Understanding Victim Resistance: An Exploratory Study of the Experiences of Service Providers Working with Victims of Child Trafficking

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the experiences of service providers working with victims of child trafficking. Methods: A grounded theory, qualitative methodology was employed for the study in which fifteen providers working with the child trafficking population were interviewed at length. Interviews were then transcribed, coded for themes using Atlas, t.i. data management software, and interpreted. Results: As a result of the interviews conducted with providers, a specific theme related the resistance of victims to participate in services was consistently observed throughout the data. Five specific areas of victim resistance were discussed including; “good” and “bad” victims, identification with the trafficker, victim self-identification, building trust with providers, and lack of empowerment. Social judgments of victim behaviors, inability to identify as a victim of abuse due to normalization of family of origin abuse and violence, the presence of complex trauma and lack of opportunity for self-determination in current services add to this overall resistance