Abuse in human trafficking can have life-threatening consequences. Victims frequently experience physical and psychological symptoms, such as shattered bones and PTSD, trauma, and depression.
Human trafficking is a form of modern slavery that involves forced labor, sexual exploitation, and other forms of abuse. It occurs when individuals are coerced or blackmailed into working against their will, typically by being forced to take a job in a foreign country.
In the following section, we will examine the relationship between human trafficking and other forms of abuse, the many forms of human trafficking abuse, and the effects on victims during exploitation and after their rescue.
What’s In The Article?
Similarities of Human Trafficking To Other Abuse
Domestic Violence
How Abusers Control Their Victims
Abuse In Human Trafficking
The Impacts Of Human Trafficking And Other Forms Of Abuse
Preventing Human Trafficking And Other Forms Of Abuse
Final Thoughts
Similarities Of Human Trafficking To Other Abuse
Human trafficking is frequently linked to other forms of mistreatment and exploitation. For instance, domestic violence and sexual assault are prevalent among victims of human trafficking. They may also be subjected to physical or emotional torture, forced drug use, and assaulted or physically restrained against their will.
Victims are imprisoned for a long time in tight areas, such as locked rooms or closets, without access to food, water, restroom facilities, or medical care. In addition to forced prostitution, forced marriage, and forced labor, human trafficking also involves forced prostitution and forced labor.
Domestic Violence
Domestic violence refers to criminally aggressive behavior between family members and other intimates that falls under the concept of family violence. It can take the form of physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological activities or threats against another person.
According to statistics, one in four women and one in nine men experience domestic abuse. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), domestic violence affects over 10 million adults annually in the United States.
Physical abuse, such as hitting, beating, and burning, and sexual abuse, which includes forcing someone to perform sex acts, are the most prevalent forms of domestic violence.
How Abusers Control Their Victims
Abusers may attempt to control their victims' finances, time, and relationships. They may also prohibit interaction with other individuals, making it more difficult for victims to seek assistance if they observe something unusual. Abusers will also use threats to manipulate their victims' thoughts and emotions.
They would try to ensure that there are no witnesses when they abuse someone else so that no one would believe victims if they reported it later, which is why most of them don't come forward. Abusers frequently convince their victims that there is no way out of their circumstances.
Abuse In Human Trafficking
Abuse is a kind of exploitation within the context of human trafficking. Human traffickers exploit their victims for personal benefit without giving physical or monetary compensation. The victim is forced to complete tasks without payment, while the trafficker gains from their labor.
In addition to being a type of exploitation, abuse in human trafficking is also a kind of violence that causes physical harm to the victim. In certain situations, if this aggression goes untreated for an extended length of time, it might even result in death.
Physical Abuse In Human Trafficking
Physical abuse in human trafficking is used to frighten, dominate, and pressure victims into doing unwanted sex work or other labor. In many instances, this includes torture or other forms of abuse to break the victim's resistance.
Traffickers also used threats of physical violence to victims or their families to control them. Traffickers also use physical violence to maintain victims' dependence on them. Traffickers use physical assault as punishment for disobedience or when captives do not cooperate with an assignment or job request. In many circumstances, the threat of physical injury is sufficient to force women and girls to submit to the demands of traffickers. There are numerous forms of physical abuse, including but not limited to the following:
Hitting, slapping, punching, and kicking the victim
Burning or causing harm to them using fire or hot objects
Threatening the victim's family members with physical harm to keep them from reporting a crime
Signs Of Physical Abuse In Human Trafficking
Bruising is a sign of physical abuse in human trafficking, especially on the arms, shoulders, back, and pelvis. Burns on the wrists and ankles may indicate a history of self-inflicted injuries in an attempt to flee kidnappers.
Scars or fractured bones may also be evidence of physical abuse by their traffickers. Physical abuse consists of beatings, rape, sexual assault, and torture used to coerce victims into forced labor or prostitution.
Physical Abuse In Sex Trafficking
Physical abuse is widespread among female victims and survivors of sex trafficking. It involves beatings, punches, burning, rape, and pillow smothering. Many women survivors claimed being raped repeatedly by multiple men every day.
As part of sex trafficking, victims may be subjected to rape, assault, harassment, and mutilation, including the removal or destruction of body parts and the denial of food or water.
In addition, physical abuse in human trafficking may also involve denying medical care for injuries sustained during the execution of sex acts, forcing pregnant women into prostitution, and isolating victims in locked rooms or homes.
Traffickers may force victims to have sex with customers at a brothel or massage parlor, participate in the production of pornography, engage in street prostitution, or be transferred across state lines to engage in prostitution for money.
When a victim attempts to flee from a trafficker, physical violence may happen. It can also occur when a victim refuses to have sexual interactions with clients. They also experience physical abuse when they refuse drugs from traffickers or are beaten for not earning enough money.
