Practitioners' perspectives on working with families of minors experiencing sex trafficking: Family risk factors and implications for family based interventions

Purpose

The current study explored family risk factors for sex trafficking of minors and the implications for family based interventions post identification.

Methods

Drawing from 30 interviews with social service and criminal justice professionals in a Midwestern metropolitan area, this qualitative study focused on their perspectives and experiences working with families of minors involved in sex trafficking. A small research team conducted an inductive analysis of transcribed audio recorded interviews. Coding of the transcribed interviews involved multiple phases, including open and selective independent co-coding processes.

Results

Results indicated that parents were often unaware of their child's involvement in a sex trafficking situation, and did not recognize warning signs. Family risk factors, including child sexual abuse and parental substance use disorder, preceded children's experiences with sex trafficking and continued to present challenges post-identification. Inaccessibility of resources to meet basic needs was an environmental risk factor impacting families and their children as well. Furthermore, family members' ability to provide a supportive relationship and structure for their child following sex trafficking involvement was also described as challenging.

Conclusions

Implications for prevention of retrafficking through family based interventions include providing sex trafficking related education to family members, facilitating development of supportive relationships, discussing the importance of providing structure following a sex trafficking situation, and providing individually tailored resources to family members to address substance use disorders, mental health challenges, and basic needs.