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Child Trafficking Research Paper

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According to Rafferty (2008), child trafficking is a major social problem where children are routinely sold like merchandise for the profit of the traffickers in a multibillion-dollar industry. Rafferty states “child trafficking is an egregious crime that involves extreme forms of child maltreatment, and major violations of children’s human rights (Rafferty, 2008). Child trafficking has a negative impact on the children who experience it. It causes physical and emotional trauma as well as a major impact on children’s development.
According to Rafferty (2008), numerous reports describe the physical and emotional trauma that is caused by the humiliation, violence and degradation associated with treatment as a commodity, and the unrelenting fear …show more content…

It is the extent and persistence of the psychological and physical abuse and the coercive, deceitful, and exploitative relationship with the traffickers that distinguish trafficking from other maltreatment. Traffickers use psychological manipulations and coercive methods to maintain control over their victims and to make their escape virtually impossible by destroying their physical and psychological defenses. Reported methods include physical, sexual, and psychological violence; isolation; deployment in areas unknown to them; dependence on alcohol or drugs; controlled access to food and water; and monitoring through the use of weapons, cameras, and …show more content…

Children experience physical and emotional trauma associated with removal from their families, homes, and communities; their subsequent encounters involve substantial harm through physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Case studies have reported adverse emotional effects among trafficked children, including depression, hopelessness, guilt, shame, flashbacks, nightmares, loss of confidence, lower self-esteem, and anxiety. The negative messages they routinely receive can influence their sense of worth, leading to feelings of self-blame. Psychological abuse associated with ongoing threats, isolation, and witnessing the abuse of others negatively affects self-concept, personal goals, and relationships with others, and seriously jeopardizes emotional well being. Emotional and physical neglect are associated with social and emotional withdrawal (Bousha & Twentyman, 1984), behavioral problems (Watts-English, Forston, Gibler, Hooper, & DeBellis, 2006), and lower self-esteem, confidence, and assertiveness (Egeland, Sroufe, & Erickson, 1983). Children who experience physical and sexual abuse are more likely to experience adverse emotional outcomes, including anxiety and depression, lower self-esteem, social isolation, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, and suicide (Dykman et al., 1997; Kaufman, 1991; Nelson et al., 2002; Sneddon, 2003). Sexually

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