (73.4%). FFC was associated with inconsistent condom use, inability to refuse clients, poor health, and anxiety. Past-year violence was normative including client sexual violence (66.4%), client coercion for condom nonuse (> 95%), and police extortion (56%). Working conditions enabled violence irrespective of mode of entry. Profound unmet needs exist for safety and access to justice irrespective of trafficking history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
32. Law in action: Local-level prostitution policies and practices and their effects on sex workers.
- Author
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Di Ronco, Anna
- Subjects
SEX workers ,SEX trafficking ,SEX work ,CRIME ,MIGRANT labor ,NUMBER theory - Abstract
This article comparatively analyses city-based prostitution policies and practices and their effects on sex workers in countries that have adopted a partial criminalization model of intervention towards prostitution – Belgium and Italy. The two case studies selected for this research – the cities of Antwerp (Belgium) and Catania (Italy) – were chosen for their adopted local approach towards prostitution in designated red-light districts (RLDs): whereas prostitution has been collaboratively governed in Antwerp, it has simply been tolerated in Catania. By considering the factors that have led to the development of prostitution policies and practices in these two cities, and their characteristics both within and outside the two cities' RLDs, this article compares and analyses the effects produced on sex workers across city areas. The study revealed a number of similarities between the two local cases considered: local practices towards sex work in both cities have been shaped by urban regeneration in RLDs, and by concerns about nuisance and crime across city areas (irregular immigration and trafficking, in particular); in all instances, they have had similar exclusionary effects on sex workers – and especially on the migrant women among them. The study also identified two key differences in the practices towards prostitution adopted in these two cities: they differed in the level of access to support services offered to sex workers and in the pervasiveness of proactive police control. The article concludes by arguing that all these local practices – including the ones that are seemingly different – ultimately converge in their ethos: they reinforce the socially constructed status of migrant sex workers as either law-breakers or trafficked victims to be subject to control and, in the latter case, also protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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33. Problematizing the Educational Messaging on Sex Trafficking in the US "End-demand" Movement: The (Mis)Representation of Victims and Anti-Sex Work Rhetoric.
- Author
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Hu, Ran
- Subjects
- *
PREVENTION of sex work , *SEX trafficking , *RACISM , *RESEARCH , *SEXISM , *TRANSPHOBIA , *HOMOPHOBIA , *FRAUD , *INTERSECTIONALITY , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *VICTIMS , *POVERTY , *HEALTH promotion , *CONTROL (Psychology) , *WOMEN'S health - Abstract
This study adopts a critical discourse analysis (CDA) approach to problematize the representation of victims in the online educational messaging on sex trafficking promoted in the US "end-demand" movement. The websites of 20 US anti-trafficking groups are analyzed. While these website-based messages are positioned to educate the public about sex trafficking, they are predominately framed toward problematizing sex work and essentializing women with racialized and marginalized identities in sex work, with no discursive recognition of intersectional structural inequalities (e.g., racism, sexism, poverty, homo/transphobia) that lead to trafficking. These ideologically charged messages, when presented as "facts," further the anti-sex work sentiment among the public, powerfully (re)produce and sustain the public (mis)perception equating "anti-sex trafficking" with "anti-sex work," and legitimize the carceral feminist anti-trafficking practice that primarily criminalizes, censors, and oppresses the agency, behaviors, and needs of structurally marginalized communities. This paper calls attention to how injustice may be (re)produced in the way trafficking is represented and how representational injustice may translate into material consequences, further subjecting already marginalized groups to criminalization and surveillance. Through incorporating representational justice into our conceptualization of racial and social justice, we may (re)build an anti-trafficking framework that is structurally competent, rights-inclusive, and centered on humanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
34. Moving Toward Critical Consciousness and Anti-Oppressive Practice Approaches With People at Risk of Sex Trafficking: Perspectives From Social Service Providers.
