Poverty and Sex Trafficking: Qualitative Systematic Review

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Table of Contents

Study Background
Research Question and Objectives
Research Methods
Literature Review
References

Study Background

Human trafficking is a global problem that affects the lives of millions of people in every country in the world and deprives them of their human dignity. As one of the most infamous crimes in the world, sex trafficking deceives and victimizes women, sometimes even men and children from all over the world, and makes them the target of daily exploitation (Twis, 2020; Tsai, 2017; Shanley and Jordan, 2017). This problem is rooted in many issues, but one of the most influential is poverty. Poor countries often lack the financial resources to provide adequate education to their populations, especially young girls, which significantly limits their opportunities (Franchino-Olsen, 2021; Gerassi and Nichols, 2017). Children and women who live in the developing countries face the greatest exploitation in the sex market (Crawford, 2017; Hamid, 2019; Litam, 2017). The reason women are most often exploited in sex trafficking is that they lack the access to food, employment, education, and health services. As a result, they often seek alternative means as a source of income that is not always legal or secure.

Research Question and Objectives

The proposed research question is to learn how the phenomenon of poverty is connected to sex trafficking. The objectives to be explored are formulated as follows:

To describe the meaning of sex trafficking.
To analyze the root causes of sex trafficking.
To investigate the relationship between the phenomenon of poverty and sex trafficking.

Research Methods

The methodology uses Subjective Legal Empowerment (SLE) theory as a tool to measure the impact of poverty on human trafficking. Subjective Legal Empowerment (SLE) is a measure of legal empowerment based on individual perceptions. This theory suggests that a perceived lack of power is a barrier to solving the existing legal problems. This measurement can be taken with regard to the question of whether a person is at a heightened risk of sex trafficking. It is supposed that a person with lower SLE is more likely to become a victim. However, the methodology provides some way to predict the likelihood of a person who encounters such a situation to avoid sex trafficking.

To direct the development of the methodological framework, the hypothesis was formulated: the causes of sex trafficking are more prevalent among poor people, prompting them to enter this chain at a higher rate. To test this research hypothesis, a qualitative approach was adopted. Qualitative analysis facilitates the understanding of how the causes of trafficking influence human behavior and its outcomes. The research methodology employs several types of data collection: surveys, in-depth interviews, and focus groups.

Literature Review

The EBSCOhost, PsychInfo, PubMed, and Web of Science electronic databases from 2017 to 2021 were searched. These were chosen because of the socio-economic focus that encompasses the psychosocial effects of sex trafficking. Search terms were ‘sex trafficking’, ‘human trafficking’, and ‘poverty’. Journal articles and publications were rejected if it was understandable from the abstract and quick text review that the research did not meet the inclusion criteria. Any uncertainty regarding the application of selection criteria was resolved through discussions between all the participating researchers. Twenty studies met the selection criteria and were considered for the review. All the used sources include academic and peer-reviewed studies that examine the relationship between poverty and sex trafficking.

Many researchers have investigated a clear link between poverty and sex trafficking. For example, Crawford, M. (2017), Hamid, H. B. A. (2019), Litam, S. D. A. (2017), Durisin, E. M., and van der Meulen, E. (2020), as well as Okeshola, F. B., and Adenugba, A. A. (2018) have studied the influence of homelessness, statelessness, and poverty on the causes of human trafficking. Middleton, J. S., Gattis, M. N., Frey, L. M., and Roe-Sepowitz, D. (2018) has studied the scope and complexity of sex trafficking in a sample of youth experiencing homelessness. Duncan, A. C., and DeHart, D. (2019) Baker, C. N. (2019), and Bernstein, E. (2019) have explored the role of triggers for sex trafficking among poor people.

Fedina, L., Williamson, C., and Perdue, T. (2019) and Twis, M. K. (2020) have analyzed the risk factors for domestic child sex trafficking, while Franchino-Olsen, H. (2021), Gerassi, L. B., and Nichols, A. J. (2017), as well as Goldberg, A. P., Moore, J. L., Houck, C., Kaplan, D. M., & Barron, C. E. (2017) have studied the risk factors of sex trafficking among people in the poor countries. Greenbaum, J. (2020), Herdiana, I., Mashud, M., Suryanta, S., and Hendraini, W. (2019), as well as Joshi, R., Andersen, P. T., Thapa, S., and Aro, A. R. (2020) have researched the health risks among women involved in sex trafficking. Mletzko, D., Summers, L., and Arnio, A. N. (2018), as well as Tsai, L. C. (2017), Shanley, E., and Jordan, R. (2017) have studied the financial role and spacial patterns of sex trafficking in the world.

