“It’s All about Breaking down Those Barriers…”: Exploring Survivors’ Perspectives on Services and Treatment Needs following Commercial Sexual Exploitation during Childhood

O’Brien, Jennifer E.; Jordan, Brooke; Honeycutt, Nina; Wilsnack, Catherine; Davison, Clara

doi:10.1080/23761407.2019.1572560

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…In line with previous studies that have identified various service needs for sex trafficking survivors in the United States (Marti Castaner et al, 2021;Macy & Johns, 2011;O'Brien et al, 2019), our study results suggest that the following services would be needed to facilitate survivor recovery and wellbeing: trauma-informed and culturally appropriate services that provide or promote community building, legal assistance, medical care, life skills and employment training, and affordable housing. Our study adds to the existing literature on recovery by identifying specific structural and cultural factors that may need to be addressed when working with Asian women.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…The aim of this study is to qualitatively examine factors at multiple levels of influence that shape recovery and well-being among Asian criminal sex trafficking survivors in the United States from the perspective of front-line service providers and survivors. The study adds to the small, but growing literature on the health and well-being of international sex trafficking survivors (Gerassi, 2018; O'Brien et al, 2019; Rajaram & Tidball, 2018; Ravi et al, 2017) and is the first to specifically document the lives of internationally trafficked, Asian immigrant survivors in NYC.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Factors Influencing Recovery and Well-Being Among Asian Survivors of International Criminal Sex Trafficking in an Urban U.S. City

Lim

Lee

Cohen

et al. 2022

J Interpers Violence

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Sex trafficking is serious form of gender-based violence that results in profound adverse health outcomes, yet one that is poorly understood. New York City is a major hub for sex trafficking, with a significant but unquantified number of victims originating from East Asian countries and trafficked via illicit massage businesses. Peer-reviewed studies among Asian survivors of international criminal sex trafficking do not exist. The aim of this study is to qualitatively examine the factors at various levels of influence that impact the recovery and reintegration process of Asian criminal sex trafficking survivors in the United States from the perspective of survivors and front-line service providers. The study was guided by community-based participatory research and trauma-informed approaches, leveraging a collaboration with a well-established service provider organization. Ten in-depth interviews were conducted between 2018 and 2019 with three Korean survivors and seven key informants who were anti-trafficking service providers working with East Asian clients. Data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Survivors and service providers vocalized factors at multiple levels that either facilitate or impede recovery and well-being. Levels of influence included structural (e.g., poverty/debt bondage, immigration status, limited English proficiency), cultural (e.g., fatalism, collectivism), institutional (e.g., lack of culturally appropriate, trauma-informed care), interpersonal (e.g., exploitation, social support), and individual (e.g., resilience). Stigma was a crosscutting factor that spanned all levels of influence. This study highlights the voices of survivors and front-line service providers to understand the lives of an under-researched population of Asian sex trafficking survivors. Ultimately, the root, structural causes of survivor marginalization need to be addressed, which stem from the intersection of class-, gender-, and race-related inequities. While survivors continue to experience exploitation and marginalization post-trafficking, they also carry an enormous amount of resilience that must be leveraged in their path to recovery from trauma.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Influencing Recovery and Well-Being Among Asian Survivors of International Criminal Sex Trafficking in an Urban U.S. City

Lim

Lee

Cohen

et al. 2022

J Interpers Violence

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“…We suggest that such seemingly passive position by CSEY does not necessarily indicate a lack of agency, but rather may reflect the difficulty and ambivalence they feel over the very decision to seek help. This is in line with the recommendation of O’Brien et al (2019) that professionals who interact with youth should be trained to identify CSE, and offer proper assistance.…”

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 81%

“…For example, CSEY reported that their engagement in helping interventions began after their arrest, or after a referral to an aid organization by others—such as family members, teachers, or police officers (Ashley, 2008; Barnert et al, 2020; Dottridge, 2008). Moreover, some CSEY noted that while they did not actively seek help, if professionals (such as teachers, social workers, and health care workers) would have asked them explicitly about their CSE situation, they might have been cooperative and willing to accept their help (Franklin & Smeaton, 2018; Hurst, 2021; O’Brien et al, 2019). We suggest that such seemingly passive position by CSEY does not necessarily indicate a lack of agency, but rather may reflect the difficulty and ambivalence they feel over the very decision to seek help.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Help-Seeking and Help-Related Experiences of Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis

Prior

Shilo

Peled

2022

Trauma, Violence, & Abuse

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This interpretive qualitative meta-synthesis (QMS) aims to systematically review what we know about the help-seeking and help-related experiences of commercially sexually exploited youth (CSEY). A comprehensive search of the relevant databases was conducted to identify published qualitative peer-reviewed papers and research reports about the experiences and perceptions of CSEY. A corpus of 34 qualitative studies was compiled and synthesized, using the conceptual framework of help-seeking and QMS guidelines. The QMS reveals that although help-seeking of CSEY are rarely the focus of the inquiry, the reviewed studies include meaningful information about help-related experiences of CSEY. Thus, the synthesis of the available data yields novel insights about how CSEY perceive their involvement in CSE, define the problems they deal with, decide to seek help, choose the proper help, and engage in helping relations. Particularly, the QMS underscores that CSEY do not always perceive their involvement in CSE as problematic, nor do they identify themselves as victims of exploitation. The findings highlight the significance of developing social services that specialize in helping CSEY, the importance of actively identifying CSEY and reaching out to them, and the need to enable CSEY to be involved in decisions about the extent and type of support they are provided.

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“…Other research has explored youths' strengths (WestCoast Children's Clinic, 2012) and protective factors, such as positive relationships with peers and adults (Landers et al, 2020;O'Brien, 2018). Increasingly, researchers have sought to include survivors' perspectives in better understanding their treatment needs (O'Brien et al, 2019;Robitz et al, 2020). More broadly, national and international organizations such as United Against Human Trafficking (UAHT), Girls Education and Mentoring Services (GEMS), Love 146, Rights4Girls, and Youth Advocate Program, Inc. (YAP) offer many services, including programming for survivors of sexual exploitation, training and resources for service providers, agencies, and law enforcement responding to youth with histories of exploitation, and research and advocacy efforts for systemic reform.…”

Section: E X Ist I Ng E F Fort S To I De N T I F Y a N D Se Rv E You ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Balancing clinical needs and probation requirements within CSEC specialty courts

Gale-Bentz¹,

Iturri²,

Wheeler³

et al. 2022

Juvenile Family Court J

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As juvenile justice systems across the country explore ways to best serve youth who have been commercially sexually exploited, challenges may arise between youths' clinically indicated needs and the probation‐driven requirements of CSEC specialty court involvement. This article explores some of the clinical‐probation dualities CSEC specialty courts may encounter, conceptualized as tensions related to issues of confidentiality, responses to behaviors that jeopardize youths' safety, and the timing of healing. Future directions for consideration to better meet the needs of youth involved in the justice system who have experienced sexual exploitation are also discussed.

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“It’s All about Breaking down Those Barriers…”: Exploring Survivors’ Perspectives on Services and Treatment Needs following Commercial Sexual Exploitation during Childhood

Cited by 12 publications

References 25 publications

Factors Influencing Recovery and Well-Being Among Asian Survivors of International Criminal Sex Trafficking in an Urban U.S. City

Factors Influencing Recovery and Well-Being Among Asian Survivors of International Criminal Sex Trafficking in an Urban U.S. City

Help-Seeking and Help-Related Experiences of Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis

Balancing clinical needs and probation requirements within CSEC specialty courts

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