- Author
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Gerassi, Lara B., Klein, L. B., and Rosales, Maria del Carmen
- Subjects
- *
CRITICAL consciousness , *SEX trafficking , *RACISM , *PROFESSIONS , *RESEARCH methodology , *PORNOGRAPHY , *INTERVIEWING , *FAMILIES , *SEX work , *RISK assessment , *SOCIOECONOMIC factors , *QUALITATIVE research , *SOCIAL worker attitudes , *SEX crimes , *RESEARCH funding , *SOCIAL services , *CONTENT analysis , *VICTIMS , *CONTROL (Psychology) - Abstract
Whether and how social service providers use practice strategies that address racism is critically understudied, particularly with people who are at risk of sex trafficking. The purpose of this article is to understand (1) the perceptions of racial disparities in sex trafficking (as learned from sex trafficking education), and (2) the strategies used to address racism in practice (color-evasiveness, anti-oppressive practice [AOP]). We used a directed content analysis approach to analyze 24 semistructured, in-depth interviews of providers who knowingly encounter sex-trafficked young people in a majority white region of a Midwestern state (census indicates that minority populations include African American, Native American, and Hispanic/Latino people). Findings suggest that providers perceived sex trafficking education (e.g., trainings they attended) as predominantly focused on economic standing and family risks, rather than racial disparities and roles of structural racial oppression. They also experienced challenges in naming the racial identities of clients and addressing racism in practice. Implications for implementing critical consciousness and AOP strategies as well as future research directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
35. Trauma Bonding Perspectives From Service Providers and Survivors of Sex Trafficking: A Scoping Review.
- Author
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Casassa, Kaitlin, Knight, Logan, and Mengo, Cecilia
- Subjects
- *
SEX trafficking , *STOCKHOLM syndrome , *ATTITUDES of medical personnel , *SYSTEMATIC reviews , *SEX work , *PATIENTS' attitudes , *VICTIM psychology , *ATTACHMENT behavior , *INTERPERSONAL relations , *COMMUNICATION , *LITERATURE reviews , *POWER (Social sciences) , *CONTROL (Psychology) - Abstract
A trauma bond is an emotional attachment between an abuser and victim. Trauma bonds in sex trafficking compel victims to submit to continued exploitation and protect the trafficker. This scoping review examines trauma bonds in sex trafficking situations, its conceptualizations, and key characteristics. Ten databases were searched using sex trafficking AND trauma bonding–related terms; sex trafficking AND Stockholm syndrome, attachment, coercion, and manipulation. Articles were included if they featured trauma bonding, were published in English after 2013, or featured sex trafficking victims or traffickers in a Western country. Fifteen articles were included. The features of trauma bonding identified in these articles were (1) imbalance of power that favors trafficker, (2) traffickers' deliberate use of positive and negative interactions, (3) victim's gratitude for positive interactions and self-blame for the negative, and (4) victim's internalization of perpetrator's view. We also identified four aspects related to trauma bonding: (1) prior trauma made victims vulnerable, (2) victim's feelings of love remained even after exiting trafficking, (3) love is why victims do not prosecute traffickers, and (4) traffickers' intentional cultivation of the trauma bond. No article indicated how trauma bonds could be severed and replaced with healthy attachments. These findings reveal the need for practitioners and law enforcement and criminal justice professionals to address trauma bonding in both trafficking and posttrafficking situations. The findings also represent potential targets for urgently needed interventions that promote the replacement of trauma bonds with healthy attachments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
