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Barriers To Escape: How Homelessness And Drug Addiction Prevent Women From Escaping Sex Trafficking And Commercial Sex, Laura J. Lederer, Mckamie J. Chandler, Stanley Stinson Apr 2024

Barriers To Escape: How Homelessness And Drug Addiction Prevent Women From Escaping Sex Trafficking And Commercial Sex, Laura J. Lederer, Mckamie J. Chandler, Stanley Stinson

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Victims of sex trafficking and women purportedly involved in prostitution voluntarily face a complex web of interconnected challenges when attempting to escape their current circumstances. By analyzing the shared and distinct challenges faced by these women, the paper aims to inform policymakers and service providers, offering recommendations to empower women seeking to escape exploitation through multidisciplinary and interconnected networks of providers. This study surveyed 74 women in Detroit, Michigan, using nonprobability convenience sampling over a 10-month period in 2020. It compared three groups of women who self-reported as victims of sex trafficking, women who voluntarily engaged in some form of …


The Pornography Industry's Disinformation Campaign On Addiction Recovery Resources, Darryl Mead Oct 2023

The Pornography Industry's Disinformation Campaign On Addiction Recovery Resources, Darryl Mead

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

As pornography became increasingly popular online, many unsuspecting consumers reported adverse effects. These included sexual dysfunctions, such as lack of response with real partners, delayed ejaculation, erectile difficulties, and sexual compulsivity. Some pornography consumers began congregating in online self-help portals (forums and websites) to assist one another in quitting or reducing problematic pornography use. The popularity of the self-help resources and their potential to dampen the profits of a lucrative industry resulted in disinformation campaigns run by individuals connected to the pornography industry. In this article, I examine how a paper containing significant inaccuracies about the people organising the online …


Poverty And Commercial Surrogacy In India: An Intersectional Analytical Approach, Sheela Suryanarayanan Sep 2023

Poverty And Commercial Surrogacy In India: An Intersectional Analytical Approach, Sheela Suryanarayanan

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

The destination and source countries for commercial surrogacy match world patterns of inequality. India, Nepal, Thailand, Mexico, and Cambodia banned commercial surrogacy, moving the market to other less-developed countries in South Africa and South America. India had a commercial surrogacy boom until exploitative factors led to the passage of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill in 2019, which banned the practice. This paper examines surrogacy's monetary, health, and emotional effects on 45 surrogate mothers in Gujarat State, India. The study revealed that a majority (63%) of the very poor women remained very poor post-surgery. Surrogate mothers in poor households had to do …


Sexual Coercion, Unintended Pregnancy, And Poor Reproductive Health Among Adolescent Girls (Aged 13 - 19) In Mexico, Arun Kumar Acharya, Maria Luisa Martinez Mar 2022

Sexual Coercion, Unintended Pregnancy, And Poor Reproductive Health Among Adolescent Girls (Aged 13 - 19) In Mexico, Arun Kumar Acharya, Maria Luisa Martinez

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

In Mexico, nearly 23,000 adolescents between the ages of 12-17 years suffer sexual coercion every year. This group also has a high birth rate of 77/1,000 adolescents, which indicates that one in every five pregnant women is an adolescent. This study describes the sexual coercion of victims and their views regarding the experience based on data collected from 37 Mexican girls between the age of 13 to 19, selected purposively using the snowball method in Monterrey city, Mexico. Results indicate that sexual coercion among adolescents is a serious problem, where 70% of adolescents experienced vaginal sexual coercion, nearly 22% experienced …


Trans Doublethink And Newspeak. A Review Of Doublethink: A Feminist Challenge To Transgenderism By Janice Raymond, Heather Brunskell-Evans Feb 2022

Trans Doublethink And Newspeak. A Review Of Doublethink: A Feminist Challenge To Transgenderism By Janice Raymond, Heather Brunskell-Evans

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.


A Feminist Challenge To Transgenderism. A Review Of Doublethink: A Feminist Challenge To Transgenderism By Janice G. Raymond, Esohe Aghatise Feb 2022

A Feminist Challenge To Transgenderism. A Review Of Doublethink: A Feminist Challenge To Transgenderism By Janice G. Raymond, Esohe Aghatise

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.


