Human Trafficking In The United States

Words: 733
Pages: 3

Although human trafficking has been going on for many years, it has recently been recognized as a huge problem in first world countries. This issue is being recognized on borders to police, making social workers and clinical psychologists aware of their client’s needs. It is a terrible crime against humanity which involves physical and mental abuse of the victims of this crime. The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) defines human trafficking as:
(a) “Sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age.” (hence, all children engaged in sex exploitation are seen as victims under federal law);
…show more content…
Men, women, transgender individuals, and children, are victims of human trafficking in large number every day. Some of the risk factors of becoming trafficked include, lack of education, poverty, lack of support from the family, and abuse. People who are trafficked are usually stuck with forced labor, slavery, and are trafficked for …show more content…
Victims of human trafficking face a long battle when trying to heal from their experience and have varying needs at different stages of their recovery process. When victims have been rescued their immediate needs are safety, clothing, housing, but they also need physical and mental health treatments to be able to feel like they belong in the society.
Since anti-human trafficking agenda is new, there is very little evidence based research on which treatment works best for the survivors of human trafficking. According to some studies, it is shown that health needs for the victims of human trafficking are similar to marginalized groups such as migrant laborers, victims of sexual abuse or domestic violence, and victims of torture (Connect, 2017). Therefore, the treatments that are used for these individuals can also be effective for human trafficking