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Biography

Laura J. Lederer, J.D., is the former Senior Advisor on Trafficking in Persons, U.S. Department of State; and served as the Subject Matter Expert for the original Department of Health and Human Services Stop, Observe, Ask, Respond training on human trafficking for health providers.

McKamie Chandler, J.D., is a program officer at the Global Centurion Foundation.

Stanley Stinson, BSN, RN, AEMT, CFCS conducted the survey as part of the street medicine team he coordinated in Detroit, Michigan. He is the lead person on human trafficking outreach team at Street Outreach Teams and is an emergency room nurse at Corewell Health Hospital.

Abstract

Victims of sex trafficking and women purportedly involved in prostitution voluntarily face a complex web of interconnected challenges when attempting to escape their current circumstances. By analyzing the shared and distinct challenges faced by these women, the paper aims to inform policymakers and service providers, offering recommendations to empower women seeking to escape exploitation through multidisciplinary and interconnected networks of providers. This study surveyed 74 women in Detroit, Michigan, using nonprobability convenience sampling over a 10-month period in 2020. It compared three groups of women who self-reported as victims of sex trafficking, women who voluntarily engaged in some form of commercial sex, and women currently not in the sex industry. The study examined five outcome dimensions: substance use, housing stability, violence, interactions with law enforcement, and healthcare barriers. Among surveyed women, 45 reported sex trafficking experiences, 20 engaged in prostitution voluntarily, and nine were currently neither trafficked nor in prostitution. While some experiences were shared, like drug use and child presence, unique challenges emerged for sex trafficking victims. Victims of sex trafficking reported higher rates of homelessness, violence, lower education, and poorer health compared to others. However, those who were trafficked and those who reported being voluntarily involved in the sex trade had many similar problems. The survey highlights the interconnected barriers faced by women in sex trafficking or prostitution: substance abuse, homelessness, and health problems. All three groups of women reported having children, which underscores the great need for support systems for families of trafficking survivors or those in the sex industry. Educating professionals and raising awareness can enhance responses and interventions, enabling more women to design exit strategies and begin the path to recovery.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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