What Are the Impacts of Human Sex Trafficking?

The U.S. considers sex trafficking to be a form of human trafficking. It involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to get someone to engage in a commercial sex act. Shockingly, it’s estimated that more than 27 million people worldwide and one million people in the U.S. are currently being trafficked.

In Louisiana and throughout the country, traffickers tend to prey on the most vulnerable – those who are unemployed, poor, homeless, living in unsafe situations, or addicted to drugs or alcohol. They target individuals searching for and dreaming of better lives and opportunities, and children and youth with unstable home lives or who have run away. Even people in relationships may be deceived and manipulated into performing commercial sex acts.

The impact of human sex trafficking is complicated because the trauma, pain, and suffering of victims are immeasurable and far-reaching. Sex trafficking victims experience minor to serious physical injuries, extensive psychological and emotional trauma, financial struggles, and relationship issues that can have short-term and lifelong effects.

However, a civil sex trafficking lawsuit can relieve some of the stress, uncertainty, and widespread effects of these crimes by getting survivors much-needed compensation to heal and move forward with their lives.

Physical and Psychological Effects of Sex Trafficking

There are several possible physical injuries from sex trafficking. While each victim’s experience is unique, examples of bodily harm include sexually transmitted infections (STIs), pelvic pain, infectious diseases, chronic health conditions, malnourishment, dental problems, and infertility. Many survivors of human trafficking suffer injuries from years of physical assaults, such as broken bones, bruises, and scars.

In many cases, victims who develop illnesses, become pregnant or encounter other health issues requiring medical care are often treated by unqualified individuals and/or in unsanitary conditions. This can lead to more serious physical health problems; the lack of access to proper medical care can result in permanent health issues. 

To understand the psychological and emotional trauma of human sex trafficking, it’s important to know how victims are treated, and the difficulty of escaping. The mental health struggles and conditions survivors experience may arise from several factors, such as:

• Living in fear
• Loss of human rights
• Physical abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Constant manipulation
• Feeling helpless, worthless, or humiliated

Due to how they’re treated and manipulated, common health impacts of human trafficking include anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), memory loss, ongoing fear and shame, and phobias. They’re also likely to distrust others and have difficulties forming healthy, lasting relationships.

Substance abuse and addiction are other impacts of human sex trafficking. Some victims are already abusing drugs or alcohol when they’re targeted or were coerced or forced to take drugs for the perpetrator to gain control. Others begin using substances as a way to cope with their trauma while they’re being trafficked or after they’ve escaped. Regardless of the reason, addiction makes it even more difficult to heal and get help.

There’s also the reality that some victims of human trafficking struggle with recognizing and acknowledging they’re victims. Many don’t realize or are unable to accept that what’s happening to them is not only illegal but inhumane. In many cases, perpetrators are so skilled at manipulating their targets that they believe they’ve chosen the life they’re living. Traffickers often build false relationships with their targets to gain their trust, causing victims to develop an emotional attachment, even Stockholm Syndrome, which prevents them from seeing clearly.

Impact of Child Sex Trafficking

Children who are trafficked are robbed of their childhood, and though these victims experience similar struggles to adults, there’s a unique impact of trauma on child trafficking survivors. Trafficked children often aren’t educated because they’re kept from attending school, or do poorly in school before, during, or after being trafficked. Child trafficking victims’ brains develop differently than kids who have positive, age-appropriate experiences with families and a support system that provides crucial physical and emotional care as they grow.

The emotional abuse and control exerted over such a vulnerable demographic causes complex trauma, attachment disorders, severe anxiety, and distrust of those around them. Since adults took advantage of and abused them, accepting support and trusting others for help can be extremely difficult. It’s common for victims of child sex trafficking to struggle with substance abuse and engage in unhealthy and unsafe behaviors.

Societal and Community Impact of Human Sex Trafficking

Beyond the extensive physical, emotional, and psychological impacts of human sex trafficking, it also affects society and the communities in which it occurs. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “human trafficking perpetuates cycles of exploitation, poverty and vulnerability”. For example, communities are affected in terms of crime rates. Human sex trafficking is profitable, and organized crime is difficult to stop, especially when criminals have the money needed to elude law enforcement, and to continue to target more vulnerable individuals in the community; it gives power to wield control over community members.

Then there’s the stigma surrounding human trafficking survivors, especially those who were charged with a crime, such as prostitution. It’s difficult to obtain employment with a criminal record, which can leave survivors in low-income situations, or force them to live in poverty. Understanding that many sex workers have been forced, coerced, or manipulated to engage in commercial sex acts is an important step towards changing perception and providing proper support.

Getting Justice for Human Sex Trafficking Victims

With such far-reaching impacts of human sex trafficking, helping survivors and preventing these crimes from occurring is crucial. And yet, the reality is that perpetrators can be difficult to identify, gather evidence against, and prosecute. But there is a form of justice available and a way to ensure survivors get the help they need – a civil sex trafficking lawsuit. These sex abuse lawsuits can be filed against not just individuals, but businesses and organizations that financially benefited from trafficking. A lawsuit can provide financial stability and security and ensure access to the resources needed to heal.

Human sex trafficking survivors may need a combination of support and services to escape being trafficked and have the best chance at healing once they’re free. These include medical treatments and care for injuries and illnesses, counseling, and help finding housing or a job. Victims of human trafficking often require specialized services for substance abuse or domestic violence and serious injuries from physical or sexual assaults can have lifelong effects. All of this can be quite costly, but a civil sex trafficking lawsuit can alleviate the financial burden of a survivor’s healing. It can also lead to the only form of justice since few perpetrators are caught and held criminally liable.

At Herman, Katz, Gisleson & Cain, we understand how overwhelming the impacts of these crimes are. We fight tirelessly for our clients, providing them control and a sense of empowerment while ensuring they’re fairly compensated for the depth of harm endured. If you were the victim of human sex trafficking, our compassionate attorneys are here to help. Contact us online or at 1-844-943-7626 for a free and confidential case consultation.