The Migration–Trafficking Nexus: Child Refugees at Risk and the Slow Violence that Deepens Their Vulnerability

Abstract

Young refugees are at risk for human trafficking throughout their migration journey. Unaccompanied minor refugees (UMRs) experience trauma in their home country, during their smuggling experience, and in host countries. Additionally, governments’ refugee and asylum laws and interconnected policies create slow violence, that is, gradual and cannot be traced to a single entity. We explored how prior trauma coupled with Swedish policies and laws exacted a slow violence on UMRs. We analyzed UMRs’ narratives (n = 7) and surveys (n = 18) and accounts from the helping network (n = 19) for trauma at each phase. Our results indicated that some UMRs experience trauma similar to the risk factors for child trafficking along with other trauma and experience new risks created by asylum policies and laws. We provided suggestions to governments to mitigate trafficking risk for newly arrived UMR groups, especially those with cumulative trauma and high risk for human trafficking.