“I Don’T Want The Next Generation Of Children To Be In Pain Like Me”: The Chab Dai Ten-Year Butterfly Longitudinal Research Project On Sex Trafficking Survivors In Cambodia, Glenn M. Miles, James Havey, Siobhan Miles, Eliza Piano, Lim Vanntheary, Nhanh Channtha, Sreang Phaly, Ou Sopheara Aug 2021

“I Don’T Want The Next Generation Of Children To Be In Pain Like Me”: The Chab Dai Ten-Year Butterfly Longitudinal Research Project On Sex Trafficking Survivors In Cambodia, Glenn M. Miles, James Havey, Siobhan Miles, Eliza Piano, Lim Vanntheary, Nhanh Channtha, Sreang Phaly, Ou Sopheara

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

The Butterfly Longitudinal Research Project started in 2010 and is the only research project of its kind listening to sex trafficking victims over ten years. The project was started in Cambodia by Chab Dai (translated “Hands Together”), a coalition of Non-Government Organisations since 2006 who have focused on human trafficking. The project was founded with the express purpose of listening to the survivors’ voices and recording their experiences in order to better understand their physical, emotional and spiritual needs during their initial recovery in shelters and reintegration back into their communities. The team of researchers and the participants, all of …


"Going It Alone": Following The Male Cohort Of Survivors Of Sex Trafficking Of The Chab Dai Butterfly Longitudinal Research Project, Jarrett D. Davis, James Havey, Glenn M. Miles, Nhanh Channtha, Sreang Phally, Lim Vanntheary Aug 2021

"Going It Alone": Following The Male Cohort Of Survivors Of Sex Trafficking Of The Chab Dai Butterfly Longitudinal Research Project, Jarrett D. Davis, James Havey, Glenn M. Miles, Nhanh Channtha, Sreang Phally, Lim Vanntheary

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Over the past ten years, the Butterfly Longitudinal Research Project has followed 128 survivors of trafficking through their experiences in aftercare, reintegration, and beyond to better understand the recovery and reintegration of trafficking survivors within a Cambodian context. This paper focuses on the 19 males who were available to interview. Despite the project’s wealth of data and analysis, there are notable gaps regarding the male cohort. In response, this paper examines this cohort holistically, considering their statements and broader narratives, merging them with previous collective observations of the Butterfly Project. Throughout this paper, data indicates a pattern of violence among …


"When They See Someone Who Is Poor, They Step On Them": The Social Determinants Of Health Among Survivors Of Sex Trafficking In Cambodia, James P. Havey, Glenn M. Miles, Lim Vanntheary, Nhanh Channtha, Hanni Stoklosa Aug 2021

"When They See Someone Who Is Poor, They Step On Them": The Social Determinants Of Health Among Survivors Of Sex Trafficking In Cambodia, James P. Havey, Glenn M. Miles, Lim Vanntheary, Nhanh Channtha, Hanni Stoklosa

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Social determinants of health (SDH) are defined as the non-medical yet health-affecting conditions of a person’s life. They include such considerations as working conditions, discrimination, and access to health services. The aim of this study was to explore the SDH impacting those who have survived sex trafficking in Cambodia. This study employed a mixed methods, secondary analysis, focusing on 52 survivors of sex trafficking in the Butterfly Longitudinal Research Project from 2010 through 2019. Participants described myriad social determinants of health, including: gender, age, relationship status (marriage), ethnicity, national identification documentation (statelessness), social class, formal education, vocational training, occupation, and …


“I Want Justice From People Who Did Bad Things To Children”: Experiences Of Justice For Sex Trafficking Survivors, John G. Morrissey, James Havey, Glenn M. Miles, Nhanh Channtha, Lim Vanntheary Aug 2021

“I Want Justice From People Who Did Bad Things To Children”: Experiences Of Justice For Sex Trafficking Survivors, John G. Morrissey, James Havey, Glenn M. Miles, Nhanh Channtha, Lim Vanntheary

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

This research from the Butterfly Longitudinal Research Project focused on understanding the experiences and perceptions of justice and the justice system for 93 Cambodia participants (including 88 survivors of sex trafficking) as they navigated the legal system. Thirty-two of these survivors had experiences in court and provided details into their courtroom experiences, predominantly within Cambodia but also in the United States. The survivors’ experiences were diverse; however, the prevailing themes were: fear throughout their legal journeys; a low level of awareness and understanding of their legal experiences; and that NGO support was essential for these survivors to engage in the …


