Citation

Casassa K, England G, Karandikar S. Violence Against Women 2024; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/10778012241248458

PMID

38650549

Abstract

Among the many issues facing sex trafficking survivors, the trauma bonds they develop with their perpetrators are one of the most complex and least understood concerns. This community-based participatory research phenomenological study explored this phenomenon by asking: How have survivors of sex trafficking experienced healing from trauma bonding? The sample consisted of 19 female survivors who were all participants in or graduates of a human trafficking specialty docket. Three themes emerged: survivors shared that (a) building trusting and honest relationships, (b) their relationships with themselves, and (c) education all played a pivotal role in the healing they had experienced.

Keywords: Human trafficking;

Language: en

Keywords

phenomenology; qualitative research; sex trafficking; trauma bonding