Abstract
This paper focuses on the recovery and (re)integration processes of women victims of trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation in Europe. It looks at their life not just following a trafficking experience, but for several years afterwards, answering the questions: Are some factors more important than others, in the short and long run? What are the overall dynamics of the (re)integration process? How do the relevant influencing factors interact? What factors are crucial for a positive (re)integration immediately after the experience and how do they differ from what becomes important as the years go by? And what is crucial in order to ensure sustainable (re)integration? Fifty-two semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with service providers, trafficked persons, and family members of trafficked persons. A variety of factors influencing the (re)integration process were identified, such as: (a) the background of the individual; (b) trafficking experience – who the trafficker was and its severity; (c) the role of institutions, NGOs, and service providers; (d) economic factors; (e) the personal characteristics, challenges, motivations, and coping mechanisms of the victim; and finally (f) social support. However, what was identified as particularly important for the sustainability of the (re)integration process was relationships built with service providers, relationships rebuilt with existing family members, or relationships built with new families that were established after the trafficking experience.
Highlights
The focus of this paper is the recovery andintegration process of women trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation
Are some factors more important than others, in the short run and long run? What are the overall dynamics of theintegration process and how do the relevant influencing factors interact? What factors are crucial for a positiveintegration immediately after the experience, and how do they differ from what becomes important as the years go by? What is crucial in order to ensure sustainableintegration? These are the questions that this article addresses
A victim interviewed for this study, who had reported returning to her family immediately after the trafficking experience but was at the moment experiencing financial and psychological challenges, noted that she had a good first impression from the service provider that conducted the intake upon her return in the country of origin
Summary
The focus of this paper is the recovery and (re)integration process of women trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. The work of Walsh and colleagues (1999) and Koser and Pinkerton (2002) on the other hand focuses on the lack of trust in information that returnees receive from government agencies and the trust they have in information received from migrant and refugee community organisations This is a factor that comes through in this research as well, relevant for both the short- and long-term (re)integration of the trafficking victim and will be discussed in detail later on
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