Other Titles
Survivors of Human Trafficking: Reintegration Into their Community and Society [Poster Title]
Abstract
Background: HST is a highly profitable human rights violation. Survivors of sex trafficking experience serious physical and psychological health consequences. Exiting from trafficking is difficult and recidivism is high. Many
survivors of trafficking lack resources as they reintegrate into society.
Aim: Explore the experience of female survivors of sex trafficking as they exited trafficking and reintegrated into society utilizing the survivors’ voice. The survivors’ experience with healthcare providers was also explored.
Methods: Descriptive qualitative study design was utilized to explore the experience of reintegration into society for survivors of HST. Data was collected through semi-structured, in-depth interviews. The data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis.
Results: Survivors’ identified exiting as hard and reintegration as even more difficult. Many questioned whether they had made the right choice. Identified themes included 1). Survivors’ lack of awareness regarding being a victim 2). Exiting is a process 3). Hierarchy of needs 4). Psychological distress of trauma and 5). Survivor
empowerment.
Conclusion: Resources for survivors of trafficking are severely limited. Current research lacks studies that explore and describe successful reintegration from the survivors’ perspective. There is a continued need for human trafficking awareness and trauma training for providers.
Notes
References:
Okech, D., McGarity, S. V., Hansen, N., Burns, A., & Howard, W. (2018). Financial capability and sociodemographic factors among survivors of human trafficking. Journal of Evidence-Informed Social Work, 15(2), 123-136. http://doi: 10.1080/23761407.2017.1419154
U. S. Department of State (2020). Trafficking in person report. https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-trafficking-inpersons-report/
Sorrentino, A. E., Iverson, K. M., Tuepker, A., True, G., Cusack, M., Newell, S., & Dichter, M. E. (2020). Mental health care in the context of intimate partner violence:
Survivor perspectives. Psychological Services. https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000427
Steiner, J. J., Kynn, J., Stylianou, A. M., & Postmus, J. (2018). Providing services to trafficking survivors: Understanding practices across the globe. Journal of Evidence-Informed Social Work, 15(2), 151-169. https://doi:10.1080/23761407.2017.1423527
Dell, N. A., Maynard, B. R., Born, K. R., Wagner, E. Atkins, B., & House, W. (2019). Helping survivors of human trafficking: A systematic review of exit and post-exit
interventions. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse, 20(2), 183-196. https://doi:10.1177/1524838017692553
Sigma Membership
Delta Beta at-Large
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Descriptive/Correlational
Research Approach
Qualitative Research
Keywords:
Health Equity, Social Determinants of Health, Policies, Advocacy, United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Recommended Citation
Ernewein, Charrita, "Survivors of Sex Trafficking: Reintegration into Society" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 4.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/posters_2025/4
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2025-11-17
Survivors of Sex Trafficking: Reintegration into Society
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Background: HST is a highly profitable human rights violation. Survivors of sex trafficking experience serious physical and psychological health consequences. Exiting from trafficking is difficult and recidivism is high. Many
survivors of trafficking lack resources as they reintegrate into society.
Aim: Explore the experience of female survivors of sex trafficking as they exited trafficking and reintegrated into society utilizing the survivors’ voice. The survivors’ experience with healthcare providers was also explored.
Methods: Descriptive qualitative study design was utilized to explore the experience of reintegration into society for survivors of HST. Data was collected through semi-structured, in-depth interviews. The data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis.
Results: Survivors’ identified exiting as hard and reintegration as even more difficult. Many questioned whether they had made the right choice. Identified themes included 1). Survivors’ lack of awareness regarding being a victim 2). Exiting is a process 3). Hierarchy of needs 4). Psychological distress of trauma and 5). Survivor
empowerment.
Conclusion: Resources for survivors of trafficking are severely limited. Current research lacks studies that explore and describe successful reintegration from the survivors’ perspective. There is a continued need for human trafficking awareness and trauma training for providers.
Description
Survivors of human trafficking experience severe physical and psychological health consequences as they exit trafficking and reintegrate into society. This descriptive qualitative study conducted interviews with female survivors of sex trafficking to explore and describe their experience of reintegration into society using the survivors’ voices. Findings indicated that exiting from trafficking and reintegration into the community was difficult as many survivors struggled with numerous barriers.