Human trafficking is an exponentially growing threat to individuals throughout the world. Men, women and children are striped from their homes and sold as worthless items within a corrupt industry every day. As the sex trade industry has grown tremendously, victims of sexual exploitation have responsively began sharing their stories to bring enlightenment towards the brutal realities of the modern slave trade. These narratives outline pain, suffering and reconciliation with hope to spur action towards bringing justice to those affected. As the stories behind these crimes are recounted, realities of how the sex trafficking industry impacts mental health care are revealed through cultural perspectives on the issue.

What is the current status of the sex trafficking industry? An organization called Citizens for Community Values, claims “sex trafficking as the second largest criminal industry in the world."

There have been 27 million trafficking victims worldwide.

There are approximately 800,000 annual trafficking victims worldwide.

The average age for victims is 12-14.

[And] approximately 80% of victims are female, with 70% of those females trafficked into the commercial sex industry.

So, why is the modern slave trade of sex trafficking prominent today? Ultimately, the history of the sex trafficking industry, stems from unequal and unjust cultural values which demonize sex work as a legitimate crime and view victims as labor bearers. These cultural factors not only feed the industry, but impact available mental health treatment both regionally and globally.

To asses cultural factors on the sex trafficking industry in regards to mental health, global perspectives on prostitution and sexual exploitation must be examined. The way the industry is titled holds cultural significance which outlines its denotation by the masses. Vega (2014) writes, there is an “ideological weight attributed to each term [by which the industry is described]. ‘Prostitution’ is most frequently used by those who lean towards the abolition of the selling of sex, whereas the term ‘sex work’ is most frequently used by those who argue that this is a form of labor." Moreover, not only is the act of sexual exploitation as a legitimate criminal activity negotiated, the name by which the industry is referenced, holds sociopolitical meaning to its significance viewed as a crime. While some take the rights based approach towards human empowerment as a stakeholder in the debate, this stance is often nullified by the “sex work” methodology. Amongst cultures, the rights of the individual as a victim are debated as to whether the industry is at fault by the labeled definition as either sex worker or prostitute. Examples of the cultural perspectives are outlined further in Vega’s (2014) article. Cultural examples are delineated in the following:

“[Under the UK Policing and Crime Bill 2009] sex workers are criminalized under the UK Policing and Crime Bill 2009… this shows how the government uses the discourse of trafficking to punish clients and enforce the prohibition of sex work." Westernized opinion on the sex trafficking industry takes the rights based approach of the individual, by recognizing the industry as a forced labor and punishable crime. Therefore, individuals who escape the industry, are viewed as victims and not subject as laborers.

Another study reflects, “Sexual exploitation of Bangladeshi British Muslim girls, [as] dismantling the historically monolithic view of the ‘victim’ as a white woman." Here, the author outlines in a non-westernized culture, sex work is justifiable for women regardless of it being a forced act because it is viewed as a labor position. Additionally, he reviews the perspective in Bangladesh as recognized victims of the industry are only white woman. Culturally and socio-politically, the "white woman" hold rights which are equal to men and have independence which entitles them to the label of victim.

Lastly, in a “Latin America section…[cultural perspectives] examined prostitution/sex work in Brazil…[There are] moves to get prostitution officially recognized as a profession alongside the existence of criminal practices as sexual tourism, people trafficking and sexual exploitation. Here, the author delineates in Latin cultures, sex trafficking is not officially viewed as a crime, but legislation towards its intolerance is in the works.

Through these cultural examples, a huge issue within the recognition of the sex trade as a criminal practice is revealed. Significantly across the world, the sex trade is not viewed as a legitimate crime due to unequal rights of sociopolitical standing. Unlike the westernized perspective as a rights based argument because of gender equality, cultures like in Bangladesh and in Latin America, still view forced prostitution by the denotation of “sex work” which argues its existence as a form of labor and not as a victimized crime.

So, how do these cultural perspectives on the industry then affect mental health? The answer is simple; victims in cultures where sex trafficking is not viewed as a legitimate crime, do not receive proper medical, psychological and emotional treatment for recovery in the event of their escape. Unjustifiably, these individuals do not receive help and the cycle continues as efforts are not made to fight against the propietors. In the opposition, those who are rescued from the industry and do live in a culture where sexual exploitation is recognized as a crime, rightfully receive the care they need to get back on their feet and start anew. As sex trafficking is a global issue, mental health care must also be globally available. However, this unfortunately is not a reality. In an article on mental health care of victims of the industry, the importance of treatment is recognized. De Chesnay (2013) writes, “Surviving sex trafficking is a complex process that requires services beyond short-term medical intervention and even long-term psychotherapy” (p. 6). To ultimately fight the industry of sex trafficking, mental health must be provided to those who are victimized. Without it, the cycle continues as individuals are not provided the means in which to get back on their feet and educate others at risk.

In conclusion, the status of the sex trade is dependent upon the availability of mental health care. Additionally, the availability of mental health care is dependent upon cultural perspective of the sex trade industry. Without universal perspective change viewing sexual exploitation as a criminal punishment by the rights of the individual, the cycle will unfortunately continue. Cultural perspectives unmistakably help determine the outcome of mental health care for victims in industry to whether or not care is made available.

References

De Chesnay M. (2013). Psychiatric-mental health nurses and the sex trafficking pandemic. Issues In Mental Health Nursing, 34(12), 901-7. doi:10.3109/01612840.2013.857200

Human Trafficking. (2016) Citizens for Community Values. Retrieved From: http://www.ccv.org/issues/human-trafficking/

Vega, N. L. (2014). Global perspectives on prostitution and sex trafficking: Europe, Latin America, North America and global. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 16(8), 1005-1008.doi:10.1080/13691058.2014.919783