Sex Trafficking Research Articles

The New Satanic Panic

Abstract A moral panic animated by conspiracy theories alleging ritual sex abuse swept through the United States in the 1980s. During that “Satanic Panic,” as it came to be known, people expressed fears of social change regarding gender and sexuality. Beginning in 2022, conservative politicians, pundits, and pastors in the United States levied similar accusations of child grooming, sex trafficking, and satanic sex abuse at the LGBTQ + community, teachers, liberals, and entertainment companies; these accusations were accompanied by repressive legislation and violence. Despite their political salience, little is known about the people who believe these accusations. Using a 2022 U.S. national survey (N = 2,001), we find that up to one-third of Americans believe accusations of satanic cult abuse, government sex trafficking, and an “agenda” to “groom” children into gay or trans lifestyles. These beliefs are correlated with a range of political attitudes (e.g., positive views of Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and white nationalists) and policy preferences (e.g., overturning Roe v. Wade), as well as with normative (e.g., a desire to run for political office) and nonnormative (e.g., the acceptance of political violence) political intentions and behaviors. Regression analysis further reveals that these conspiracy theory beliefs are positively associated with dark psychological traits, antiestablishment orientations, and repressive views toward sex and gender. Our findings suggest that these accusations can spark dehumanization and deadly violence by mobilizing into politics people who possess strong feelings of political efficacy, but also antisocial traits, nonnormative tendencies, and a desire to undermine established political institutions.

"It's Not Love, Baby Doll. It's Science": Experiences of Trauma Bonding Among Survivors of Sex Trafficking.

Trauma bonds between sex trafficking survivors and their traffickers or other perpetrators are one of the most complex and least understood concerns facing survivors. This community-based participatory research phenomenological study sought to understand how survivors have experienced trauma bonding. The sample consisted of 19 female survivors who were all participants in or graduates of a human trafficking specialty docket. Two themes emerged from the data. The first theme is the source of the trauma bond, namely who survivors had trauma bonds with. The second theme is features of trauma bonds, which included three subthemes: survivors have experienced trauma bonds (a) as involuntary, (b) as having lingering power, and (c) as consisting of both love and hate. These findings contain significant implications for practice, policy, and future research.

Understanding Child Sexual Exploitation Dynamics: Development and Validation of a Taxonomy of Recruitment and Domination Strategies.

Child sexual exploitation is a form of interpersonal violence which involves the use of manipulation, control, and coercion strategies to recruit and dominate minors. This study aimed to develop and validate a taxonomy that identifies, defines, and classifies these abusive strategies. The taxonomy was developed from an extensive literature review and its contents were validated via expert evaluation through a two-round Delphi method with 31 participants. Experts also judged the frequency of each strategy's usage to recruit and dominate the victims in sex trade, sex trafficking, sex tourism, and online sexual exploitation. The taxonomy comprises 20 specific strategies, classified into five categories: isolation, control of personal life, emotional abuse, cognitive manipulation, and behavioral domination. According to the experts, the strategy most frequently used to recruit the minors is "affective enticement", and the strategy that contributes most to the maintenance of the exploitative situation is "instrumentalization of sexuality". Nevertheless, different patterns were found regarding the frequency with which each strategy is used when considering the four manifestations of sexual exploitation separately. Delimiting the abusive strategies commonly perpetrated in child sexual exploitation improves our understanding of this complex phenomenon and could contribute to the development of effective prevention and intervention approaches.

Right-wing ideology fuels bias against sex trafficking victims: the mediating role of sexism

ABSTRACT The authors examined the relationship between right-wing beliefs and problematic attitudes towards victims of sex trafficking (ST). Study one used a cross-sectional survey (N = 444) to study the relationship between political orientation, right-wing authoritarianism, and beliefs about sex trafficking within US and UK populations. Results demonstrated that participants who were right-wing and participants from the US were more likely to report problematic attitudes towards victims of sex trafficking. Study two (N = 126) used a vignette-design to examine whether the relationship between right-wing beliefs and negative attitudes towards a ST victim was mediated by conservative biases such as just world beliefs and sexism. Findings indicated that hostile sexism, but not benevolent sexism or just world beliefs, mediated the relationship between right-wing beliefs and negative ST victim attitudes. Implicationshighlight the need for public organisations to ensure that members of the criminal justice system are educated around common ST misconceptions.

