A new research article examines how survivors of sex trafficking find a way out – and how healthcare providers' understanding of that process will help them provide trauma-informed care in the recovery process.
HOLBROOK, Mass., Jan. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Sex trafficking of domestic minors impacts millions of people worldwide. Many of the victims, however, do not receive help until they are adults. A new research article in the newest issue of the Journal of the Academy of Forensic Nursing examines how survivors of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST) find a way out of "the Life", and how understanding that process can help healthcare providers provide trauma-informed care in the recovery process.
The article's authors, Drs. Rosario V. Sanchez and Patricia M. Speck, describe their qualitative analysis of survivor statements, paying particular attention to survivors' process of leaving, or eloping, their sex-trafficking circumstances. In their research, the authors identified one major theme, which they called "Out of the War".
"Wars are not won by just declaring it won, but rather with strategic course decisions and refined maneuvers, revealed by all participants," the authors write. "The participants talked about developing and testing their elopement strategy through practice, until mastering the war milieu."
While examining the narratives of four female participants, the authors identified the non-linear nature of the DMST elopement process. Each participant's unique journey included barriers to attempts to elope, as well as the development of new opportunities to leave their trafficking circumstances as they matured physically and emotionally. Because survivors usually must work through this "maze" on their own, many do not receive professional interventions until adulthood. Sanchez and Speck suggest healthcare providers and systems need to be better prepared to recognize adolescent victims of DMST in order to provide compassionate, evidence-based, trauma-informed approaches that empower them to find a way through this non-linear maze and out of "the Life".
The full article, "A Qualitative Multiple Case Study Analysis About Elopement from Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST)" can be accessed for free on the JAFN website.
About the Journal of the Academy of Forensic Nursing
The Journal of the Academy of Forensic Nursing focuses on highlighting scholarship relevant to forensic nursing and allied professionals. The open-access publication is free to read in its entirety. The JAFN Editorial Team welcomes the submission of new, unpublished research articles, clinical-practice papers, and case studies related to forensic nursing. There are no fees to publish in JAFN, and mentors are available to assist those new to scholarly writing. To learn more, please visit the JAFN website. https://www.goafn.org/jafn
About the Academy of Forensic Nursing
The Academy of Forensic Nursing was founded in 2018 by visionary forensic nurses who wanted to expand and inform forensic nursing practice, link new and existing research to clinical care, promote education, and advocate for policy at the federal and local levels. Core to the organization's mission and values is integrating equity and trauma-informed approaches in an inclusive manner. AFN members include nurses, physicians, mental health providers, advocates, and law enforcement personnel – essentially anyone who will encounter patients with forensic healthcare needs. Learn more at the AFN website: https://www.goafn.org
Media Contact
Kristi Mayo, Academy of Forensic Nursing, 1 816-289-7828, [email protected], www.goafn.org
SOURCE Academy of Forensic Nursing
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