Many sex trafficking survivors report problems in their interpersonal relationships, yet few studies have investigated the nuance of these important relational bonds. This phenomenological study began addressing this gap by exploring survivors’ perceptions of the quality and utility of their relationships with family members, peers, and service providers, specifically in the context of transitioning out of sex trafficking. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with six survivors in a residential recovery program. Analyses yielded three themes that represented distinct relational domains (1. non-professional, 2. professional, and 3. spirituality) and sub-codes which appeared to highlight nuance within each domain in the sense that some relationships were simultaneously helpful and challenging to negotiate. This poster will provide an overview of themes and codes, as well as a description of the practical significance of the results. Findings help extend existing literature and may inform potential modifications to resources provided by recovery programs.

Although human trafficking was not a new concept, it gained increased attention across the United States and Canada in the first two decades of the 21st century. To better understand the Canadian anti-trafficking movement, this thesis analyzed the discourse on the topic in six local and national daily newspapers between 2008 and 2018. The goal of this thesis was to investigate the emergence of human trafficking as a social problem. Using social constructionism as a point of departure, a critical discourse analysis was conducted in NVivo of the quotes made by human trafficking experts in Canadian media. The results of this analysis suggest that an Unofficial Christian Coalition emerged in Canada, which – assisted by the media – led a moral crusade against human trafficking and pushed for the adoption of restrictive sex work legislation in Canada.

This qualitative phenomenological study considered the experience of a clinician working with victims and survivors of human sex trafficking and their families. In the overwhelming majority of cases, family members were not involved in the clinical treatment of human sex trafficking survivors. The clinicians primarily worked with the individual client. The data from phone interviews was analyzed using thematic analysis, which resulted in the following themes emerging: vulnerability to secondary trauma, impact on the clinician's life, and self-care strategies and resources. The work with human sex trafficking survivors impacted the clinicians' personal, family, and professional lives. Limitations, clinical implications, and suggestions for future research are discussed. / Master of Science

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Over the past few years, with the rise of technology, human trafficking has transformed into one of the largest clandestine crimes globally. Though the relationship between human trafficking and technology has gained attention over recent years, the empirical research on this topic is still underdeveloped. As such, the relationship between technological developments and the rise of human trafficking remains unanswered. Within this frame of reference, this research aims to explore this relationship to better understand how human trafficking has flourished in cyberspace and is beginning to depend on technological advancements for predation by using a content analysis of newspaper articles. After outlining key terms concerning human trafficking in the context of sex trafficking, the present research then examines articles overtime to see the progression of human trafficking in cyberspace. News articles were chosen because they serve as the primary source of information about historical and current events.

Cambodia’s commercial sex industry has long been the subject of transnational concern, yet this enduring problematization has yielded little in the way of lasting ‘solutions.’ Central to constructions of Cambodia’s sex trafficking problem are stories – narrative and numerical – that are not entertainment or fact, respectively, but political and ideological discourses that structure social problems and their solutions while masquerading as unmediated. In this media ethnography, I thematically analyzed aid documentaries, websites, reports, and tax returns to explore how sex trafficking in Cambodia is constructed in aid discourses as a problem to be solved. I argue that anti-trafficking rhetoric, narrated over iconographies of Cambodia’s savagery, entangles notions of material and moral poverty. Documentaries construct Cambodian families as both broke and broken, and thus as giving rise to Cambodian sex trafficking’s central, archetypal dyad: the bad mother and the innocent daughter. I further articulate how the trope of the innocent daughter is contingent on her framing as a ‘sex slave.’ These reductive discursive constructions enable similarly oversimplified solutions. The solution to ‘bad mothers’ is ‘better parents,’ enacted through maternalistic and paternalistic interventions; the solution to ‘sex slavery’ is ‘freedom at all costs,’ articulated through raid and rescue interventions. I suggest that articulations of the civilizing mission run through anti-trafficking discourses and interventions, evidenced by their attempts to use numbers to render the complexities of sex trafficking knowable and therefore manageable, but also in their commitment to ‘developing' the Cambodian sex slave through rehabilitation programs that replace sex trafficking with more civilized, though still exploitative, forms of gendered labour. The ways in which sex trafficking in Cambodia is constructed in aid discourses as a problem to be solved therefore ensures the ongoing presence of the anti-trafficking apparatus in Cambodia and the ongoing exploitation and abuse of the Cambodian girls subjected to aid interventions. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

While commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is widespread, little research has been conducted regarding parents’ knowledge of, beliefs about, and protective actions against CSEC. Using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems model as a lens and a quantitative survey, this study explored four questions: how knowledgeable of CSEC are parents in Mississippi and the surrounding states; what beliefs do parents have toward CSEC; how are parents taking protective actions against CSEC; and how are parents’ knowledge, beliefs, and protective actions correlated? Results from 13 participants were examined for frequencies and correlations. Findings indicated that parents have a basic knowledge of CSEC, beliefs favorable to CSEC prevention and intervention, and parents take protective actions. However, gaps and inconsistencies existed. In future, practitioners should target parents and church staff for CSEC prevention and intervention education and training.

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Survivors of human trafficking experience trauma that causes profound, sometimes lifelong effects. The abuse experienced during a trafficking episode can result in physical injuries, emotional and psychological problems, and challenges with executive functioning skills (Gorman & Hatkevich, 2020). Current policies and resources focus on trafficking prevention and rescue, but there are few programs that address the survivors’ recovery needs after exiting the trafficking episode. This results in a gap in care that leaves survivors with few options as they try to regain their independence and engage in meaningful occupations. Occupational therapists are ideally suited to addressing this gap. This author developed a comprehensive, evidence-based program that demonstrates the vital role occupational therapy (OT) can play in post-trafficking recovery and rehabilitation. Pathways Nepal is a six-week OT program developed for the women living in the SASANE residential home in Pokhara. The program is grounded in well-established models of care and incorporates occupation-based activities, trauma-informed care, and the use of social support – approaches that have been shown to be effective in facilitating positive change for the post-trafficking demographic (Amadasun, 2022; Cerney et al., 2019; Edwards et al., 2023; Johnson, 2018; Hardy, 2013; Hopper et al., 2018; Rafferty, 2017). Findings from the initial iteration of Pathways Nepal will be used to facilitate the program expansion throughout Nepal and eventually, to other post-trafficking residential facilities globally. In doing so, Pathways Nepal serves to help define the role of OT in post- trafficking care, while also helping to establish the role of OT on the global healthcare stage.

Abstract Domestic minor sex trafficking in the United States is a human rights issue and social problem affecting over 300,000 children ages 12-17, 43% of whom are African American girls. This survey was an exploration of domestic minor sex trafficking knowledge among African American parents and their protective strategies to prevent victimization. Ecological systems theory provided a conceptual framework to examine the environmental factors shaping parental knowledge. The sample consisted of 2 Southern California African American churches (n = 38, n = 32) that served different socioeconomic groups. The African American Sex Trafficking Knowledge survey was researcher designed and pretested by 7 police colleagues. The qualitative data analysis provided sample demographic specifics and associated themes on their knowledge and strategy. Both had basic information about minor sex trafficking, but were unaware of its presence in their communities or the availability of local resources, if needed. Parents believed their children became insulated from victimization because they engaged in protective measures. The social change implications included building and coordinating resources in African American communities with the goal of reducing the high victimization rate of African American children. African American churches as family resource centers could facilitate meaningful parent-child dialogues about sex trafficking. This partnership could initiate innovative preventive programs with community organizations. The outcome could be a model for creating effective culturally-sensitive prevention programs for not only African American families, but also other vulnerable groups.