Abstract
For the victims of human trafficking, the events of trafficking are not pleasant and have both short and long-term consequences to the survivors of the crime. In most instances, victims of human sex trafficking are at the mercy of traffickers who subject them to physical violence, repeated rape, torture, forced drug use, forced abortions, and psychological manipulation. As a result, victims of human trafficking are at risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections, traumatic damages, physical damages, mental problems, and social wellbeing issues. As a result, when human sex trafficking survivors become free, they require certain services necessary for their sustainable recovery. What happens to the survivors of human sex trafficking is that they go through they are registered into a shelter center and programs, which are meant to ensure that they have access to health care facilities and services to help them reconstruct their lives, including furthering their education, developing working skills, and securing employment.
Survivors of Human Sex Trafficking
In most instances, human sex trafficking victims lack basic control over their daily decisions, including sleep time, eating habits, and rest. These victims usually live at the mercy of human traffickers who mostly subject them to physical violence, repeated rape, torture, forced drug use, forced abortions, and psychological manipulation. As a result, the trafficking experience for the victims is characterized by factors such as trauma, physical damages, mental problems, and social problems. When victims of human trafficking are freed from traffickers, they usually need specific services to facilitate their swift recovery from the trafficking experiences. Due to the problems that victims of human sex trafficking go through, survivors of the crime experience depression, anxiety, insomnia, flashbacks, aches, pains, and other physical ailments that limit their ability to work and actively participate in society. As a result, it becomes difficult for them to provide financially for themselves or their families. The victims usually lack money to cater for their basic needs such as food and health care that they need to start building and living a more productive life. In simple terms, the healing process for human sex trafficking victims is a long and intense process that surpasses the rescue process. One crucial stage in the healing process for human sex trafficking victims is to be registered to an in or out shelter center to help them in their recovery. Survivors of human sex trafficking need a place to live, and a program that understands their complex needs. Therefore, access to a residential center and program is crucial for the swift recovery of the survivors of human sex trafficking. The centers need to be built on the assumption that it is difficult for the survivors to be fully thankful to receive the help they are being provided due to their traumatic experience and the lack of trust they may have developed during the trafficking process. The centers and program should understand that human sex traffickers are complex individuals who have undergone various traumas, some with lasting effects. Overriding trauma-related neutral pathways created during the victimization process by the traffickers is also a crucial process for the effective recovery of the victims. Based on research, when the brain that has become accustomed to chronic overstimulation stops getting that overstimulation, neurochemical changes occur.
For human sex traffickers survivors, sexual and physical abuse results in chronic overstimulation. Their recovery requires relational detoxification, which requires them to access a wide array of different therapies such as trauma counseling, art therapies, and equine therapies, among many more others. As a result, access to health care institutions is crucial for the survivors of human sex trafficking, which the survivors go through after being freed from traffickers. Survivors of human sex trafficking also require access to services that can help them to reconstruct their practical everyday life things. As stated early, victims of human sex trafficking do not have control over their lives, and traffickers control most of their financial and socialization aspects. The healing process for the victims usually included accessing their identifications, helping them learn how to be financially responsible, and furthering their education. When the victims continue their healing process, many start searching for other housing and gaining employment, which is more difficult to access. This is further worsened because many human sex trafficking victims tend to have misdemeanors and felonies that can disqualify them from numerous employment opportunities and reduce their ability to carry out job tasks effectively. As a result, services that can assist in accessing education, employment, and work experience is crucial for the sustainable recoveries of survivors of human sex trafficking.