Emotion regulation reduces victim blaming of vulnerable sex trafficking survivors.

This research applied emotion regulation to negative emotions felt toward a sex trafficking victim so that judgments were made to offer her services rather than to favor her arrest for prostitution. We predicted that participants would favor police not arresting a trafficking survivor for prostitution when she was vulnerable (Hypothesis 1) or she showed no sex work history (Hypothesis 2). We predicted a moderated mediation model (Hypothesis 3), in which emotion regulation training to reduce feelings of contempt, anger, and disgust (CAD) toward the survivor interacted with vulnerability and prior sex work such that the effects of the latter two manipulations were the strongest in the successful emotion regulation conditions (i.e., cognitive reappraisal and cognitive reappraisal with motivation), with CAD emotions mediating those relationships. Participants (N = 421, 54% women, Mage = 42.63 years, 75% White) read a modified version of a sex trafficking case and decided whether the police should arrest the survivor for prostitution. Each participant was randomly assigned to one of 16 conditions in a 4 (emotion regulation: control vs. cognitive reappraisal vs. motivation vs. cognitive reappraisal plus motivation) × 2 (vulnerability: vulnerable background vs. nonvulnerable background) × 2 (prior prostitution history: engaged in prostitution before the trafficking incident vs. not engaged in prostitution before the incident) factorial design. Participants with cognitive reappraisal training, but not controls, who read about a vulnerable survivor were less likely to favor arrest. Moreover, those who trained with cognitive reappraisal plus motivation to decrease their CAD emotions, compared with the controls, showed weaker CAD feelings toward the vulnerable survivor, which in turn predicted a lower probability of favoring arrest. Reducing CAD emotions through emotion regulation supported the impact of emotions on culpability judgments and showed how emotion regulation can be used to support a victim-centered approach to fighting sex trafficking. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Health Care Needs of the Sex Trafficking Patient

Caring for and identifying a victim of sex trafficking can be very challenging at times. Sex trafficking victims often don't see themselves as victims and often times are victimized by a boyfriend or relative. These patients can be non-compliant with treatments and difficult to provide follow up care. Often times the only time they are receiving medical care is when they are in the emergency department as many of these patients do not seek routine medical care through a family practioner. Forensic nurses are are able to identify potential sex trafficking victims and advocate them for their medical needs.

From not knowing, to knowing more needs to be done: health care providers describe the education they need to care for sex trafficked patients

BackgroundSex trafficking is highly prevalent, pernicious, and under-recognized. When an individual is trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation within the borders of a single country, it is termed domestic sex trafficking. Sex trafficked persons can experience severe physical and mental health outcomes requiring medical attention and treatment. However, health care providers often fail to identify sex trafficked patients, missing opportunities to provide needed care and support.MethodsIn this qualitative study, we interviewed 31 health care providers (physicians, nurses, and social workers) working in Ontario, Canada to learn what they identified as their specific education and training needs to recognize and care for sex trafficked persons. Interviews were conducted over Zoom, recorded, and transcribed. Coding of the transcripts followed a standard framework for qualitative studies. Codes related to the education and training needs of providers were identified as a core issue suited to further analysis.ResultsThree themes related to providers’ education and training needs emerged. These acknowledge basic (Foundational knowledge), as well as more specific learning needs (Navigating the encounter). The final theme, (“It just seems so much bigger than me”) suggests that even with some knowledge of domestic sex trafficking, participants still experienced considerable distress and multiple challenges due to gaps in the broader system impacting the provision of appropriate care.ConclusionsParticipants voiced their need for specialized sex trafficking education as well as role specific training to combat their sense of inadequacy and provide better care for their patients. Participants’ education needs ranged from requiring the definition of domestic sex trafficking and the frequency of its occurrence, to the various circumstances associated with increased risk of recruitment into sex trafficking. In terms of desired training and specific skills, participants wanted to learn how to identify a person being sex trafficked, broach the subject with a patient, know what to do next including access to local resources and referrals, as well as connections to other critical services, such as legal and housing. The results can be used to inform the design and content of education and training on sex trafficking for health care providers.

