The purpose of this study is to determine how Costa Rica supports human trafficking survivors, with a focus on the implementation of trauma-informed care within their efforts. This exploratory study examines services provided by one non-profit to human trafficking victims in Costa Rica and how their services reflect trauma-informed care practices. Research has shown that implementing a trauma-informed approach improves the quality of and receptiveness to care for individuals who have experienced trauma, including victims of human trafficking. For this thesis, qualitative-based field research was conducted in San Jose, Costa Rica. During the research process, interviews with service providers, legal professionals, and experts in the field were conducted. These interviews served to gather information on human trafficking in the country, victimization, services available for human trafficking survivors, trauma-informed care practices, and social/cultural, economic, legal, and Covid-19 related barriers that may prevent victims from seeking services or services from being provided in Costa Rica. A pre-determined set of interview questions was asked to each interviewee and this thesis is an analysis of the interview findings. This study was approved by the Arizona State University Institutional Review Board (see Appendix A). The findings indicate that Costa Rica is actively implementing trauma-informed care among the services provided to human trafficking survivors but can improve some of the practices in certain components of trauma-informed care to better enhance its implementation and thus benefit to clients and service providers.
When major sporting events such as the Super Bowl occur, there is a perceived increase in the amount of sex trafficking that occurs in the host city of the event. This study sought to determine if there was a direct causal relationship between major sporting events and sex trafficking, or if the perceived spike in sex trafficking was due to increased scrutiny and attention sex trafficking receives during these events. Ultimately, after examining other studies and statistics, the conclusion was that while a direct causal relationship could not be determined between major sporting events and sex trafficking, there is a lucrative opportunity and higher risk for sex trafficking to occur at these major sporting events due to the risk factors associated with the event such as the high concentration of people in the area, the party atmosphere the event fosters, and the high amount of disposable income people at the event possess. This study also examined other aspects of sex trafficking such as the scope of the crime across the world, common characteristics among victims and offenders, and strategies used to combat the problem.
eglect. Traumatic symptoms may interfere with the ability to work, function, and care for young children and may accompany a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) diagnosis.
Although these experiences are known to be harmful, little research has focused on experiences of mothers involved in the child welfare system with young children (< 5 years). Subsequently, this study explored maternal experiences of trauma whilst calculating one of the first PTSD estimates. Types of trauma exposure, age of exposure, and event details were explored alongside history of substance use, domestic violence, and mental illness. Trauma symptom type, severity, and frequency were assessed. Utilizing adult attachment as a partial mediator, relationships between trauma exposure, trauma symptoms, and parenting were examined.
Supported by a university-community collaboration within the Safe Babies Court Teams Program in Maricopa County, Arizona, this study is exploratory and cross-sectional. A convenience sample of child welfare involved mothers (N = 141) with young children were recruited who were new clinical intakes with open court dependencies. Data on child/adult traumatic events, trauma symptoms, adult attachment, and parenting were collected. Results indicated high rates of complex/chronic trauma, specifically domestic violence and physical/sexual abuse. Mothers experienced higher than average childhood adversity/emotional abuse with significant overlap between trauma exposure and reduced mental health. PTSD rates ranged from 35-39%. Adult attachment did not to mediate trauma on parenting behaviors however strong and significant direct effects were found. Insecure-disorganized and insecure-resistant were the most dominant attachment styles.
Overall, these findings indicate the complex lifecourse nature of trauma exposure and the need to pay special attention to mental health and domestic violence histories in child welfare involved mothers of young children. Implications for social work practice, policy, and research are presented and provide impetus for continued future work.