A qualitative approach was used to explore the experience of exiting sex trade industry work from the perspective of 19 adults formerly involved in the sex trade industry. A narrative approach to data collection was used to explore the participants’ experiences of successful exiting and phenomenological analysis was employed to identify themes that reflected the ways in which participants developed resiliency throughout the exiting process.
Findings
Themes include connection (including subthemes: survivor presence, children and spirituality), resources (including subthemes: networks, structure and safety) and personal growth.
Significance
These themes represent women with diverse experiences in the sex trade industry, including a majority who were victimised by (internal) sex trafficking. The findings demonstrate opportunities for social work practice to address the diverse needs of individuals exiting the sex trade industry, specifically for those who experienced sex trafficking and sexual exploitation.
AlvarezM. B.AlessiE. J. (2012) Human trafficking is more than sex trafficking and prostitution: Implications for social work. Affilia27(2): 142–152.
2.
ArnoldE. M.StewartJ. C.McNeeceC. A. (2000) The psychosocial treatment needs of street-walking prostitutes: Perspectives from a case management program. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation30(3/4): 117–132.
3.
BakerC. N. (2015) An examination of some central debates on sex trafficking in research and public policy in the United States. Journal of Human Trafficking1(3): 191–208.
4.
BakerL. M.DallaR. L.WilliamsonC. (2010) Exiting prostitution: An integrated model. Violence Against Women16(5): 579–600.
5.
BlythE. (2008) Inequalities in reproductive health what is the challenge for social work and how can it respond?Journal of Social Work8(3): 213–232.
6.
Bowen, G. (2008). Naturalistic inquiry and the saturation concept: A research note. Qualitative Research, 8(1), 137–152.
7.
Brotto, L. A., Heiman, J. R., & Tolman, D. L. (2009). Narratives of desire in mid-age women with and without arousal difficulties. Journal of Sex Research, 46(5), 387–398.
8.
CecchetS. J.ThoburnJ. (2014) The psychological experience of child and adolescent sex trafficking in the United States: Trauma and resilience in survivors. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy6(5): 482–493.
9.
ChinG. J. (2002) Race, the war on drugs, and the collateral consequences of criminal conviction. Journal of Gender, Race & Justice6: 253.
10.
Creswell, J. W., Hanson, W. E., Plano Clark, V. L., & Morale, A. (2007). Qualitative research designs: Selection and implementation. The Counseling Psychologist, 35(2), 236–264.
11.
DallaR. L. (2006) “You can’t hustle all your life”: An exploratory investigation of the exit process among street-level prostituted women. Psychology of Women Quarterly30: 276–290.
12.
Dalla, R. L., Xia, Y., & Kennedy, H. (2003). “You just give them what they want and pray they don't kill you”: Street-level sex workers' reports of victimization, personal resources, and coping strategies. Violence Against Women, 9(11), 1367–1394.
13.
DavisN. J. (2000) From victims to survivors: Working with recovering street prostitutes. In: WeitzerR. (eds) Sex for sale, New York: Routledge, pp. 139–155.
14.
de TerteI.BeckerJ.StephensC. (2009) An integrated model for understanding and developing resilience in the face of adverse events. Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology3(01): 20–26.
15.
DohertyY. K.HarrisA. (2015) The social construction of trafficked persons: An analysis of the UN protocol and the TVPA definitions. Journal of Progressive Human Services26: 22–45.
16.
FarleyM.KellyV. (2000) Prostitution: A critical review of the medical and social sciences literature. Women & Criminal Justice11(4): 29–64.
17.
Farrell, A., & Fahy, S. (2009). The problem of human trafficking in the US: Public frames and policy responses. Journal of Criminal Justice, 37(6), 617–626.
18.
FentonK. A.JohnsonA. M.McManusS.ErensB. (2001) Measuring sexual behaviour: Methodological challenges in survey research. Sexually Transmitted Infections77(2): 84–92.
19.
