Abstract
Human Trafficking in the Midwest: A Case Study of St. Louis and the Bi-State Area presents a comprehensive overview of the nuanced nature of human trafficking within the Midwest. Drawing upon qualitative research with participants involved in the antitrafficking movement, the book illustrates the challenges of policy implementation and service provision among sex and labor trafficking survivors. Data were collected from court records, focus groups, participant observation in trainings and coalition meetings, and from 31 interviews with social service providers, justice system professionals, and sex trafficking survivors. Vulnerable populations in the bi-state area are described in detail as well as the common tactics traffickers use to ensnare children and adults into bondage.
The book describes promising interventions and ineffective strategies for working with sex trafficking survivors. Placing victims in residential facilities or shelters that are not specific to sex trafficking was described as particularly problematic, as many of the victims run away and return to their previous lives with their pimp/trafficker. Foster care placements, homeless shelters, and juvenile detention centers are not designed to appropriately respond to the intense service needs of survivors. The authors note that placement in facilities with other survivors, where individuals are not isolated in their experiences and can feel a sense of community, is critical to recovery.
The book uses the phrase “shades of grey” to illustrate the complexities involved in identifying and serving adult victims of sex trafficking. For example, adults who participated in survival sex due to homelessness or economic hardship may later become victims of sex trafficking. Others may willingly participate in sex work and later be exploited by a trafficker or boyfriend and have difficulty getting out of their situation. Adolescents who were initially victims of sex trafficking may continue to participate in sex work without coercion due to a lack of knowledge regarding other life possibilities. Human Trafficking in the Midwest provides a noteworthy contribution to the sex work versus victimization debate, demonstrating the importance of policies and programs that serve those who may not meet the full criteria for sex trafficking but still experience sexual exploitation. The authors indicate that “the majority of sex trafficking in the St. Louis area takes the form of survival sex or functions as an extension of intimate partner violence” (p. 16).
Labor trafficking is often overshadowed by sex trafficking in the media, in service provision, and in policy efforts. Due to the lack of identification of victims, language barriers, mobility of victims, immigration issues, and inadequate support for survivors, responding to labor trafficking is particularly challenging. In this study, labor trafficking was not viewed as a priority by law enforcement officials and was prosecuted less frequently than sex trafficking. New migrants, especially agricultural workers, are noted as the most vulnerable to labor trafficking, as their wages and personal documents are often withheld from them in order to control their movement. These factors combined with a general distrust of law enforcement, fear of deportation, and psychological manipulation limit possible recourse. Creating a dialogue with farmers and hotel owners (where migrants often reside) was presented as an important strategy for combating labor trafficking. The book illustrates the need for social workers to broaden their preventative and service responses to include this form of human trafficking.
Although the authors recognize that their findings cannot be generalized to other geographic areas, the results of this study are informative to the layperson wishing to become involved in the antitrafficking movement. Several case studies illustrate the complexities of human trafficking with significant differences in two geographic regions. The results are clearly presented and particularly helpful for students, practitioners, academicians, judicial system professionals, and policy makers, as they seek to gain an understanding of how human trafficking is tackled in the Midwest. With a chapter devoted to social service provision to survivors, social workers would benefit from exploring this in-depth case study to improve service delivery, training, outreach, policy development, and interdisciplinary collaboration among service providers.