The Violence Of Postmodern “Gender Identity” Medicine, Heather Brunskell-Evans Jul 2021

The Violence Of Postmodern “Gender Identity” Medicine, Heather Brunskell-Evans

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

The medical “transition” of children with “gender dysphoria” is increasingly normalized in North America, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Although each country has specific national gender identity development services, the rationale for prescribing hormone treatment is broadly similar. A minority rights paradigm underpinned by postmodern theory has gained traction in the past 10 years and has been successful in influencing public policy, the education of pediatricians, endocrinologists, and mental health professionals. In this view, any response other than an affirmation of the child’s claim to be the opposite sex or “born in the wrong body” is …


“In This Industry, You're No Longer Human”: An Exploratory Study Of Women’S Experiences In Pornography Production In Sweden, Meghan Donevan May 2021

“In This Industry, You're No Longer Human”: An Exploratory Study Of Women’S Experiences In Pornography Production In Sweden, Meghan Donevan

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Despite being a global, billion-dollar industry, very little is known about the conditions women face within the pornography industry. The aim of this study was to explore women’s experiences in pornography production, with a particular focus on structural antecedents to entrance, coercion, and violence within the industry, as well as current needs and any barriers to exiting the industry. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with nine women with experiences in pornography production in Sweden. Participants identified young age, financial insecurity, earlier exposure to sexualized violence, and poor mental health as typical antecedents to entering the pornography industry. Once in the …


Assisted Reproductive Technologies And Health-Related Issues Among Women And Children: A Research Review, Laura Maria Corradi Mar 2021

Assisted Reproductive Technologies And Health-Related Issues Among Women And Children: A Research Review, Laura Maria Corradi

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

From their first use in the late 1970s until the mid-1990s, Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) gave rise to serious concerns by feminists internationally. Their questions ranged from asking about health risks to ethical and political problems inherent in these technologies. However, over the last 25 years, interest in women’s health which used to be central to feminist theory and politics, progressively decreased and with it concerns about ART. Today, while the medical literature about health risks in ART is increasing, the topic of women’s health in relation to reproductive technologies remains marginal in feminist discourse, social sciences, and the mainstream …


"There Is Always Violence": An Exploratory Study Of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Street-Involved Children, Jarrett D. Davis, Glenn M. Miles, Sean Blackburn, Erika Mosebach-Kornelsen Jan 2021

"There Is Always Violence": An Exploratory Study Of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Street-Involved Children, Jarrett D. Davis, Glenn M. Miles, Sean Blackburn, Erika Mosebach-Kornelsen

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

As the economic center of Cambodia, Phnom Penh has long been a hotspot for street-involved children and families. While violence is a common facet of life on the street, risk and vulnerability among children is notoriously difficult to measure. Most large-scale surveys tend to sample children within homes and schools, which overlook street-involved children who are commonly unregistered, irregularly attend school, and live outside of houses. This research paper is one of a series of studies on such groups in Southeast Asia. The study conducted 94 semi-structured interviews with street-involved children eight to 18 years of age in Phnom Penh. …


Women Exiting Prostitution: Reports Of Coercive Control In Intimate Relationships, Tammy Schultz, Aimee A. Callender, Sally Schwer Canning, Jacey Collins Dec 2020

Women Exiting Prostitution: Reports Of Coercive Control In Intimate Relationships, Tammy Schultz, Aimee A. Callender, Sally Schwer Canning, Jacey Collins

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

There is burgeoning research on intimate partner violence (IPV) experiences among women globally. However, there is a dearth of research on IPV experiences among marginalized populations in Western countries. Over the past decade, IPV research has shifted from a focus only on physical and sexual violence to include coercive control experiences. These include a continuum of nonviolent behaviors centered on maintaining dominance over one’s partner. However, the empirical literature on examining coercive control among women in prostitution within non-commercial intimate partners is lacking. In this study, we analyzed interviews with 17 women exiting prostitution and examined reported IPV sexual, physical, …