36. An interdependent network interdiction model for disrupting sex trafficking networks.
- Author
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Xie, Xiaodan and Aros‐Vera, Felipe
- Subjects
DUALITY theory (Mathematics) ,ARREST ,CHILD trafficking - Abstract
We map the organized sex trafficking networks (STNs) into a network flow model and develop an interdependent network interdiction model (NIM) to disrupt such networks. Our model considers the interdependence between the information and physical victim networks and reformulates the problem using duality theory. Our NIM provides a clear strategy for interdicting STNs. Namely, it determines when to monitor (i.e., gather information) or arrest the criminals to maximize the impact of the interdiction operation and cripple the network. We tested our NIM using three federally prosecuted sex trafficking cases in the United States of different sizes and structural properties: hybrid, international transactional, and Tenancingo models. Our experiments show promising results regarding the effectiveness of our NIM in all network types. In addition to that, we tested our model with an increasingly higher fraction of missing information to account for the inherently hidden nature of illicit networks. Our study provides analytical insight regarding (1) the importance of building the case prior to the arrests of criminals in illicit networks and (2) deploying a holistic strategy to improve interdiction and enhance the fight against sex trafficking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
37. Learning Each Other's Language and Building Trust: Community-Engaged Transdisciplinary Team Building for Research on Human Trafficking Operations and Disruption.
- Author
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Martin, Lauren, Gupta, Mahima, Maass, Kayse L., Melander, Christina, Singerhouse, Emily, Barrick, Kelle, Samad, Tariq, Sharkey, Thomas C., Ayler, Tonique, Forliti, Teresa, Friedman, Joy, Nelson, Christine, and Sortillion, Drea
- Subjects
- *
SEX trafficking , *TEAM building , *RESEARCH teams , *BUSINESS networks , *SOCIAL scientists , *VIRTUAL communities - Abstract
Background: Human trafficking for sexual exploitation (referred to as sex trafficking) is a complex global challenge that causes harm and violates human rights. Most research has focused on victim-level harms and experiences, with limited understanding of the networks and business functions of trafficking operations. Empirical evidence is lacking on how to disrupt trafficking operations because it is difficult to study; it is hidden and dangerous, spans academic disciplinary boundaries, and necessitates ways of knowing that include lived experience. Collaborative approaches are needed, but there is limited research on methods to best build transdisciplinary teams. Aim: The aim of this study was to understand how to form a community-engaged transdisciplinary research team that combines qualitative and operations research with a survivor-centered advisory group. Methods: We conducted a qualitative meta-study of our team that is seeking to mathematically model sex trafficking operations. Data were collected from the minutes of 16 team meetings and a survey of 13 team members. Results: Analysis of meeting minutes surfaced four themes related to content and style of communication, one related to value statements, and one capturing intentional team building efforts. Survey results highlighted respect, trust, integrity, openness and asking and answering questions as key aspects of team building. Results show that an action research approach to team building, focused on trust and communication, fostered effective collaboration among social scientists, operations researchers, and survivors of trafficking. Conclusion: Team building, shared language, and trust are essential, yet often neglected, elements of team science. This meta-study provides important methodological insights on community engaged transdisciplinary team formation to tackle vexing social challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
38. Youth Service Provision and Coordination among Members of a Regional Human Trafficking Task Force.
- Author
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Vollinger, Lauren and Campbell, Rebecca
- Subjects
- *
HUMAN trafficking , *INSTITUTIONAL cooperation - Abstract
Trafficked youth have numerous needs that must be addressed to give them opportunities to rebuild their lives. Few organizations offer comprehensive services to meet all these needs, which forces survivors to seek out services from multiple organizations and puts them at risk for not receiving important services. This study highlights the needs of organizations in an interagency task force that serve trafficked youth to identify barriers and generate potential solutions to service provision challenges. We conducted a mixed-methods needs assessment by conducting interviews with 15 service providers belonging to a regional human trafficking task force, which revealed a need for more services for trafficked youth, particularly in criminal justice and gender-based violence organizations. Implications of these findings include a need for centralized referral processes and more prevention services, such as a youth drop-in center and educational interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