Resilient Women of Sundarbans in Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide

Abstract: For decades, literature has played a vital role in the feminist movement. Fiction helps to look at the challenges of women on various levels, whether in the workplace, family, emotional, or physical. Over the years, writers have written fiction to depict women's challenges and their brilliance and determination in overcoming them. Amitav Ghosh is one such writer who has often depicted women who put their heart and soul into it when it comes to achieving their goals. Both in personal and professional life. Ghosh's novel The Hungry Tide depicts working women who put their best foot forward despite sexual assault, caste discrimination, and financial difficulties. A cetologist named Piyali Roy comes to Lusibari for her work. Despite the sexual harassment, she finds a way to achieve her dream of studying dolphins. Financial and caste barriers confront Moyna, but she still finds a way to survive by studying and working as a nurse. Nilima is being called to serve the Sundarbans' people. She tries to fit herself into the system to ensure that the Lusibari people have as many facilities as possible. Kusum finds herself in the most difficult of all female characters. She loses her mother as a child, and her husband when she was young, and almost becomes a victim of sex traffickers. The novel depicts the challenges as well as the unbreakable spirit of women vividly.

Social and Psychological Trauma of Human Trafficking: Albanian Women Case

Human trafficking is a phenomenon with a long history during the centuries. In Albania country, human trafficking has existed for a long time, even during the communist period. The post-communist period has been ranked as the top period for human trafficking and human slavery. As a result of the phenomena of the collapse of communism after 1990, in Albanian society happened so many changes in the field of government and political system, the opening of boundaries toward all countries of the world or free movement toward all countries, liberalisation of the economy, social and cultural changes etc. Most researchers evaluated this period as a transition period in political, social, economic and cultural. So this situation created a good field for developing human trafficking within Albania. Although the human trafficking phenomenon has been explored in the post-communist society, in the transition period till nowadays have been growing and extended more. The functioning of the government and low security made it possible for the mafia to be stronger in human trafficking too. So, Albania has been a bridge country for human trafficking from Eastern countries toward Greece, Italy, European Countries and other countries of the world. Women and children were and are still primary victims of sex slavery and are included in varying sexual activities like prostitution, stripping, sex tourism, pornography etc. In this paper, we are going to explain human trafficking as a type of modern slavery that is formed as sex trafficking. In this case, we are going to discuss the psychological trauma that sex trafficking affects Albanian women. Are these victims still able to continue their own lives? Do they fill their selves ignored by the society where they are living? What are their psychological traumas caused in their character and does this trauma affect their life? Also, we are going to discuss for social trauma that is caused in Albanian society during the human trafficking have happened in the post-communist period till today. What are the pathologies that human trafficking (in this case sex trafficking) brings to Albanian society and the different social actors? Received: 2 June 2024 / Accepted: 25 July 2024 / Published: 29 July 2024

Health and well-being of refugee women in sex work: A systematic literature review

Introduction: Refugees face many barriers when arriving in a new country, and these barriers are especially felt by women, who often travel alone or with children. These barriers create a situation where some women turn to sex work, either voluntarily or involuntarily. Both refugees and sex workers face adversities related to their mental health and well-being, however little research has examined the intersections between both identities outside of STI incidence and violence. Objective: This systematic literature review aimed to explore mental health and overall well-being of women refugees who engage in sex work. Themes were extracted to better understand experiences to inform clinical and community practice. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted using PsycInfo, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, ProQuest, and Medline, as well as grey literature for articles published between 2013 and 2023. The JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research was used to evaluate the quality of the primary research articles. 11 articles were included in the final synthesis. Results: The five themes included Fear, Mental/Psychological Health, Social Well-being, Economic/Financial Well-being, and Spiritual Struggles. These themes were interconnected to shape the experiences of these women within their circumstances. Engaging in sex work as a refugee, particularly in instances of sex trafficking, created significant challenges in all aspects of well-being, and the circumstances related to being a refugee often increased vulnerabilities to become involved in sex work for survival. Conclusion: These results suggest the need for policies, community programs, and clinical practice protocols to address the unique needs of women refugees to mitigate factors drawing them to sex work, and better support those who are currently involved in it.