This systematic review assesses the latest evidence investigating this issue, testing the hypothesis that the causes of sex trafficking are more spread among poor people. The data collected shows that the nature of this multifaceted, complex, and hidden problem poses significant challenges to developing effective strategies to combat it. This systematic literature review helps to understand why poverty and low social status are generally understood as root causes of human trafficking.

References

Baker, C. N. (2019) ‘Racialized rescue narratives in public discourses on youth prostitution and sex trafficking in the united states’, Politics and Gender, 15(4), pp. 773-800.

Bernstein, E. (2019) Brokered subjects: Sex, trafficking, and the politics of freedom. University of Chicago Press.

Crawford, M. (2017) ‘International sex trafficking’, Women & Therapy, 40(1-2), pp. 101-122.

Duncan, A. C., and DeHart, D. (2019) ‘Provider perspectives on sex trafficking: Victim pathways, service needs, and blurred boundaries’, Victims and Offenders, 14(4), pp. 510-531.

Durisin, E. M., and van der Meulen, E. (2020) ‘Sexualized nationalism and federal human trafficking consultations: Shifting discourses on sex trafficking in Canada’, Journal of Human Trafficking, pp. 1-22.

Fedina, L., Williamson, C., and Perdue, T. (2019) ‘Risk factors for domestic child sex trafficking in the United States’, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 34(13), pp. 2653-2673.

Franchino-Olsen, H. (2021) ‘Vulnerabilities relevant for commercial sexual exploitation of children/domestic minor sex trafficking: A systematic review of risk factors’, Trauma, Violence, and Abuse, 22(1), pp. 99-111.

Gerassi, L. B., and Nichols, A. J. (2017) Sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation: Prevention, advocacy, and trauma-informed practice. Springer Publishing Company.

Goldberg, A. P., Moore, J. L., Houck, C., Kaplan, D. M., & Barron, C. E. (2017) ‘Domestic minor sex trafficking patients: A retrospective analysis of medical presentation’, Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, 30(1), pp. 109-115.

Greenbaum, J. (2020) ‘A public health approach to global child sex trafficking’, Annual Review of Public Health, 41, pp. 481-497.

Hamid, H. B. A. (2019) ‘Sex trafficking in Malaysia: Repositioning the trafficked victim and victim protection mechanism’, Southeast Asian Social Science Review, 4(1), pp. 135-151.

Herdiana, I., Mashud, M., Suryanta, S., and Hendraini, W. (2019) ‘Survivors of sex trafficking: How could they revive’, Journal of Educational, Health and Community Psychology, 8(3), pp. 239-258.

Joshi, R., Andersen, P. T., Thapa, S., and Aro, A. R. (2020) ‘Sex trafficking, prostitution, and increased HIV risk among women during and after the 2015 Nepal earthquake’, SAGE open medicine, 8, pp. 1-5.

Litam, S. D. A. (2017) ‘Human sex trafficking in America: What counselors need to know’, Professional Counselor, 7(1), pp. 45-61.

Middleton, J. S., Gattis, M. N., Frey, L. M., and Roe-Sepowitz, D. (2018) ‘Youth experiences survey (YES): Exploring the scope and complexity of sex trafficking in a sample of youth experiencing homelessness’, Journal of Social Service Research, 44(2), pp. 141-157.

Mletzko, D., Summers, L., and Arnio, A. N. (2018) ‘Spatial patterns of urban sex trafficking’, Journal of Criminal Justice, 58, pp. 87-96.

Okeshola, F. B., and Adenugba, A. A. (2018) ‘Human trafficking: A modern day slavery in Nigeria’, American International Journal of Contemporary Research, 8(2), pp. 40-44.

Shanley, E., & Jordan, R. (2017) ‘Sex trafficking in Indian country’, in Human Trafficking Is a Public Health Issue (pp. 123-140). Springer, Cham.

Tsai, L. C. (2017) ‘Family financial roles assumed by sex trafficking survivors upon community re-entry: Findings from a financial diaries study in the Philippines’, Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 27(4), pp. 334-345.

Twis, M. K. (2020) ‘Risk factor patterns in domestic minor sex trafficking relationships’, Journal of Human Trafficking, 6(3), pp. 309-326.

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