39. An Analysis of Romantic Partnership Dynamics in Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Case Files.
- Author
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Twis, Mary K., Gillespie, Lynzee, and Greenwood, Don
- Subjects
- *
SEX trafficking , *CHILD abuse , *SEX work , *QUALITATIVE research , *INTERPERSONAL relations , *CASE studies , *SEX crimes , *VICTIMS , *CONTENT analysis , *THEMATIC analysis - Abstract
Domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) is the commercial sexual exploitation of a minor citizen or legal resident within the United States. Previous research suggests that although DMST is often discussed as though it is a uniform phenomenon, traffickers may use different tactics and exploit different victim vulnerabilities depending upon their established relationships with those who are at-risk for trafficking. The purpose of this qualitative study, therefore, is to explore the relationship patterns and dynamics that emerge between DMST victims and their romantic partner traffickers. This study utilizes the secondary case files of 38 domestic minors who were trafficked for sex by their romantic partners in one state in the United States between 2012 and 2017. The study is conceptualized according to the principles of directed content analysis and multiple case study design and relies heavily on previous research findings related to victim-trafficker relationship typology. The authors conducted two rounds of coding before applying themes to the case files. The analysis revealed that DMST victims trafficked by romantic partners are often influenced by environmental circumstances, such as gang involvement and family systems involvement. Romantic partner traffickers use specific recruitment tactics to entrap their victims, and exercise methods such as caregiving, sexual violence, and psychological violence to maintain control over their victims. Study results provide a significant extension to the anti-trafficking field's understanding of DMST and the romantic partner relationships that underpin it. The results suggest that anti-trafficking advocates should screen at-risk adolescents for gang involvement, family involvement in the sex industry. They should also educate at-risk adolescents about DMST as a potential component of teen dating violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
40. "I Am Almost a Breadwinner for My Family": Exploring the Manifestation of Agency in Sex Workers' Personal and Professional Contexts.
- Author
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Karandikar, Sharvari, Casassa, Kaitlin, Knight, Logan, España, Megan, and Kagotho, Njeri
- Subjects
- *
HUMAN trafficking , *RESEARCH , *SEX work , *QUALITATIVE research , *SOCIAL skills , *THEMATIC analysis - Abstract
While societal and structural factors often constrain women's agency in patriarchal settings, women nevertheless find creative ways to manifest and develop agency. Female sex workers (FSWs), in particular, are regularly assumed to have little or no agency, but an important body of literature suggests otherwise. To add to this knowledge, this study sought to answer the question: How do FSWs in Mumbai, India, exert agency in personal and professional contexts? In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 FSWs in the Kamathipura red-light area. Four themes emerged: (a) sex work as a rational and empowering choice, (b) resources and assets, (c) sex work as a means of achievement, and (d) managing violence, retribution, and fear. These themes reveal expressions of agency that illustrate how sex workers are intentional, rational, goal-oriented, and resilient. The findings of this study can contribute to the removal of stigma surrounding sex work and inform service providers working with this population in their efforts to treat sex workers with dignity and respect. Further research is needed in this area, especially which centers on the voices of the agentic sex workers themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
