Abstract

Human trafficking is a highly profitable human rights violation and is labeled as one of the fastest growing industries worldwide. Few studies provided a detailed analysis of the survivors' accounts of their experiences and how these experiences influenced their reintegration into society. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experience of female survivors of sex trafficking as they reintegrated into the community and society using the survivors' voice. This study also aimed to describe the survivors experience with healthcare providers. This study obtained data from hard to detect populations (female survivors aged 18 and older) through purposeful and snowball sampling. Data was collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews via telemedicine. The interviews were transcribed verbatim analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Findings from this study indicated that exiting from trafficking and reintegration into the community was a difficult process for most survivors. The process of exiting or the experiences of these survivors as they exited trafficking and reintegrated into society involved 4 phases: Getting out, Learning to "live" again, Staying out, and Surviving and thriving in this new life. Most survivors described their experiences or contact with healthcare providers as negative. The results from this study will inform nursing, legislative bodies, and community interventions for resources specific to individual survivors of sex trafficking.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2021

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Loerzel, Victoria

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Nursing

Department

Nursing

Degree Program

Nursing

Identifier

CFE0009295; DP0026899

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0026899

Language

English

Release Date

June 2023

Length of Campus-only Access

1 year

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

Location

UCF Online

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Included in

Nursing Commons

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