The Effects on Victims of Trafficking
Like other types of victimization, trafficking can cause serious mental, emotional, and physical effects. In addition to the trauma of being taken from their families and communities, victims of trafficking often experience extreme violence, which can cause serious long-term physical damage. Victims who are trafficked often have a severe lack of trust of people, even after being rescued. Victims often have suffered from starvation, beatings, and rape, all of which have serious physical impacts that need to be dealt with after rescue (Kaylor, 2015). Victims, especially of sex trafficking, also often have damage to their reproductive systems, sexually transmitted infections, and might have had multiple pregnancies that may have led to forced abortions or to miscarriages.
Trafficking victims often suffer severe physical, emotional, and psychological abuse from their traffickers and the people who control their lives. Victims can struggle to integrate back into their communities both because of their own issues stemming from their victimization and because of the social rejection from their communities because they are considered damaged goods. Image: Hand. Authored by: pexels.
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Like most victims of violent crimes, victims of trafficking often suffer from severe mental health issues, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. They might also develop Stockholm syndrome, a condition in which the victim(s) develop a psychological alliance with their traffickers as a survival strategy. They can develop positive feelings and attachments to their captors, including thinking of them as protecting and providing for the victim, even though the perpetrator is clearly exploiting the victim (Alexander & Klein, 2009). This can also make it harder to convince victims to leave their perpetrator and get help. In addition, they might also participate in violence toward new victims because they view their perpetrators as doing the right thing.
Furthermore, victims who are returned to their communities can also experience social isolation and stigma because of their experiences. Girls who were trafficked for sexual exploitation may be considered damaged property and may be considered a blight on their family’s reputation. It may be difficult for the women to marry, and few financial opportunities might be available for them. Often little funding from government and large institutions are available to help victims be successful post-trafficking.