Modern Day Slavery
The Psychological Complexities of Human Trafficking
Mellissa Withers, Ph.D., M.H.S
More than just fight and flight, the freeze and fawn stress responses manifest in human trafficking survivors as well.
January 11 is Human Trafficking Awareness Day, designed to raise awareness about the fact that human trafficking exists and affects people in the U.S. and around the world.
Some might think that human trafficking most often occurs through coercion, but labor trafficking occurs through a variety of deceptive recruitment tactics aimed at migrant workers.
As climate change disasters become more frequent and the will to combat climate change remains insufficient, more effort is needed.
Dental professionals may have the unique opportunity to help victims. Here are the oral health signs and next steps to address them.
Thousands of miles away from your local supermarket, migrant workers endure horrific conditions to catch seafood. Consumers have the power to shape the future of the industry.
While social media has been a force for good in drawing attention to sexual harassment, it has also offered sex traffickers a new avenue through which to ensnare victims.
Another school year has begun and college administrators across the country are doing more to ensure all students understand the true definition of consent.
It’s time to support—not blame—victims.
Reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act to ensure perpetrators of sexual violence against women face harsh consequences.
Child marriage is still legal in the majority of the United States, despite the fact that it is a violation of human rights.
So-called "nuisance laws" encapsulate how victims of domestic violence are often blamed—and even punished—by our legal system.
The extraordinary long-term costs of intimate partner violence underscore the urgent need to take measures to comprehensively address the problem.
The alarming statistics linking domestic violence and homelessness.
What happens when the perpetrator is also a victim of human trafficking? Understanding the complexities that a trauma-informed approach affords—and why it is so critical.
It's vital to create a safe and supportive environment for a person looking to escape an abusive situation. Our current immigration policies do not create such an environment.
Human traffickers often target more vulnerable victims who are less inclined to report abuse. One such group includes women who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
With human trafficking being known as 'modern day slavery,' it's imperative that we shatter the commonly-held myths about this criminal act to help better identify and stop it.
Individuals’ coping reactions to trauma remain poorly understood, even by many of the people who are in the best positions to offer support and treatment to victims.
What may seem like a harmless portrayal of pimp culture has detrimental impacts on sex trafficking and other forms of sexual violence.
What you probably didn't know about Super Bowl Sunday and its connection to sex trafficking.
Working with victims of domestic violence does not translate into adequate training to handle human trafficking cases. We must come up with a separate approach for these victims.
Many human trafficking victims are not physically held against their will, and some are even allowed to have cell phones and free time. So why don't they escape?
Psychological manipulation tactics are critical to traffickers’ success, and coercion, manipulation and psychological abuse are often more powerful weapons than physical violence.
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