41. Melancholia is (geo)political! Postcolonial geography in the Wednesday Demonstration in Seoul.
- Author
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Lee, Jaeyeon
- Subjects
- *
COMFORT women , *MENTAL depression , *SEX trafficking , *COLD War, 1945-1991 , *HISTORY of colonies , *GEOGRAPHY - Abstract
This article examines how melancholia constitutes a psycho-geopolitical space interweaving Korean subjects' psychic and political lives with the dynamics of the (post) Cold War alliance between Japan and the US. The Wednesday Demonstration is the weekly protest in Seoul that calls for an official apology and legal compensation from the Japanese government for comfort women who worked in the sexual slavery system under the Japanese Empire during WWII. The fact that the weekly protests have continued for 30 years since 1992 signifies that the comfort women issue has remained an unresolved (geo)political issue between South Korea and Japan for three decades, despite apologies and monetary compensations by the Japanese government. This article offers a psychoanalytic-geopolitical rationale for the endless grief of Korean postcolonial subjects who cannot accept the measures of the Japanese government regarding the comfort women issue. Based on 1-year's participant observations and in-depth interviews with Korean activists who engaged in the Wednesday Demonstration from September 2019 to August 2020, this article aims to accomplish three goals. Firstly, this article shows how Korean postcolonial subjects were/are haunted by colonial past. Secondly, I examine why Koreans cannot complete mourning for comfort women in the context of ROK-US-Japan geopolitical relations. Lastly, this article interrogates how ethno-nationalists intervene to turn melancholia into a motivation for ethnic solidarity and how their attempt might have failed by exploring a Korean postcolonial subject's psychic lives. In doing so, I argue that the wounds of Koreans related to the comfort women issue are not simply from colonial history, but they are postcolonial wounds that have not healed 'appropriately' under the (US-sponsored) South Korean/Japanese (post-)Cold War security arrangement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
42. The Prevalence of Sex Trafficking of Children and Adolescents in the United States: A Scoping Review.
- Author
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Franchino-Olsen, Hannabeth, Chesworth, Brittney R., Boyle, Colleen, Rizo, Cynthia Fraga, Martin, Sandra L., Jordan, Brooke, Macy, Rebecca J., and Stevens, Lily
- Subjects
- *
SEX trafficking , *SYSTEMATIC reviews , *DISEASE prevalence , *LITERATURE reviews , *VICTIMS - Abstract
Topic: This scoping review investigated research regarding the magnitude of minor sex trafficking (domestic minor sex trafficking and/or commercial sexual exploitation of children) in the United States, summarizing estimates, methodologies, and strengths and weaknesses of the studies. Method: Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, peer-reviewed articles and the gray literature were accessed via databases searches, reference harvesting, and expert advice. Articles were included if they provided a count or prevalence proportion estimate of trafficked or at-risk minors across or within a region of the United States. Six empirical studies, published from 1999 to 2017, were included in the review. Results: Included studies produced count estimates (n = 3) or prevalence proportion estimates (n = 3) for youth at risk of minor sex trafficking (n = 2) or reporting victimization (n = 5). Studies examined sex trafficking risk and victimization in different geographical areas, including across the United States (n = 2), in New York City (n = 1), and in Ohio (n = 1). Further, several studies focused on particular populations, such as street and shelter youths (n = 1) and adjudicated males (n = 1). Sampling methodologies of reviewed estimates included traditional random sampling (n = 1), nationally representative sampling (n = 2), convenience sampling (n = 1), respondent-driven sampling (n = 1), purposive sampling (n = 1), and use of census data (n = 2). Conclusion: Little research has estimated the prevalence of minor sex trafficking in the United States. The existing studies examine different areas and populations and use different categories to estimate the problem. The estimates reviewed here should be cited cautiously. Future research is needed on this important topic, including methodologies to produce more representative estimates of this hard-to-reach population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
43. Searching for Sex Trafficking Victims: Using a Novel Link-Tracing Method Among Commercial Sex Workers in Muzaffarpur, India.
- Author
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Vincent, Kyle, Zhang, Sheldon X., and Dank, Meredith
- Subjects
- *
SEX workers , *SEX industry , *TRAFFIC violations , *SEXUAL dimorphism , *SEX trafficking , *VICTIMS , *CHILD trafficking - Abstract
Estimating the prevalence of sex trafficking requires a practical sampling strategy to reach the hidden population. In this study, we experimented with a network sampling design to obtain a sample of sex workers from the city of Muzaffarpur, India. Backed by census data and other auxiliary information, we obtained a stratified initial sample of 111 individuals and with two waves of referrals arrived at a final sample of 317 individuals. A sophisticated network-based approach is used to estimate the population size, and a respondent-driven sampling–based strategy is used to estimate characteristics related to sex trafficking violations. We detail the sampling design and present results from the study, highlighting significant findings and lessons learned that can be used for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
44. Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: A Case Series of Male Pediatric Patients.
