The Allure of the Underground Sex World: A Professionals' Perspective

Background: Human trafficking is the second largest illegal trade in the world (Wilson & Butler, 2014). Commercial sexual exploitation, which includes domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST), is especially lucrative and one of the most profitable illicit activities in the world (Gavin et al., 2010; Kara, 2010).  The hypothesized age of entry in to sex trafficking networks for minors is between 12-14 years old (Holger-Ambrose, et al., 2013) and 70-90% of them have a childhood trauma history (Goodman & Laurence, 2014).  Empirical research on DMST is scarce, as youth are often difficult to interview due to their vulnerabilities and the underground nature of the sex-trade. The current study sought to obtain an understanding of the relationship between youth and their traffickers, as viewed through the lens of helping professionals.

Method: A qualitative research design was used to capture the experiences and opinions of professionals who work with youth who are engaged in sex trafficking networks.  A combination of convenience and snowball sampling was used for recruitment. Participants consisted of law enforcement, prosecutors, social workers, advocates, forensic interviewers, and harm reduction service providers (n=10).  Interviews were audio-taped, transcribed and coded, guided by the principles of grounded theory, using the ATLAS.ti 7.5 program.  The first step in the coding analysis was a parallel process of structural and in-vivo coding of each transcript.  First cycle codes were collapsed systematically and clustered based on commonalities between codes.  Then clusters were analyzed which allowed for prominent themes to be identified. 

Results:  The three themes identified were: Poverty, Attachment, and The American Dream.  Poverty encompasses the physical and emotional poverty that makes youth vulnerable to traffickers manipulation and exploitation.  Attachment theme describes the community and belonging that manifests in the relationship with the trafficker.  And, the American Dream represents the ideology that traffickers use to manipulate youth; for example, putting out to get ahead (i.e., hard work now for a big payoff later).  Conclusively, a traffickers capacity to detect what a youth needs and how those needs vary, creates a stronger and more successful foundation for the relationship between the youth and trafficker to flourish.  These results shed some light on the vulnerability of youth, highlight the true emotional assets gained for these youth from these relationships, and suggest respecting youth’s “truth” as it relates to their perceptions of their current situation.       

Implications: In the absence of strong, healthy community and family supports, youth remain vulnerable to the manipulation techniques of traffickers.  The findings of this study highlight a trafficker’s ability to be a chameleon and maximize on youth’s vulnerabilities by offering a more appealing life. Findings suggest that relationships between youth involved in the sex-trade and those who benefit financially from their work is incredibly complex and potentially a more fluid process than the current literature suggests.   This research supports critically reviewing current intervention approaches tailored towards trafficked youth; specifically attending to youth’s trauma histories (if applicable) and the substantial bond that youth have towards their trafficker and the underground communities they have been working in.