FinnM. A.MuftićL. R.MarchE. I. (2014) Exploring the overlap between victimization and offending among women in sex work. Victims & Offenders: An International Journal of Evidence-based Research, Policy, and Practice00: 1–21.
20.
Fuchs EbaughH. R. (1988) Becoming an ex: The process of role exit, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
21.
Gerassi, L. (2015). From exploitation to industry: Definitions, risks, and consequences of domestic sexual exploitation and sex work among women and girls. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 25(6), 591–605.
22.
HedinU. C.MånssonS. A. (2004) The importance of supportive relationships among women leaving prostitution. Journal of Trauma Practice2(3/4): 223–237.
23.
Hopper, E. K. (2004). Underidentification of human trafficking victims in the United States. Journal of Social Work Research and Evaluation, 5(2), 125–136.
24.
HotalingN.BurrisA.JohnsonJ. B.BirdY. M.MelbyeK. A. (2004) Been there done that: SAGE, a peer leadership model among prostitution survivors. Journal of Trauma Practice2(3–4): 255–265.
25.
HoyleC.BosworthM.DempseyM. (2011) Labelling the victims of sex trafficking: Exploring the borderland between rhetoric and reality. Social & Legal Studies20(3): 313–329.
26.
HossainM.ZimmermanC.AbasM.LightM.WattsC. (2010) The relationship of trauma to mental health disorders among trafficked and sexually exploited girls and women. American Journal of Public Health100(12): 2442–2449.
JewC. L.GreenK. E.KrogerJ. (1999) Development and validation of a measure of resiliency. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development32(2): 75–89.
29.
KramerL. A.BergE. C. (2003) A survival analysis of timing of entry into prostitution: The differential impact of race, educational level, and childhood/adolescent risk factors. Sociological Inquiry73(4): 511–528.
30.
KuosmanenJ.StarkeM. (2011) Identifying the invisible: The experiences of prostitution among persons with intellectual disabilities: Implications for social work. Journal of Social Work13(2): 123–140.
31.
LawT. (2013) Transitioning out of sex work: Exploring sex workers’ experiences. In: van der MeulenE.DurisinE. M.LoveV. (eds) Selling sex: Experience, advocacy, and research on sex work in Canada, UBC Press: Vancouver, BC, pp. 101–110.
32.
Månsson, S. A., & Hedin, U. C. (1999). Breaking the Matthew effect-on women leaving prostitution. International Journal of Social Welfare, 8, 67–77.
33.
MartinL.HearstM. O.WidomeR. (2010) Meaningful differences: Comparison of adult women who first trade sex as a juvenile versus as an adult. Violence Against Women16(11): 1252–1269.
34.
Maxwell, S. R., & Maxwell, C. D. (2000). Examining the “criminal careers” of prostitutes within the nexus of drug use, drug selling, and other illicit activities. Criminology, 38(3), 787–810.
35.
McClanahan, S. F., McClelland, G. M., Abram, K. M., & Teplin, L. A. (1999). Pathways into prostitution among female jail detainees and their implications for mental health services. Psychiatric Services, 50(12), 1606–1613.
36.
McIntyreB. L. (2014) More than just rescue: Thinking beyond exploitation to creating assessment strategies for child survivors of commercial sexual exploitation. International Social Work57(1): 39–63.
37.
MeschkeL. L.PattersonJ. M. (2003) Resilience as a theoretical basis for substance abuse prevention. Journal of Primary Prevention23(4): 483–514.
38.
MonroeJ. (2005) Women in street prostitution: The result of poverty and the brunt of inequality. Journal of Poverty9(3): 69–88.
39.
Muller, J. H. (1999). Narrative approaches to qualitative research in primary care. Doing Qualitative Research, 2, 221–238.
40.
Muraya, D. N., & Fry, D. (2015). Aftercare services for child victims of sex trafficking: A systematic review of policy and practice. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 1–17.
41.