- Author
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Moore, Jessica, Fitzgerald, Meagan, Owens, Timothy, Slingsby, Brett, Barron, Christine, and Goldberg, Amy
- Subjects
- *
SEX trafficking , *CHILD sexual abuse , *ACQUISITION of data methodology , *RETROSPECTIVE studies , *SEX work , *PSYCHOLOGY of crime victims , *CASE studies , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *MEDICAL records , *DEMOGRAPHY , *ELECTRONIC health records , *DATA analysis software - Abstract
Domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) is the commercial sexual exploitation of children (<18 years old) who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, victimized within U.S. borders. There is limited knowledge and research in regard to male involvement in DMST outside the context of homelessness and runaway youth. To our knowledge, no research specifically examines at-risk or involved male youth from a larger dataset of youth who present to a child abuse outpatient medical clinic. The objective of the present case series was to describe the demographic, psychosocial, medical, and psychiatric characteristics of natal male participants (who did not identify as transgender) suspected of DMST involvement. Six medical records of male patients under the age of 18 who were referred to a child protection clinic for concern of DMST involvement between 8/1/13 and 12/31/18 were retrospectively reviewed. Our case series demonstrates that male participants present for concern of sex trafficking and have complex behavioral, medical, and psychiatric concerns similar to what has been identified in research focused on female victims. Therefore, testing (e.g., sexually transmitted infection (STI)/HIV testing, urine toxicology screening), DMST screening, and interventions (e.g., STI prophylaxis, referrals to mental health counselors) should be completed in male patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
45. Where is the justice in EU anti-trafficking policy? Feminist reflections on European Union policy-making processes.
- Author
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FitzGerald, Sharron and Freedman, Jane
- Subjects
- *
FEMINISTS , *HUMAN trafficking , *POLICY discourse , *EQUALITY , *JUSTICE - Abstract
In this article, we reflect on our personal experience of acting as 'independent academic experts' in an European Union (EU) policy forum, to reflect on how the EU utilises gender to legitimise certain policy discourses in combating sex trafficking. Starting from our personal experience, we draw on wider feminist research on gender expertise and on Fraser's new reflexive theory of political injustice, to consider how the EU structures debates in this area to determine 'who' is entitled to speak and be heard on this issue. In a context in which sex trafficking policy intersects with a variety of competing agendas on – among other things – law and order, organised crime, immigration, asylum and border security policy, our argument will suggest that the exclusion of critical feminist voices and lack of alternative perspectives permits much scope for continuing inequality and injustice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
46. 'Have you ever traded sex for money or drugs?' Health care providers' perspectives on sex trafficking risk assessments in clinics.
- Author
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Gerassi, Lara and Pederson, Anna
- Subjects
- *
HUMAN trafficking , *RESEARCH , *HEALTH facilities , *ATTITUDE (Psychology) , *RESEARCH methodology , *MEDICAL personnel , *INTERVIEWING , *MEDICAL cooperation , *RISK assessment , *HARM reduction , *COMPARATIVE studies , *PSYCHOSOCIAL factors , *CASE studies , *RESEARCH funding , *THEMATIC analysis , *DATA analysis software , *PATIENT safety , *MEDICAL needs assessment - Abstract
Objective: The United States' Institute of Medicine recommends that health care providers be aware of sex trafficking (ST) indicators and conduct risk assessments to identify people at risk. However, the challenges among those who conduct such assessments remain largely understudied. The aim of this study was to understand the perceived barriers to ST risk assessment among health care providers in a large health care organization. Methods: This study used a collective case study approach in five sites of a large health care organization that serves high-risk populations in a Midwestern state. Twenty-three in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with health care staff (e.g. medical assistants, nurse practitioners). Two research team members conducted independent deductive coding (e.g. knowledge of ST), and inductive coding to analyse emerging themes (e.g. responses to ST risk or commercial sex disclosures, provider role ambiguity). Results: Although staff routinely screened by asking 'Have you ever traded sex for money or drugs?', participants primarily described avoiding further discussions of ST with adult patients because they (1) aimed to be non-judgmental, (2) viewed following up as someone else's job, and/or (3) lacked confidence to address ST concerns themselves, particularly when differentiating sex work from ST. Differences all emerged based on clinical context (e.g. urban location). Conclusions: There may be missed opportunities to assess patients for ST risk and use harm-reduction strategies or safety plan to address patients' needs. Implications for practice, policy, and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
47. The Use of Autobiographical Poetry to Process Trauma, Promote Awareness, and Shift Views on Sexual Violence: Exploring the "Against Our Will" Campaign.
