A Relationship-Centered Model of Supporting Exit From Commercial Sexual Exploitation

Abstract

Conceptualizing commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) in linear stages of pre-, peri- and postexploitation misses the complex transformation of relationships required to engage in recovery. Through an ongoing partnership with a local residential recovery program, we conducted interviews with six survivors of CSE. Results suggest pivotal transition moments, first marking transition from childhood or domestic violence, when abuse becomes exchange, and then, upon efforts to exit from CSE, repeated cycles of efforts like those exiting intimate partner violence. These complex transitions suggest a more complex alteration of relationships across a trajectory of exploitation. Postexploitation services may support sustained exit by helping individuals create new healthy relationships.