Raising Awareness about Sex Trafficking among School Personnel.

We aimed to (1) understand the level of knowledge about sex trafficking of minors among school personnel and the determinants of such knowledge and (2) test the efficacy of short educational videos in increasing knowledge (awareness level) about sex trafficking of minors among school personnel. We employed an online survey to gather responses from 741 school personnel living in the US. The McNemar test was used to test for differences in knowledge before and after exposure to the videos. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of knowledge based on the respondents' characteristics. Predictors of knowledge about sex trafficking were years of experience in working with youth, level of education, and being a female. Exposure to the educational videos improved school personnel's basic knowledge about this crime and interest in seeking additional educational material. School personnel have a high level of awareness of risk factors for sex trafficking but less awareness of the definition of sex trafficking in children. Exposure to short educational videos can increase awareness in the short term. There is a need to develop more comprehensive training initiatives for school personnel on sex trafficking. However, training alone is not sufficient, and there is also a need for developing school protocols and programs to provide adequate support to victims of this crime.

Exploring the role of salon professionals in identifying sex trafficking and violence victims in Indiana

BackgroundSex trafficking victims often have touchpoints with salons for waxing, styling, and other body modification services required by traffickers. Recently, some states have administered laws requiring salon professionals to receive intimate partner violence (IPV)-related training, with even fewer states mandating training on identifying sex trafficking. This study aimed to understand how salon professionals have witnessed evidence of violence, including IPV and sex trafficking, in the workplace and to explore the differences in their approach to each type of victim.MethodsIn-depth interviews were conducted with salon professionals (N = 10) and law enforcement professionals/policymakers (N = 5). Content and thematic analysis techniques were used.ResultsSalon professionals typically identified potential violence through signs such as bruises, odd behavior, and client disclosures, prompting them to engage in cautious conversations. Yet, few were trained to identify and intervene. Often, they responded to suspected violence by talking with the client, sharing concerns with salon leadership, directly intervening on the client’s behalf, or contacting the police. Law enforcement and salon professionals had suggestions about improving salon professionals’ recognition of and response to violence, including training on victim-focused resources, creating a safe environment, and building relationships with law enforcement. They also suggested strengthening community partnerships to increase resource advocacy and reporting.ConclusionsOne-on-one salon services may provide a unique opportunity to intervene and identify victims of violence, especially when empowered through additional training and collaborative partnerships with community-oriented policing initiates. Implementing training and community-based initiatives could aid salon professionals in gaining greater confidence in knowing what to do when serving a client who is a victim of IPV or sex trafficking.

A Comparative Study of the Indian Penal Code and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita’s Gender-related Provisions

Abstract The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) of 2023 replaces the existing Indian Penal Code (IPC) of 1860 as the primary penal law of India. The new BNS offers a potential pathway for the reformation of the legal landscape concerning gender-based offences in India. This paper analyzes all such changes introduced in the BNS (relating to provisions of gender-related offenses such as adultery, assault, cruelty, domestic violence, rape, sex trafficking, etc.) by comparing them to the previous Indian Penal Code (IPC, 1860). This paper explores the new bill’s potential to address long-standing gender inequalities in the existing code. It also assesses its limitations and suggests areas for improvement. In doing so, it also emphasizes the importance of recognizing and protecting LGBTQIA+ rights within the legal framework.