- Author
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Hand, Michelle D.
- Subjects
PREVENTION of post-traumatic stress disorder ,HUMAN trafficking ,ONLINE information services ,SELF advocacy ,MEDICAL information storage & retrieval systems ,SOCIAL support ,SYSTEMATIC reviews ,FEMINISM ,PSYCHOLOGY ,SOCIAL stigma ,SEXUAL trauma ,CONCEPTUAL structures ,SELF-efficacy ,HOPE ,SEX crimes ,THEORY ,POETRY (Literary form) ,LITERATURE reviews ,MEDLINE ,THEMATIC analysis ,AUTOBIOGRAPHY ,HEALTH self-care - Abstract
This article explores a televised campaign featuring poetry by survivors of sex trafficking, a growing domestic and international problem resulting in symptoms of posttraumatic stress. An integrative framework, incorporating feminist autobiography theory with trauma theory, empowerment theory, and a strengths perspective, is used to explore these poems and how poetry can be used to address sexual trauma, endorsing the progress of feminism and feminist methodology. Further support is provided through a systematic scoping review of extant research on the use of poetry to address sexual trauma. Implications are offered for researchers, educators, practitioners, and policymakers in this emerging area of study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
48. Identifying service needs and service gaps for sexually exploited/trafficked persons in Missouri.
- Author
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Koegler, Erica, Preble, Kathleen M, and Tlapek, Sarah M
- Subjects
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HUMAN trafficking , *PATIENT aftercare , *HEALTH services accessibility , *CROSS-sectional method , *RESEARCH methodology , *SURVEYS , *SEX crimes , *RESEARCH funding , *DATA analysis software , *SOCIAL case work , *MEDICAL needs assessment , *EVALUATION - Abstract
Summary: The U.S. Trafficking Victims' Protection Act of 2000 established specialized victims' services and law enforcement directives to protect victims/survivors of sex trafficking through investigation and aftercare services. Yet, gaps remain in our understanding of services needed and the best approaches to improve outcomes. Using cross-sectional electronic survey data from 107 service providers to human trafficking victims across Missouri, this study examines (1) victims' service needs, (2) agencies' ability to provide services, (3) victim sub-populations that agencies are able to serve, and (4) the rural/urban availability of anti-trafficking services. Findings: Service providers, including social workers, counselors, law enforcement, and medical professionals reported that the most needed services for victims included case management, counseling, crisis services, shelter, and medical assistance. However, out of 15 possible victim services, only two were provided in-house by the majority of agencies. Additionally, respondents identified populations they were frequently unable to serve including incarcerated victims, tribal victims of violence, and refugees and immigrants. Urban counties were served by a significantly higher mean number of respondents compared to rural counties. Applications: Findings raise concerns that some of the most critical services needed for best practice response may not be easily accessible for victims, particularly in rural regions. In addition, many providers are tasked with addressing multiple service needs with limited resources. Efforts to increase cross-discipline training, interdisciplinary collaboration, and funding for basic services are needed to ensure adequate and accessible services for survivors. Recommendations for future research and coordination of an effective response are noted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
49. Examining Commonly Reported Sex Trafficking Indicators From Practitioners' Perspectives: Findings From a Pilot Study.
