A transgender girl’s experience: sexual exploitation and systems involvement

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-196
Author(s):  
Ivy Hammond ◽  
Sarah Godoy ◽  
Mikaela Kelly ◽  
Eraka Bath
Keyword(s):  
Minority Stress ◽  
Juvenile Justice System ◽  
Systems Of Care ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Commercial Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Case Review ◽  
Structural Barriers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gender Nonconforming ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The available research on specialized interventions for youth experiencing commercial sexual exploitation almost exclusively focuses on the impact and efficacy related to cisgender girls, despite the inclusion of youth who identify as transgender in these programs. This paper aims to present a case study on the experience of a transgender adolescent girl who experienced commercial sexual exploitation and provides a narrative of the multifarious challenges she faced while involved in institutional systems of care. Design/methodology/approach This paper conducted an in-depth case review of all records on “Jade,” a white adolescent transgender girl who experienced commercial sexual exploitation, from a specialty court program in the juvenile justice system between 2012 and 2016. Her experiences throughout childhood exemplify many of the unique challenges that transgender girls and young women with histories of exploitation or trafficking may encounter within service delivery and socioecological systems. This paper applied concepts adapted from the gender minority stress theoretical model to understand how minority gender identity can shape the experiences and outcomes of the youth impacted by commercial sexual exploitation. Findings Jade’s narrative underscores the interplay of gender-based sexual violence, heteronormative structural barriers, transphobia and their intersectional impact on her experience while receiving specialized care. The intersectional hardships she experienced likely contributed to adverse biopsychosocial outcomes, including high rates of medical and behavioral health diagnoses and expectations of further rejection. Originality/value This paper highlights the extraordinary challenges and barriers faced by an often under-recognized and overlooked subset of the youth impacted by commercial sexual exploitation, who may receive services that do not account for their unique needs related to gender expression and identity. This paper exemplifies how internalized stigma along with expectations of further rejection and victimization have implications for clinical and multidisciplinary intervention settings. Jade’s case underscores the need for improved access to supportive services for youth with minority gender identities, including peer community-building opportunities. Finally, this paper identifies a critical gap in US legislation and social policy. This gap contributes to the structural harms faced by transgender and gender-nonconforming youth receiving services during or following experiences of commercial sexual exploitation.

Addressing Sexual Difficulties and the Impact of Commercial Sexual Exploitation

2015 ◽  
pp. 407-430
Author(s):  
Esther Deblinger ◽  
Anthony P. Mannarino ◽  
Judith A. Cohen ◽  
Melissa K. Runyon ◽  
Anne H. Heflin
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Commercial Sexual Exploitation ◽  
The Impact

United Nations vs transnational organized crime: a glimpse of the future?

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 597-606
Author(s):  
Frank G. Madsen
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Organized Crime ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Commercial Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Original Material ◽  
Sex Tourism ◽  
Advanced Country ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transnational Organized Crime

Purpose The purpose of this paper is threefold; first, to show the role played by the United Nations (UN) in the fight against transnational organized crime; second, to analyze two subject areas, commercial sexual exploitation of children and mutilation of albinos, in which the Organization gives voice to the often voiceless victims; and third, to examine the role the UN may or should be called on to play in the postulated cooperation between high-level investigative means and personnel on the ground. Design/methodology/approach The paper relies on information generated by international organizations (Red Cross and UN) and media reports. Findings Although commercial sexual exploitation of children in many if not most advanced jurisdicitions is a crime with extraterritorial jurisdiction in the sense that perpetrator can be tried in, say, an advanced country for violations in a developing country, and considering that this crime has a strong international component, it has proved difficult to investigate. This is caused by the procedural difficulties in collecting proofs in one jurisdiction for use in another, transport of victims and witnesses, etc. Therefore, among many other measures, advanced countries should further tighten the investigation of so-called sex tourism clearly targeting children. Mutilation of persons with albinism is strongly linked to superstition and although often involving international trade, must be strongly countered by information. Again the UN plays and should play a leading role. Research limitations/implications Research in these and similar areas is quite obvious hindered by the so-called “dark number syndrome”, i.e. as the subject-matter is both illegal and the target of strong moral condemnation, it is difficult to get more than a small, hopefully representative, set of cases to examine. Practical implications Advanced countries must assist in limiting and hopefully stopping the overseas sex tourism involving underage individuals. Also, through the UN, the only moral arbiter we have, the international community should assist in informing and teaching, in particular, in the countries around the big lakes in Africa and in Malawi to bring to an end this kind of superstition. Likewise, the UN should act as a bridge, allowing sophisticated investigative means to link up with less sophisticated ones, in particular in the area of abuse of the environment (pachyderms in Africa and protected fisheries breeding grounds). Social implications From the previous paragraph, it is obvious, so it seems, that at least the commercial sexual exploitation of children and the mutilation of albinos can only be countered though a conscious effort at training aimed at the social layers – mostly in rural areas – where both superstition (albinos and brains of bald males) and the habitual view of children, in particular, but not only girls, as a source of income are prevalent. Originality/value The paper does not attempt to present original material. Rather it emphasizes the role of the UN in protecting the unprotected and promotes ideas with which to commence pushing back against the serious destruction of animals, including fishes.