University Crime Alerts: Do They Contribute To Institutional Betrayal And Rape Myths?, Alexis A. Adams-Clark, Carly P. Smith, Prachi H. Bhuptani, Jennifer J. Freyd Aug 2020

University Crime Alerts: Do They Contribute To Institutional Betrayal And Rape Myths?, Alexis A. Adams-Clark, Carly P. Smith, Prachi H. Bhuptani, Jennifer J. Freyd

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Universities are mandated by the Clery Act (20 USC § 1092(f)) to publicize the occurrence of certain campus crimes. Many universities rely on “Crime Alert” emails to quickly and effectively communicate when a crime has occurred. However, communications of sexual crimes are often narrow (e.g., limited to stranger-perpetrated crimes) and misleading (e.g., containing safety tips that are not applicable to most types of sexual violence). The current paper presents the results of two studies that test the effects of reading crime alert emails on subsequent endorsement of rape myths and institutional betrayal. In Study 1, participants read a typical crime …


Sexual Violence, Traumatic Memory, And Speculative Fiction As Action, Kate Rose Aug 2020

Sexual Violence, Traumatic Memory, And Speculative Fiction As Action, Kate Rose

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Starhawk’s speculative novel City of Refuge (2015) depicts rape trauma and its consequences in a dystopian society that is the logical conclusion of patriarchy. French psychiatrist Muriel Salmona’s research on how traumatic memory contributes to inequality and how reconstructing narrative can heal survivors places her similarly at the intersection of story and activism. City of Refuge is a literary experiment focused on survivors of institutionalized sexual assault, while Salmona’s work maps consequences of traumatic memory linked to childhood sexual violence. The basic tenet of narrative medicine that life experience affects mental and physical health coincides with Salmona’s critique of how …


Loss Of Self In Dissociation In Prostitution; Recovery Of Self In Connection To Horses: A Survivor's Journey, Sandra Norak Feb 2020

Loss Of Self In Dissociation In Prostitution; Recovery Of Self In Connection To Horses: A Survivor's Journey, Sandra Norak

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

This narrative is about dissociation in the lives of women who have been exploited through prostitution. When we speak about prostitution, we do not speak often enough about the dissociation needed for women and girls to survive sexual exploitation. The author challenges the wisdom of governments such as Germany that legalize prostitution, treating it as a “job” and ignoring the violence and subsequent dissociation in women. The author describes her personal journey, explaining how women are traumatized even after the first commercial sex act, which is a sexual assault. They dissociate which makes their lives bearable, but they fail to …


On The Proposed Legalization Of Commercial Surrogacy: I Thought We Had Abolished The Sale Of Human Beings, Phyllis Chesler Jan 2020

On The Proposed Legalization Of Commercial Surrogacy: I Thought We Had Abolished The Sale Of Human Beings, Phyllis Chesler

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.


Female Genital Mutilation In The United States: Estimating The Number Of Girls At Risk, Phyllis Chesler May 2019

Female Genital Mutilation In The United States: Estimating The Number Of Girls At Risk, Phyllis Chesler

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Female genital mutilation (FGM) destroys the capacity of women to experience sexual pleasure. It causes serious medical complications such as bleeding, painful urination, cysts, dangerous and recurrent bladder and urinary tract infections, the growth of scar tissue that make marital intercourse a nightmare and that turns childbirth into an experience of danger and torture. Due to immigration, FGM now poses a potential health crisis in the West, both in Europe and in the United States. To estimate how many girls who live in the West are at risk, one can measure the prevalence of FGM in the non-Western countries where …


"Disgusted With Myself": Examining The Risk Factors And Vulnerabilities Of Hostesses At Karaoke Tv Venues In Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Glenn M. Miles, Daphne Alsiyao Feb 2019

"Disgusted With Myself": Examining The Risk Factors And Vulnerabilities Of Hostesses At Karaoke Tv Venues In Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Glenn M. Miles, Daphne Alsiyao

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

This exploratory study is one of a series of research projects interviewing survivors of sexual exploitation in southeast Asia. It assesses the risk factors and vulnerabilities of young women in Karaoke TV (KTV) venues in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This research study assesses the risk factors and vulnerabilities of young women in these venues. A questionnaire-based survey was administered to 50 participants to gain a holistic view of the lives of young women working in Karaoke TV (KTV) venues. The survey consisted of a series of questions pertaining to demographics, family background, prejudice and discrimination, sexual risk factors, substance abuse, sexual …


Betrayed Partners And Men With Poisoned Souls: Interview With A Former Sex Buyer In Germany, Ingeborg Kraus Feb 2019

Betrayed Partners And Men With Poisoned Souls: Interview With A Former Sex Buyer In Germany, Ingeborg Kraus

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.


