Citation

Oram S, Abas MA, Bick D, Boyle AA, French R, Jakobowitz S, Khondoker M, Stanley N, Trevillion K, Howard L, Zimmerman C. Am. J. Public Health 2016; 106(6): 1073-1078.

Affiliation

Siân Oram, Melanie Abas, Sharon Jakobowitz, Kylee Trevillion, and Louise Howard are with Health Service and Population Research, King's College London, London, England. Debra Bick is with the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, King's College London. Adrian Boyle is with Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge, England. Rebecca French is with the Department of Social and Environmental Research, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London. Mizanur Khondoker is with the Department of Biostatistics, King's College London. Nicky Stanley is with the School of Social Work, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, England. Cathy Zimmerman is with the Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, American Public Health Association)

DOI

10.2105/AJPH.2016.303095

PMID

27077341

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To investigate physical and mental health and experiences of violence among male and female trafficking survivors in a high-income country.

METHODS: Our data were derived from a cross-sectional survey of 150 men and women in England who were in contact with posttrafficking support services. Interviews took place over 18 months, from June 2013 to December 2014.

RESULTS: Participants had been trafficked for sexual exploitation (29%), domestic servitude (29.3%), and labor exploitation (40.4%). Sixty-six percent of women reported forced sex during trafficking, including 95% of those trafficked for sexual exploitation and 54% of those trafficked for domestic servitude. Twenty-one percent of men and 24% of women reported ongoing injuries, and 8% of men and 23% of women reported diagnosed sexually transmitted infections. Finally, 78% of women and 40% of men reported high levels of depression, anxiety, or posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS: Psychological interventions to support the recovery of this highly vulnerable population are urgently needed. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print April 14, 2016: e1-e6. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2016.303095).

Language: en