Detention Experiences of Commercial Sexual Exploitation Survivors

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tereza Trejbalová ◽  
Heather Monaghan ◽  
M. Alexis Kennedy ◽  
Michele R. Decker ◽  
Andrea N. Cimino
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Juvenile Justice ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Juvenile Justice System ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Commercial Sexual Exploitation

Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) harms youth around the globe. In the United States, most states manage CSEC victims through the juvenile justice system. Once the youth enter the system, little is known about how being detained for prostitution and solicitation charges impacts them. This study explores how CSEC survivors in Nevada experience detention through a qualitative content analysis of 36 interviews with formerly detained young women. This article offers pivotal findings revealing patterns of stigmatization, turning points, obstacles, and relational breakthroughs while in detention. Treatment suggestions, proposed by the interviewees themselves, are also provided.

Collaborative Responses to Commercial Sexual Exploitation as a Model of Smart Decarceration

Social Work ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura S Abrams ◽  
Sarah M Godoy ◽  
Eraka P Bath ◽  
Elizabeth S Barnert
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Juvenile Justice ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Juvenile Justice System ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Commercial Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Grand Challenge ◽  
Policy And Practice

Abstract Historically, youths who are affected by commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) in the United States have been implicated as perpetrators of crime and overrepresented in the juvenile justice system. As an intriguing example of the “smart decarceration” social work grand challenge, policy and practice initiatives have converged to decriminalize cisgender girls and young women experiencing CSE by reframing them as victims of exploitation rather than as criminals. To date, these efforts have largely focused on gender-specific programming for cisgender girls and young women. In this article, the authors describe how federal, state, and local policy and practice innovations have supported reframing CSE as a form of child maltreatment and rerouted girls and young women from the juvenile justice system to specialized services. Using Los Angeles County as a case example, the authors detail how innovative prevention, intervention, and aftercare programs can serve as models of smart decarceration for CSE-affected cisgender girls and young women with the potential to address the needs of youths with diverse gender and sexual identities.

The impact on mental and physical health of human rights as they relate to gender and sexual minority adolescents and emerging adults

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 213-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre-Paul Tellier
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Minority Stress ◽  
Psychological Aggression ◽  
Member States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Minority Adolescents ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the human rights issues pertinent to adolescents of diverse sexual orientation and gender identities and the health consequences resulting for the transgression of these rights. In 1948, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution endorsing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Yet, 73 member states criminalize the activities of these individuals. The other member states do not impose legal penalties on these activities, yet sexual and gender minority youth within these states continue to experience acts of physical and psychological aggression. Design/methodology/approach A commissioned position paper grounded in a convenient scholarly literature review on this topic. Findings Human rights transgressions by states or individuals lead to minority stress affecting the mental health and physical health of these youth. Originality/value The author makes a number of recommendations to address some of the impact resulting from the transgression of human rights in the world.

The Impact of Childhood Abuse on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Youth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 886-903 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ieke De Vries ◽  
Kelly E. Goggin
Keyword(s):  
Childhood Abuse ◽  
Emotional Abuse ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
The United States ◽  
Commercial Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Multivariate Techniques ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
The Impact

Scholars and practitioners have drawn attention to the issue of commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) of minors, yet we continue to lack a clear understanding of which factors increase a minor’s risk to this type of victimization. The current article reviews the literature about the impact of sexual, physical, or emotional abuse on the risk of CSE. The study utilizes quantitative meta-analytical techniques to estimate an overall impact of prior abuse. Nineteen studies were selected after a comprehensive search of electronic databases covering the fields of social science, criminology, psychology, or related fields. To be included in the analyses, all articles had to measure the direct impact of sexual, physical, and/or emotional abuse on minor’s risk to CSE, utilizing multivariate techniques and presenting statistical metrics to assess the impact of prior abuse. Key findings demonstrate that sexual abuse considerably increases the risk of exploitation, especially among female youth in the United States. Physical and emotional abuse show negligible or no significant independent impacts, even though a few studies have begun to suggest that experiencing multiple types of childhood abuse may aggravate a risk of sexual exploitation. Our findings can guide further research on the impact of prior victimizations and inform screening instruments that are being developed to identify youth at risk of CSE.

The More Control, the Better?

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeeyun Oh ◽  
Mun-Young Chung ◽  
Sangyong Han
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Design ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Story Structure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High User ◽  
User Control ◽  
Rigorous Research ◽  
Control Versus ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Impact

Despite of the popularity of interactive movie trailers, rigorous research on one of the most apparent features of these interfaces – the level of user control – has been scarce. This study explored the effects of user control on users’ immersion and enjoyment of the movie trailers, moderated by the content type. We conducted a 2 (high user control versus low user control) × 2 (drama film trailer versus documentary film trailer) mixed-design factorial experiment. The results showed that the level of user control over movie trailer interfaces decreased users’ immersion when the trailer had an element of traditional story structure, such as a drama film trailer. Participants in the high user control condition answered that they were less fascinated with, absorbed in, focused on, mentally involved with, and emotionally affected by the movie trailer than participants in the low user control condition only with the drama movie trailer. The negative effects of user control on the level of immersion for the drama trailer translated into users’ enjoyment. The impact of user control over interfaces on immersion and enjoyment varies depending on the nature of the media content, which suggests a possible trade-off between the level of user control and entertainment outcomes.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document