Exploring relationships as mediators of treatment outcomes among commercially sexually exploited youth

Balancing clinical needs and probation requirements within CSEC specialty courts

“…Programs are emerging across the country to serve youth who have experienced sexual exploitation and youth at risk for exploitation through services that address prevention (e.g., Rothman et al, 2019a;Rothman et al, 2019b), mental health (e.g., Kinnish et al, 2020), and residential treatment needs (e.g., Thompson et al, 2011). Other research has explored youths' strengths (WestCoast Children's Clinic, 2012) and protective factors, such as positive relationships with peers and adults (Landers et al, 2020;O'Brien, 2018). Increasingly, researchers have sought to include survivors' perspectives in better understanding their treatment needs (O'Brien et al, 2019;Robitz et al, 2020).…”

“…Such behavior‐related concerns put these vulnerable youth at risk for involvement in the juvenile justice system. Other work with youth who have experienced sexual exploitation suggests that these youth may experience a greater number of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) than other vulnerable youth (Landers et al, 2020; Naramore et al, 2017). Finally, available literature suggests that many youth may not realize they are being victimized and some youth develop trauma bonds with their exploiters (WestCoast Children's Clinic, 2012).…”

“…For example, youth may not conceptualize their experiences as exploitive, youth may worry of consequences if their exploitation is disclosed, or youth have experienced trauma bonding with their traffickers (Basson et al, 2018; Leitch & Snow, 2010). Further, as we know that youth who have been sexually exploited experience high rates of childhood adversity (Landers et al, 2020; Naramore et al, 2017), there may be prior traumas that have not been processed in addition to current experiences of exploitation. The timing of healing and recovery, therefore, is specific to each youth.…”

Putting risk into perspective: Lessons for children and youth services from a participatory advocacy project with survivors of sexual violence in Albania, Moldova and Serbia

“…In recent years, academics have highlighted the potential, and need, for taking a trauma-informed approach when working with young people affected by child sexual exploitation (CSE) and trafficking (Muraya & Fry, 2015;Sapiro, Johnson, Postmus, & Simmel, 2016;Christie, 2018;Hickle, 2019, Hickle, 2020Landers, Johnson, Armstrong, McGrath, & Dollard, 2020;Taylor, 2020). Therefore, there is a need to train professionals who work with young people in trauma informed practice (Taylor, 2020).…”

‘Keeping the informal safe’: Strategies for developing peer support initiatives for young people who have experienced sexual violence

“…In recent years, there has been increasing acknowledgement of the value of adopting a trauma‐informed approach when responding to young people affected by child sexual exploitation (CSE) and other forms of sexual violence (Bovarnick & Cody, 2021; Cody, 2017; Hardy et al, 2020; Hickle, 2019, 2020; Landers et al, 2020; Muraya & Fry, 2015; Sapiro et al, 2016). A trauma‐informed approach recognises the potential impacts of trauma and actively seeks to avoid re‐traumatisation through sensitive interactions and interventions.…”