Physical Abuse In Labor Trafficking
Victims of labor trafficking are subjected to physical violence, torture, and sexual assault. Labor traffickers frequently beat or burn their victims with cigarettes. They may isolate the victims in rooms, deny them food, force them to work long hours without breaks, and threaten the victims or their families if they attempt to escape.
Physical assaults, including sexual assaults, are the most common form of physical abuse in labor trafficking. Physical abuse consists of the following:
Slapping or hitting with objects
Torture, including burning and electric shock devices
Burns caused by tossed hot coals or frying pans
Beatings with fists or weapons thrown at various body areas. Sometimes this occurs to coerce victims into complying with additional demands
Violent sexual assaults include rape
Confinement in rooms, closets, or cells devoid of enough ventilation
Refusing to provide food, water, or medical attention, which can lead to malnutrition and sickness.
The victim may face physical abuse directly when their trafficker assaults them physically or sexually. However, they may also indirectly experience it by being forced to witness the physical violence of others.
Victims of human trafficking are coerced to perform dangerous, unpaid labor, such as construction work, under hazardous conditions. Their bodies become ill due to malnutrition due to inadequate food intake.
Psychological Abuse In Human Trafficking
Psychological abuse is a form of control and manipulation used to maintain victims in abusive relationships. Keep in mind that psychological coercion can be just as physically destructive as physical coercion.
The mental health impacts of human trafficking can be traumatic and long-lasting. It may involve depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), suicidal thoughts, and other mental health conditions. Due to their experiences with human trafficking, trauma survivors frequently suffer from trust issues and difficulty coping with everyday pressures such as conflict management and decision-making skills in normal life settings.
Forms Of Psychological Abuse In Human Trafficking
Psychological abuse in human trafficking can be difficult to diagnose because it doesn't often leave visible scars or bruises. In addition, victims frequently feel shame and embarrassment about their circumstances and are unwilling to speak out.
Healthcare professionals need to be aware of various forms of psychological abuse in human trafficking to identify victims and intervene before it is too late.
Isolation
Isolation is a crucial strategy for traffickers to exert control over their victims. It could be physical, psychological, or both. By confining victims to tight locations where they feel imprisoned and unable to escape, traffickers may prevent them from escaping or seeking assistance. Isolation is also used to keep victims from being aware of their surroundings.
Threats
Threats are a typical method of traffickers to keep their victims in abusive situations. Traffickers may threaten their own safety or even the safety of their families. They may also threaten deportation and other sanctions for escaping the situation of human trafficking.
Threats are also frequently used by traffickers to coerce victims into complying with their demands. It also typically occurs when the victim attempts to flee the incident.
Humiliation
Humiliation is a form of mental abuse in human trafficking wherein a person's self-esteem is hurt by making them feel embarrassed, ashamed, or small. It can also be used to keep someone from leaving by making them feel like they can't do anything. Abusers can keep hurting their victims as long as they can keep them quiet by making them feel bad. In sexual exploitation and human trafficking, humiliation is used to keep victims under control by making them think there is no way out.
Fear
Traffickers and abusers use many different ways to make their victims afraid. They might threaten to hurt them physically, take away their rights, or not give them food. It can make it hard for the person who has been hurt to trust other people. Abusers often tell their victims that they can't leave because they are too far from family and friends or don't know what to do next.
The Impacts Of Human Trafficking And Other Forms Of Abuse
Unfortunately, the impacts of human trafficking and other forms of abuse are not limited to the short term. They can last for years or even decades after the victim is saved from their abuser.
Abuse in human trafficking can lead to depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other mental health problems like thoughts of self-harm or suicide. It can also lead to heart disease and asthma, among other health problems. Some survivors get cancerous tumors because they endured so much trauma while being abused that their immune systems became weak. It makes them more likely to get diseases like cancer. Lastly, trauma survivors may have pain that lasts for a long time, making it hard for them to do normal things.
Effects Of Physical and Sexual Abuse In Human Trafficking
Both physical and sexual abuse in human trafficking can cause people to have serious health problems. This can include damaged internal organs, injuries, brain damage, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and long-term illnesses. Victims don't get enough food or the right medical care, which worsens their health.
Brain Damage
The effects of abuse on the victim's brain are severe and can lead to serious health problems. Both physical and emotional trauma can cause brain damage. There are many ways that victims of human trafficking can get brain damage, such as:
Physical abuse: Severe physical abuse hurts the brain's ability to think clearly and remember things. It also makes it hard to focus and concentrate.
Emotional abuse: Emotional abuse isn't always as obvious as physical abuse but is just as harmful. It causes mental stress, which affects how the brain works over time.
Broken Bones
People who are trafficked often get broken bones. They may be beaten, kicked, or thrown onto hard surfaces. They also get hit with things like bats and sticks. It can cause serious health problems for victims who have them.
