PHD, Kent State University, 2022, College of Public Health

Internationally, human trafficking is a growing, $150 billion industry. It is estimated that 40 million people are being trafficked at any one time. Human trafficking is often referred to as modern-day slavery. Because of the hidden nature of the crime, definitions, estimates, and data about it are lacking. All human trafficking definitions include a victim being involuntarily forced into labor or sex acts through force, fraud, or coercion. At least 99% of victims have health problems, making victims one of the least healthy groups of people in the world. In addition to a host of individual health concerns and untreated chronic conditions, victims are disease vectors. They have alarmingly high rates of communicable infections (including sexually transmitted infections, tuberculosis, HIV/ AIDS, and may share needles used for drugs). They frequently live in close quarters and in unsanitary conditions, causing public health concerns among other victims and nearby communities. According to the literature, 88% of victims of human trafficking are seen by a healthcare provider. However, victims are too infrequently identified. These are missed opportunities. As the healthcare system's first line of defense, nurses have a unique opportunity to identify victims and provide essential interventions. Education, though, is key to recognizing and assessing red flags, identifying victims, and providing interventions. Teaching large numbers of nurses is a huge undertaking, which creates challenges in developing the best approach to reach those nurses. Nursing faculty are in a position to teach huge numbers of new nurses about human trafficking and the role of the nurse in assessing, identifying, and providing victims for victims. This study examines this group of nurse educators. In this study, a modified version of the previously developed PROTECT questionnaire was used to measure nursing faculty members' actual knowledge, perceived knowledge, and confidence about teaching h (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Sonia Alemagno (Committee Chair); Lynette Phillips (Committee Member); Eric Jefferis (Other); Timothy Meyers (Committee Member); Jonathan VanGeest (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Education; Gynecology; Health; Health Care; Health Care Management; Health Education; Health Sciences; Medicine; Nursing; Obstetrics; Public Health; Public Health Education; Public Policy; Social Work; Womens Studies

BA, Kent State University, 2024, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of History

This thesis project explores the history of human trafficking through credible research and the use of primary and secondary sources in an interactive, website and podcast format. The focus is limited to the twentieth century (1900s) primarily within the United States, with discussions of international legislation. The website contains multimedia and four main sections of content to emphasize the importance and relevance of digital history and interactive research.​ Human trafficking has existed in many forms throughout history as slavery, human bondage, sexual exploitation, etc. The 20th-century issue facing millions today has only been recently studied and documented, but much work remains to be done. Reviewing U.S. and international legal documentation of human trafficking through primary sources and previous definitions is helpful but not sufficient enough to properly trace the history of human trafficking and its societal impact. The historical record of human trafficking is short under its current name but stems thousands of years through its previous aliases and related crimes. The absence of appropriate definition use and clear understanding of the issue has previously contributed to a need for additional human trafficking research and study. Therefore, without definitive knowledge of its history within the twentieth century, particularly in the United States, professionals and the general public alike will face obstacles of foundational knowledge and competency when studying and combating human trafficking as a human right and social and criminal issue in the present.

Committee: Leslie Heaphy (Advisor); Erin Hollenbaugh (Committee Member); James Seelye (Committee Member); Amy Miracle (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; History; International Law; Legal Studies

BA, Kent State University, 2022, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Political Science

This paper examines the legal implications of framing human trafficking as modern-day slavery. This thesis begins by introducing the existing literature on the issue of human trafficking, focusing on examining the relationship to both modern-day slavery and the Thirteenth Amendment. I highlight the legal definitions of these concepts to foster a more intuitive understanding of these issues. I then highlight the current policy addressing human trafficking and how human trafficking is measured and reported and their respective inadequacies. I then turn to introducing framing and how it is used in political science research, and more specifically how and why human trafficking is framed as modern-day slavery. In the second chapter of this research, I describe the methodology of my research. I discuss, in-depth, the participant recruitment process, how I drafted the research questions, the interview process, and how the qualitative data were coded and analyzed. The third chapter is dedicated to summarizing my research findings. In this chapter, I describe the groupings of interviewees. I provide context to the interviewees' background and current work within the anti-trafficking movement. I then summarize how the interviewees conceptualize human trafficking, modern-day slavery, and the Thirteenth Amendment. I end this chapter by discussing key ideas from the research and discussing how the interviews helped answer my three main research questions. I conclude this thesis by reflecting on the project and what it means to me and addressing the broader implications and limitations of the research.

Committee: Ashley Nickels Ph.D. (Advisor); Dr. Suzy D'Enbeau Ph.D. (Committee Member); Amanda Paar Conroy Esq. (Committee Member); Julie Mazzei Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Law; Political Science

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2021, Mass Communication (Communication)

Despite high adoption rates of new communication technologies in Kenya, the role of emerging technologies in the Kenyan child trafficking market and the influence of online anti-child trafficking activists in combating child trafficking remain under-researched. In this study, I have used digital ethnographic approaches that included virtual interviews, online participant observation, and social media analytics to realize five main findings. First, emerging media technology has been used by criminals to traffic children, whereas it also provides opportunities to online activists to combat child trafficking. Second, there are different types of online claims-makers actively advocating against child trafficking. Third, the claims-makers framed the exploitation and risky situations that victims of child trafficking go through as sexual exploitation, organ harvesting, infant trafficking, child marriage, organized begging, terrorism, organized crime, and child labor. Fourth, the claims-makers used the 5P framework to diagnose and offer a prognosis of the child trafficking situation. Finally, the claims-makers were able to influence diverse sentiments among their target audience. This study has practical and theoretical recommendations for researching and designing social and behavior change interventions against child trafficking and other social challenges.