When Self-Care Is Not Enough: Reflections On How To Make Trauma-Intensive Clinical Work More Sustainable, Brianna C. Delker Feb 2019

When Self-Care Is Not Enough: Reflections On How To Make Trauma-Intensive Clinical Work More Sustainable, Brianna C. Delker

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

As a psychology resident on the psychiatry consultation-liaison service at a trauma center, I was asked by another trainee how I cope with the devastating cases of traumatic injury and abuse that we witnessed regularly on the service. This trainee’s courageous question about how we as providers cope sustainably with bearing witness to trauma coincided with my own reflection on the limits of “self-care” as it is often discussed and practiced in human service professions. In this article, I argue that an activity-based approach to self-care is not enough for providers in trauma-intensive service settings and must be complemented with …


Sexual Mutilation Of Muslim Girls, Today In The United States, Robert Brannon Jan 2019

Sexual Mutilation Of Muslim Girls, Today In The United States, Robert Brannon

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.


Review Of A Politically Incorrect Feminist By Phyllis Chesler, Robert Brannon Oct 2018

Review Of A Politically Incorrect Feminist By Phyllis Chesler, Robert Brannon

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Phyllis Chesler’s new memoir, A Politically Incorrect Feminist (St. Martin's Press, 2018), spans almost fifty years of second-wave feminism. She names 100s of women, both famous and virtually unknown today who took part in the awakening and growing women’s movement, marching, sitting-in, writing and organizing since the 1960’s. It is the personal life story of one of the earliest feminist authors and political activists of the second-wave, the author of Women and Madness and 17 other books. Chelser discusses major issues of the time and provides an insider’s view of many of the feminism’s most significant public events. This big …


Pornography As A Public Health Issue: Promoting Violence And Exploitation Of Children, Youth, And Adults, Elisabeth Taylor May 2018

Pornography As A Public Health Issue: Promoting Violence And Exploitation Of Children, Youth, And Adults, Elisabeth Taylor

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

The pornography industry is expanding exponentially as a result of ongoing technological advances. The ability to stream videos over the internet and the ubiquity of the smart phone have meant that pornography producers are able to use algorithms to target potential consumers, to cultivate new sexual tastes and to deliver content to a more diverse audience over mobile devices. The advent of virtual reality pornography with interactive sex toys and sex robots imbued with artificial intelligence promises to unleash a further step-change in the extent to which pornography influences ‘real-world’ sexual culture. The critical analysis of pornography undertaken over decades …


Book Review: Surrogacy: A Human Rights Violation By Renate Klein, Sheela Saravanan May 2018

Book Review: Surrogacy: A Human Rights Violation By Renate Klein, Sheela Saravanan

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.


#Metoo Must Include Prostitution, Melissa Farley Feb 2018

#Metoo Must Include Prostitution, Melissa Farley

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.


Book Review: Surrogacy: A Human Rights Violation By Renate Klein, Kate Rose Jan 2018

Book Review: Surrogacy: A Human Rights Violation By Renate Klein, Kate Rose

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.


The Imprint Of Childhood Abuse On Trauma-Related Shame In Adulthood, Joan A. Reid Jan 2018

The Imprint Of Childhood Abuse On Trauma-Related Shame In Adulthood, Joan A. Reid

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Research has consistently linked residual trauma-related shame among child sexual abuse (CSA) survivors to sexual revictimization, health risk behaviors, and poorer response to mental health treatment. However, questions remain regarding the imprint of childhood maltreatment on trauma-related shame including which CSA characteristics or types of childhood maltreatment contribute to residual shame in adulthood. Using data drawn from a prospective study of 174 primarily African American women with histories of CSA and a matched comparison group, this study explores whether specific characteristics of CSA (familial CSA, CSA with penetration, force used by CSA perpetrator), repeat sexual victimization in adolescence, childhood physical …