S74 - Sex Trafficking Experiences and Substance Use Patterns Among Incarcerated Women Who Use Opioids

S74 - Sex Trafficking Experiences and Substance Use Patterns Among Incarcerated Women Who Use Opioids

Sex Trafficking Perspectives among High School Students and School Personnel in the Midwest: A Focus Group Study to Inform Sex Trafficking Prevention Programming

Sex trafficking among youth is a growing concern, however, we know very little about how youth perceive sex trafficking, nuances of sex trafficking among youth, or how to work with youth or supportive adults to prevent sex trafficking among youth. Thus, we conducted focus group discussions with racially and ethnically diverse high school students and school personnel in an urban Midwestern city to delineate their knowledge and understanding of sex trafficking and to explore ideas for sex trafficking prevention education. The findings provide critical information necessary for the refinement of a sex trafficking prevention program and rigorous programmatic evaluation.

Understanding the Retrospective and Current Health Care Needs and Service Experiences of Adult Survivors of Minor Sex Trafficking

Minor sex trafficking is an urgent public health problem, but we lack data about how such experiences impact health and health care access. Utilizing data collected from in-depth interviews with 35 adult survivors of minor sex trafficking across the U.S. we explored the physical and psychological healthcare access and healthcare experiences of adult survivors of minor sex trafficking. Negative healthcare experiences before, during, and following sex trafficking foster a lack of trust and confidence in healthcare systems as adults. Recommendations are provided to help overcome barriers to meeting healthcare needs and improving health care experiences for survivors of minor sex trafficking.

Lessons from the Teca Ho/New Voices Project on Best Practices for Interviewing Native Youth Survivors of Sex Trafficking

Although there are high rates of commercial sexual exploitation of Native American children, there are still not established best practices for interviewing them about their experiences. This pilot study sought to learn more about best practices for interviewing Native including gender diverse youth in the United States about sex trafficking. In the process, lessons were learned about conducting this kind of research. The initial practices suggested included ways of linking with participants, incorporating culturally-specific healing elements, orienting clinicians to cultural humility and agility, and preparing to provide a clear rationale for how and why the information learned would be disseminated.

Current Trends in Human Trafficking and the Effectiveness of Law Enforcement Strategies in Combating Sex Trafficking in Thailand

This paper examines the current state of sex trafficking in Thailand, focusing on recent trends, law enforcement strategies, and challenges faced in combating this pervasive issue. Thailand has established a comprehensive legal framework to address human trafficking, including significant legislation and international commitments. Law enforcement employs a range of strategies, including surveillance, undercover operations, and inter-agency collaboration, to dismantle trafficking networks and support victims. However, challenges such as corruption, resource limitations, and the complexity of trafficking networks hinder these efforts. The paper also provides recommendations for improving law enforcement capabilities, victim support, legal frameworks, international cooperation, and the use of technology to enhance anti-trafficking measures. By addressing these areas, Thailand can strengthen its fight against sex trafficking and provide better protection for vulnerable individuals.

Beyond Victim Identification: A Practitioner’s Guide to Designing a Youth Anti-Sex Trafficking Advocacy Program

ABSTRACT Thousands of youth are sexually trafficked each year in the United States. In order to address this concern, anti-trafficking advocates often emphasize the importance of uniform screening protocols to assist with the identification of survivors. Unfortunately, an oft-overlooked component of sex trafficking identification is what to do once a victim has been identified, and how to best meet survivors’ complex needs. In this article, the authors provide social work practitioners and other advocates with best practice guidelines for how to design and evaluate anti-sex trafficking advocacy programs for children and youth. These guidelines include considerations related to direct services with clients, community partnerships, and organizational capacity, as well as recommendations for how to begin and then evaluate programming. Regardless of the form selected for the program, all anti-sex trafficking programs should be designed to provide effective, client-centered follow-up and advocacy once a positive identification is made in the community. The recommendations included in this paper are based upon extant literature, the authors’ practice experience with survivors, and insights from anti-sex trafficking program evaluations.

Unpacking the Power of Legal Definition: Changing the Legal Narrative Around Sex Trafficking and Sex Work in Canada

Unpacking the Power of Legal Definition: Changing the Legal Narrative Around Sex Trafficking and Sex Work in Canada