Therese Majeski is a recent graduate from Cornell College, Iowa with a B.A. in psychology and a minor in applied statistics. She is an aspiring forensic linguist taking a gap year before grad school to write and volunteer. Whether through academics or journalism, Therese is passionate about using the power of language to achieve a more just world and effect positive change.
Human trafficking can have a significant and damaging psychological impact on victims and survivors. Even after escape, many survivors struggle with mental health challenges brought on by the trauma they experienced.
Chris, a surivor of sex trafficking, spoke with Stop Modern Day Slavery to share his story. When speaking on his mental health, Chris explained, “I didn’t realize how harmful exploitation was while I was involved in it. Trauma physically changes the way your neurotransmitters fire in your brain. I have been in trauma therapy for 3 years and things still impact me. For example, at times, when I get intimate with a person, sometimes I disassociate and feel as if that person is a sex buyer. During COVID-19, my state had a stay-at-home order and I felt trapped in my place like it was a hotel room. I have had to create boundaries with people that are still in the life or those who encourage me to return to the life.”
Psychological Manipulation During Human Trafficking
According to an article in the Intercultural Human Rights Law Review, human trafficking victims can be traumatized by psychological manipulation and abuse from traffickers. In order to control their victims, traffickers use a variety of emotionally destructive techniques, undermining the confidence and self-worth of their victims, and verbally abusing and isolating them to create a pervasive sense of helplessness. The American Psychological Association reports that manipulation and objectification may lead victims to believe they would be rejected by the outside world if they tried to escape.
Victims may be abused one moment and given seeming compassion the next, forcing them to constantly live in fear of an eruption and be prepared to placate their abusers. The trauma of this psychological manipulation is worsened when victims are physically and sexually abused, leaving them little choice but to obey their captors.
No matter the type of abuse used, human trafficking induces an excruciating amount of terror and stress that, when maintained for an extended time, can condition trafficking victims to accept abuse and leaves them highly susceptible to mental illness.
The Psychological Aftereffects of Human Trafficking
Even after escaping, survivors of human trafficking often experience long-term psychological and emotional repercussions from the trauma they underwent.
After days, months, or years of being in constant danger and not knowing when to expect verbal, physical, or sexual abuse, many survivors have adapted to being in an ongoing state of fear. Even freed from the threats and abuse of traffickers, survivors may have been traumatized for so long that their brains have literally rewired to interpret events, environments, and people as possible sources of danger.
According to an issue brief by the Department of Health and Human Services, “Victims of human trafficking may suffer from anxiety, panic disorder, major depression, substance abuse, and eating disorders as well as a combination of these.” Survivors can also be diagnosed with PTSD: “For those that struggle with PTSD, the characterizing symptoms include intrusive re-experiencing of the trauma (for example, flashbacks, nightmares, and intrusive thoughts), avoidance or numbing of trauma-related, or trauma-triggering, stimuli ( avoiding certain places, people, and situations), and hyper arousal (such as heightened startle response and inability to concentrate).” Suicide and self-harm are also major mental health concerns in trafficking survivors.
Molly, another survivor of sex trafficking, told Stop Modern Day Slavery that her nightmares brought back reminders of the trauma she has experienced. “After escaping I did not feel safe sleeping at night for over a year. I would stay up all night to avoid the nightmares.”
Survivors may experience dissociative states, either when being trafficked or after escape, during which they lose awareness of their surroundings and are later unable to recall what happened or what they did. Disassociation may serve as a way for survivors to cope with the trauma of sexual abuse.
However, according to another issue brief by the Department of Health and Human Services, like PTSD and other trauma-caused disorders, dissociation may require psychiatric treatment so survivors are able to function normally.
The harmful consequences of human trafficking cannot be underestimated; not only are victims subjected to severe abuse, but the trauma they experience can lead to numerous distressing psychological struggles, including depression, substance abuse, suicide, and PTSD.
Meet the Artist: Adrian Glasmyre is a double major in Digital Communications and Art at Lebanon Valley College. Since her freshman year, Adrian has been passionate about using her art to raise awareness on fast fashion and human rights. She is proud to create graphics that educate others on these important issues.
Sources
Invisible Chains: Psychological Coercion of Human Trafficking Victims
Report of the Task Force on Trafficking of Women and Girls
Evidence-Based Mental Health Treatment for Victims of Human Trafficking