Physical abuse in human trafficking is the most likely cause of broken bones, but there are some cases where both physical and sexual abuse are involved.
Different people and several situations can cause broken bones. The first thing to think about is what kind of bone was broken, where it is located, or if there were multiple fractures. These things can help figure out how long ago the injury happened and what kind of force may have been used while they were in captivity. Broken bones can include broken teeth, broken ribs, broken noses, broken legs, and arms.
Chronic Medical Condition And Other Illnesses
Health problems in human trafficking victims can include cardiovascular problems. Trauma can cause insomnia or nightmares, which can lead to not having enough sleep and fatigue. These symptoms can cause your blood pressure and cholesterol levels to increase, which can make you more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. It may also worsen your complications if you have diabetes.
Human trafficking victims also have a high chance of getting STDs and other problems with reproductive health. They are also more likely to get cancer, internal organ damage or injuries, problems with their eyes and teeth, and respiratory problems like tuberculosis.
Effects Of Psychological Abuse On Human Trafficking
Some psychological impacts of abuse in human trafficking are PTSD, depression, and anxiety. It may also include a feeling of hopelessness, guilt, and shame, as well as difficulty trusting others or having relationships with them.
Human trafficking can also hurt the mental health of the people who live with the victims. Family members often feel helpless and anxious when they can't find their loved ones or don't know where they are. Also, children who were taken away from their parents show signs of trauma. It can be sudden changes in behavior, like getting angry for no reason or having sleepless nights.
Repetitive Negative Patterns Or Thoughts
Repetitive negative thoughts happen when a person experiences the same traumatic event repeatedly. Examples include:
Hearing their captor's voice even when they are not there
Seeing images of being attacked
Feel uncomfortable around people they think are like their captors
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a mental illness after a person has been through or seen something that makes them feel scared, helpless, or horrified.
Human trafficking victims may get PTSD as they try to deal with the trauma they've been through, like being beaten, raped, forced to take drugs, and more. Some signs of PTSD are:
Memories or flashbacks of the traumatic event
Having nightmares about their experiences
Not feeling anything at all
Can't fall asleep or can't stay asleep
Depression
People who suffer from abuse in human trafficking often show signs of depression. It can be caused by many things, like the stress of being or the trauma of being kidnapped. Most of the time, depression can be treated with medicine, therapy, or both. Depression, like other mental health problems, might not go away completely, but it's important to know that treatment can help manage it.
Dissociation
Dissociation is a mental process in which a person separates themselves from a bad or scary situation. It's kind of like daydreaming which victims use to deal with what's happening to them. They might dissociate while being abused to get away from what's happening.
It's important for people who have been trafficked not to blame themselves for feeling disassociated. It can happen when people are exposed to trauma or abuse for a long time, especially if they have no control over it.
Personality Changes
Victims of human trafficking may show changes in their personalities, like becoming shyer or more outgoing. Some victims may trust others more or less because of what happened to them. Other personality changes include being passive or aggressive and dependent or independent on others.
Suicidal Thoughts Or Suicide Attempts
Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among people who suffer from abuse in human trafficking. These people have often been through terrible things, like being severely beaten and raped. The psychological damage caused by this kind of abuse can be so bad that it can make someone attempt suicide. Sometimes the stress is so bad that even normal things like school or work are too much for them to handle.
Substance Abuse Disorders
Many victims suffer from substance abuse before being trafficked, and they may still be for years after they are rescued. Victims who are also substance abusers are more likely to be trafficked again, especially in the first three months after they are rescued. Drug users often have trouble getting jobs or finding places to live, which can lead them back into exploitative situations.
Aside from drug use being bad for victims' health and well-being, it also makes them more vulnerable than other groups. For example, they are less likely than ordinary people or non-addicts to get help if they are abused or exploited.
Preventing Human Trafficking And Other Forms Of Abuse
The more people who know about trafficking and step up to help build safe communities, the more we can end this exploitation. They can provide proper medical care for survivors as well as the mental health they need. More than anyone, healthcare professionals are the ones who should understand the needs and situations of human trafficking victims.
The more people know about trafficking and help build safe communities, the more likely we can stop this kind of exploitation. There are many ways how healthcare organizations can help human trafficking victims. They can give survivors the right medical care as well as the mental health care they need. Healthcare professionals should understand the needs and situations of people who have been trafficked better than anyone else.
Final Thoughts
Human trafficking is a common form of exploitation that affects millions of people around the world. Traffickers hurt victims in different ways to take advantage of their weaknesses. Physical abuse, sexual abuse, and mental abuse are all common forms of abuse in human trafficking.
Human trafficking victims can get very sick and even die. Survivors need care immediately to help them get better and keep their condition from worsening.
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