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- Title
- THE PROCESS OF LEAVING SEX TRAFFICKING : USING LIFE HISTORY CALENDAR METHODS TO UNDERSTAND THE ROLE OF FORMAL SYSTEMS AND SUPPORT
- Creator
- Vollinger, Lauren
- Date
- 2022
- Collection
- Electronic Theses & Dissertations
- Description
-
Sex trafficking (ST) is a serious and hidden social problem affecting thousands of people in United States. ST is defined as “the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purposes of a commercial sex act” or when that person “has not attained 18 years of age” (Trafficking Victims Protection Act, 2000). Given the violent, coercive, and economic tactics used to control victims of this crime, it is challenging for individuals to leave their trafficking...
Show moreSex trafficking (ST) is a serious and hidden social problem affecting thousands of people in United States. ST is defined as “the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purposes of a commercial sex act” or when that person “has not attained 18 years of age” (Trafficking Victims Protection Act, 2000). Given the violent, coercive, and economic tactics used to control victims of this crime, it is challenging for individuals to leave their trafficking situation. Thus, the purpose of this study was to understand how survivors exit from ST and use formal systems or services to facilitate that exit. This study presents findings from qualitative interviews with 34 survivors of domestic ST to understand the process of exiting the sex industry over time. Life History Calendar methodology was used to guide interviews about: 1) how participants conceptualized their experiences in the sex industry over time: 2) what formal systems participants had contact with during their time in the sex industry: and 3) the circumstances surrounding participants’ most recent exit from the sex industry. Results revealed that participants were in and out of ST multiple times over the course of their lives and had contact with many formal systems over time. However, what made the difference in most survivors’ last exit from the sex industry was the collaboration between formal systems to coordinate referrals and service provision. Findings from this study contribute to future research on exiting from sex trafficking and provide recommendations for policy and practice.
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- Title
- Needs Assessment of a Regional Human Trafficking Task Force
- Creator
- Vollinger, Lauren
- Date
- 2018
- Collection
- Electronic Theses & Dissertations
- Description
-
Human trafficking is a global crime involving the use of force, fraud, and coercion to exploit individuals for commercial sex and labor. Survivors of human trafficking have physical health, mental health, and other life needs that must be addressed to give them opportunities to rebuild their lives. There are few organizations that offer comprehensive services to meet all these needs which forces survivors to seek out services from multiple organizations in the community and puts them at risk...
Show moreHuman trafficking is a global crime involving the use of force, fraud, and coercion to exploit individuals for commercial sex and labor. Survivors of human trafficking have physical health, mental health, and other life needs that must be addressed to give them opportunities to rebuild their lives. There are few organizations that offer comprehensive services to meet all these needs which forces survivors to seek out services from multiple organizations in the community and puts them at risk for not having their needs met. Organizations that assist human trafficking survivors face many barriers that must be identified and addressed to facilitate optimal service provision and coordination. This study conducted a needs assessment of organizations serving human trafficking victims to identify barriers and generate potential solutions to service provision challenges. According to Altschuld & White’s analytic process, there is low overall service availability for survivors of human trafficking and organizations in this area should prioritize Youth & Family, Health, Substance Abuse, and Education / Vocation services. Organizations in this study experienced structural barriers, such as limited connections to other agencies and difficult referral processes, when serving human trafficking survivors. Service providers also faced organizational barriers, such as lack of staff that specialize in treating survivors of human trafficking and having services available on-site. Implications of these findings include more prevention services, such as a youth drop-in center and educational interventions, a more centralized referral process, and human trafficking-specific funding streams as part of ideal service provision when working with survivors of human trafficking.
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