Human trafficking is an estimated $236 billion global industry that exploits men, women, and children from all walks of life. The U.S. Department of Justice defines it as “the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or services, or to engage in commercial sex acts.” Estimating the scope of domestic human trafficking is challenging due to the crime’s clandestine nature coupled with victims’ fear and isolation. In 2021, the National Human Trafficking Hotline identified 16,554 likely victims (PDF, 726KB)—and experts believe these numbers only scratch the surface. Countless victims are likely hidden in plain sight.
The dramatic abduction scenarios portrayed in movies like Taken are far from the norm. Contrary to popular belief, human trafficking is as much a domestic issue as it is an international one. It occurs in every community, affecting victims of all ages, genders, races, sexualities, and socioeconomic levels. Traffickers are often known to their victims—they can be family members, romantic partners, peers, or trusted community figures.
Traffickers exploit their victims by taking advantage of personal vulnerabilities, power imbalances, and opportunities for profit. Factors such as poverty, housing instability, mental health concerns, substance use, and other adverse childhood experiences place potential victims at disproportionate risk. These groups include communities of color, people living with disabilities, and those who identify as LGBTQ+. Members of those groups may be rendered vulnerable because of systemic inequalities, social marginalization, and reduced access to support systems. However, anyone with exploitable vulnerabilities can become a target.
While women and girls are disproportionately targeted, men and boys are also victims, though their experiences are often underreported. “Research says that 7 in 10 victims are women and girls. However, boys are the fastest growing group in both sexual and labor exploitation,” Sidun said.
Not all human trafficking is sex trafficking. Labor trafficking is also prevalent, but it is frequently overlooked because it can masquerade as legitimate employment. Laura Dryjanska, PhD, a researcher and professor of psychology who directs the minor on human trafficking studies at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, emphasized the need for more data on the diversity of victims. Traffickers often lure in vulnerable individuals by exploiting their victims’ aspirations.
For example, Dryjanska is currently researching young male Venezuelan survivors who were promised baseball scholarships but were ensnared into trafficking schemes instead. They entered the United States on student visas, but their traffickers seized their documentation upon arrival and forced them into construction and other labor. Meanwhile, the sponsoring institutions had to revoke their visas when they did not show up to play, essentially making them undocumented and even more vulnerable to their traffickers’ manipulations.
“That human quest we appreciate so much in psychology and willingness to take risks is completely crushed and misused by traffickers. They often take high-achieving and brave individuals who want to better themselves and provide for their families and crush their dreams. I’m especially sensitive to those types of stories being overlooked,” Dryjanska said.
She added that many individuals subjected to labor trafficking may not self-identify as victims, having normalized or internalized deep shame about their exploitation. Others fear the consequences of seeking help. Traffickers exploit this reluctance, using threats of legal action or deportation as tools of control.
Research shows that survivors often endure severe psychological symptoms. اكتئاب is common and often coupled with symptoms like sleep disturbances, feelings of worthlessness, and suicidal ideation. Many survivors suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (اضطراب ما بعد الصدمة), experiencing intrusive thoughts, nightmares, and hypervigilance. Complex اضطراب ما بعد الصدمة (CPTSD), which results from prolonged exposure to early trauma like child sexual abuse, may also create difficulty in self-perception and emotional dysregulation among survivors.
One study of 131 sex and labor trafficking survivors found that 71% suffered from اكتئاب and 61% from اضطراب ما بعد الصدمة, with two-thirds of those people also meeting criteria for CPTSD (Hopper, E. K., & Gonzalez, L. D., Behavioral Medicine, Vol. 44, No. 3, 2018). Additional research among homeless youth in Kentucky and Indiana found participants who had experienced sex trafficking were almost four times more likely to report suicidal ideation than those who had not (Frey, L. M., et al., Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention, Vol. 40, No. 4, 2019).
A systematic review indicated a median اضطراب ما بعد الصدمة prevalence of one-third of adult and child survivors of trafficking, with higher rates among survivors of commercial sexual exploitation (41.6%) than survivors of labor trafficking (30.67%) (Newberry, G. C., Modern Psychological Studies, Vol. 30, No. 1, 2024). Another review found that 41% of survivors of human trafficking had CPTSD (Evans, H., et al., The European Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 36, No. 2, 2022).
Children who have been subjected to child sex trafficking are more likely to develop dissociative responses. In a study of confirmed and at-risk victims of commercial sexual exploitation, 20% of the confirmed victims met criteria for dissociation, while only 7.7% of the at-risk victims did (Kenny, M. C., et al., Child Abuse and Neglect, Vol. 100, 2020). Richard LaBrie, PsyD, a clinical psychologist and trauma specialist based in Pasadena, California, explained that dissociation can serve as a protective mechanism for victims who have faced repeated trauma. “People with dissociative identity disorder often don’t get a proper diagnosis for years because they encounter therapists who don’t understand or can’t test for it appropriately,” LaBrie said. Only when paired with a trained and trustworthy therapist do they reveal their symptoms.
This article was written by from www.apa.org
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