NadonS. M.KoverolaC.SchludermannE. H. (1998) Antecedents to prostitution: Childhood victimization. Journal of Interpersonal Violence13(2): 206–221.
42.
Oliver, V., & Cheff, R. (2014). The social network homeless young women, social capital, and the health implications of belonging outside the nuclear family. Youth & Society, 46(5), 642–662.
43.
OrmeJ.Ross-SheriffF. (2015) Sex trafficking: Policies, programs, and services. Social Work60(4): 287–294.
44.
Potterat, J. J., Rothenberg, R. B., Muth, S. Q., Darrow, W. W., & Phillips-Plummer, L. (1998). Pathways to prostitution: The chronology of sexual and drug abuse milestones. The Journal of Sex Research, 35(4), 333–340.
45.
RaphaelJ.ReichertJ. A.PowersM. (2010) Pimp control and violence: Domestic sex trafficking of Chicago women and girls. Women & Criminal Justice20(1–2): 89–104.
46.
Reissman, C., & Quinney, L. (2005). Narrative in social work: A critical review. Qualitative Social Work, 4, 391–412.
47.
Roe-SepowitzD. E.HickleK. E.CiminoA. (2011) The impact of abuse history and trauma symptoms on successful completion of a prostitution-exiting program. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment22(1): 65–77.
48.
Roe-SepowitzD. E.HickleK. E.Perez LoubertM.EganT. (2011) Adult prostitution recidivism: Risk factors and impact of a diversion program. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation50(5): 272–285.
49.
Salfati, C. G., James, A. R., & Ferguson, L. (2008). Prostitute homicides: A descriptive study. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 23(4), 505–543.
50.
SandersT. (2004) A continuum of risk? The management of health, physical and emotional risks by female sex workers. Sociology of Health & Illness26(5): 557–574.
51.
SandersT. (2007) Becoming an ex–sex worker making transitions out of a deviant career. Feminist Criminology2(1): 74–95.
52.
Schwarz, C., & Britton, H. E. (2015). Queering the support for trafficked persons: LGBTQ communities and human trafficking in the Heartland. Social Inclusion, 3(1), 63–75.
53.
Silbert, M. H., & Pines, A. M. (1982). Entrance into prostitution. Youth & Society, 13(4), 471–500.
54.
SlossC. M.HarperG. W. (2004) When street sex workers are mothers. Archives of Sexual Behavior33(4): 329–341.
Trafficking Victims Protection Act. (2000). Pub. L. No. 106-368, Division A, 103(8), 114 Stat 1464 (signed into law on October 29, 2000).
57.
TugadeM. M.FredricksonB. L. (2004) Resilient individuals use positive emotions to bounce back from negative emotional experiences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology86(2): 320–333.
58.
Valera, R. J., Sawyer, R. G., & Schiraldi, G. R. (2001). Perceived health needs of inner-city street prostitutes: A preliminary study. American Journal of Health Behavior, 25(1), 50–59.
59.
WardA.Roe-SepowitzD. (2009) Assessing the effectiveness of trauma-oriented approach to treating prostituted women in a prison and a community exiting program. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma18(3): 293–312.
60.
WeitzerR. (2007) The social construction of sex trafficking: Ideology and institutionalization of a moral crusade. Politics & Society35(3): 447–475.
61.
Williamson, C., & Cluse-Tolar, T. (2002). Pimp-controlled prostitution still an integral part of street life. Violence against women, 8(9), 1074–1092.
62.
WilliamsonC.FolaronG. (2003) Understanding the experiences of street level prostitutes. Qualitative Social Work2(3): 271–287.
63.
WiecheltS. A.ShdaimahC. S. (2011) Trauma and substance abuse among women in prostitution: Implications for a specialized diversion program. Journal of Forensic Social Work1: 159–184.
64.
YahneC. E.MillerW. R.Irvin-VitelaL.ToniganS. (2002) Magdalena pilot project: Motivational outreach to substance abusing women street sex workers. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment23(1): 49–53.