- Author
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Gerassi, Lara B., Nichols, Andrea J., Cox, Ashley, Goldberg, Kei K., and Tang, Cliff
- Subjects
- *
DEBT laws , *SEX work laws , *HUMAN trafficking , *PILOT projects , *NATIVE Americans , *COGNITION disorders , *TORTURE , *FRIENDSHIP , *SUBSTANCE abuse , *SOCIAL support , *ATTITUDE (Psychology) , *SOCIAL workers , *COMMUNICATION barriers , *TATTOOING , *CHILD abuse , *SELF-perception , *BLACK people , *SOCIAL networks , *MEDICAL personnel , *FEAR , *GUILT (Psychology) , *POST-traumatic stress disorder , *FAMILIES , *FRAUD , *SOCIAL isolation , *SEXUALLY transmitted diseases , *SOCIAL worker attitudes , *INTERPERSONAL relations , *MENTAL depression , *HOSPITAL care , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *SEX crimes , *POLICE psychology , *ANXIETY , *SHAME , *PUBLIC officers , *DATA analysis software , *WHITE people , *JUVENILE delinquency , *STATISTICAL correlation , *HOMELESSNESS , *CRIMINAL justice system , *TRUST - Abstract
Commonly reported sex trafficking indicators have been disseminated widely by government and non-governmental organizations in trainings aimed to increase identification and referral to resources. However, very little research evaluates such indicators. Drawing from survey responses of 86 social service providers, health care practitioners, and justice system officials in a Midwestern City, this pilot study aimed to examine: (a) the pervasiveness of the commonly reported indicators, (b) the salience of domains of indicators, and (c) the extent to which indicators differ across service populations (U.S.-born minors, U.S.-born adults, foreign born minors, and foreign born adults). The most commonly identified indicators included mental health symptoms of depression (M = 3.82); low self-esteem (M = 3.59); anxiety (M = 3.55); low levels of interpersonal trust (M = 3.52); sense of fear (M = 3.36); feelings of shame or guilt (M =3.34); isolation from family, friends, and communities (M = 3.3); and fear/distrust of law enforcement (M = 3.80). The least commonly identified indicators included exhibiting low English proficiency (M = 1.62), previous history of loitering charges (M = 1.74), presenting false documents (M = 1.85), presence of tattoos or branding (M = 1.89), presenting delayed cognitive development (M = 1.91), being unaware of one's location (M = 1.94), owing large debt (M = 1.95), previous history of prostitution or drug charges (M = 1.98, M = 2.01), and physical evidence of torture (M = 2.07). The mental health domain was identified as especially common among U.S.-born adults (M = 3.07). Criminal justice involvement was identified as less common among foreign-born minors (M = 1.82) and foreign-born adults (M = 1.96). The most commonly identified indicators, according to the service providers, health care workers, and justice system officials who work with them, are inconsistent with many of the indicators that are used frequently across governmental and community trainings. Trainings focusing on diverse case examples of trafficking may be important in strengthening identification of sex trafficked individuals, as well as accounting for regional contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
50. “I Had to Allow Myself to Heal”: How Survivors of Sex Trafficking Have Experienced Healing From Trauma Bonding.
- Author
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Casassa, Kaitlin, England, Gwen, and Karandikar, Sharvari
- Abstract
Among the many issues facing sex trafficking survivors, the trauma bonds they develop with their perpetrators are one of the most complex and least understood concerns. This community-based participatory research phenomenological study explored this phenomenon by asking: How have survivors of sex trafficking experienced healing from trauma bonding? The sample consisted of 19 female survivors who were all participants in or graduates of a human trafficking specialty docket. Three themes emerged: survivors shared that (a) building trusting and honest relationships, (b) their relationships with themselves, and (c) education all played a pivotal role in the healing they had experienced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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