Committee: Stephen Howard Prof. (Committee Chair); Thomas Smucker Dr. (Committee Member); Jatin Srivastava Dr. (Committee Member); Laeeq Khan Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: African Studies; Behavioral Sciences; Communication; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Social Research; Sociology; Sub Saharan Africa Studies

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2018, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice

Although the exploitation of people has existed for centuries, human trafficking has only recently emerged as an offense that merits special legal intervention. This recognition is due, in part, to a growing movement that has labeled trafficking as a social problem that requires a collective response. Despite efforts to better understand and prevent these crimes, the clandestine nature of human trafficking makes it difficult to measure and draw a reliable portrait of offenders and their victims. In this respect, scientific research on this topic is limited. Thus, the purpose of this dissertation is to use an innovative method to expand knowledge about the nature of human trafficking in the United States. The current dissertation applies content analysis methods to create a rich database that informs characteristics on victims, offenders, and offenses. To facilitate this goal, human trafficking incidents from 32 independent newspapers, located in 22 of the largest cities across the United States, were reviewed from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2016. Identified cases that reported an arrest, conviction, or sentencing for a trafficking-related crime were then subjected to supplemental searches to gather all publicly available information on these events. Seven domains were recorded and analyzed: (1) identifiers; (2) newspaper details; (3) locations of cases; (4) nature of the crime; (5) victim characteristics; (6) offender characteristics; and (7) trial characteristics and offender outcomes. Using these methods, 361 cases were identified and coded for the final analysis. There were 303 sex trafficking cases, 39 labor trafficking cases, and 19 sex-and-labor trafficking cases. The analysis illuminated clear patterns regarding sex and labor trafficking offenses. In particular, sex trafficking cases tended to involve trafficking offenses without any smuggling component, domestic victims, and relatively few victims per case. Reports about sex traffickers (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Michael Benson Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Francis Cullen Ph.D. (Committee Member); Cheryl Lero Jonson Ph.D. (Committee Member); Pamela Wilcox Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Criminology

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Education, Cleveland State University, 2015, College of Education and Human Services

Human trafficking is often considered to be one of the three largest criminal enterprises worldwide, ranking beside the sale of illegal drugs and illicit firearms (Bales, 2004, 2007; Bales & Doodalter, 2009; Hussein, 2011; Schauer & Wheaton, 2006; Skinner, 2008). National estimates suggest that 100,000-300,000 American, school-aged children are at-risk for sex trafficking (Department of Homeland Security, 2014) while there is only a one percent arrest and conviction record for traffickers (Bales, 2007). This dissertation explored the portrayal of force, fraud, and coercion within federal domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) trials of Northern Ohio from 2010-2013 so as to gain a greater understanding of the contributing factors that make individuals vulnerable to the phenomenon. DMST occurs when a “commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age” (U.S. Department of State, 2011). Data were examined via qualitative means by conducting a narrative analysis of existing court documentation of fifteen confirmed DMST cases, guided by critical theory and feminist epistemology. Findings revealed dimensions of individual agency in tension with structural and cultural conditions as well as a complex set of factors contributing to the persistence and legal response to sex trafficking. The examined episodes of DMST were initiated via factors that included fraudulent documents, economic instability, emotional dependency, drug addiction, reliance on an informal/underground economy, and lack of educational attainment. DMST continued through factors including physical force, coercion, indebtedness, feelings of belonging, the leveraging of an intimate relationship, financial arrangements, and the reliance on an informal/underground economy. The episode of DMST was terminated via law enforcement involvement, voluntary departure, familial involvement, ending the use of illegal drugs, and (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Brian Harper Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Anne Galletta Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Joshua Bagaka's Ph.D. (Committee Member); Jeremy Genovese Ph.D. (Committee Member); George Tsagaris Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Policy; Educational Sociology

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2009, Education : Criminal Justice

Female trafficking has become a global problem affecting almost every region across the world. The crime is devastating to victims as well as communities and nations. As female trafficking increased, the United States and European countries began cooperating to reduce the crime. These efforts focus on arranging legal frameworks to punish offenders and protect victims. Despite these efforts, female trafficking is a growing problem worldwide, indicating that focusing solely on punishing traffickers and helping victims is not sufficient. The main purpose of this study is to explore how situational crime prevention can be used to prevent human trafficking. The underlying theme of situational crime prevention is that immediate features of physical and social environments create opportunities for offenders to commit crimes. Crime prevention by opportunity reduction reduces crimes by manipulating offenders' perceived risks, efforts, and excuses. The study is designed to explore situational characteristics of female trafficking in Turkey that facilitate this crime. The study also investigates possible measures to eliminate female trafficking by altering these characteristics. The study is based on the analysis of two types of data: (a) personal interviews with representatives of nongovernmental organizations and police officials from various city police departments in Turkey and (b) a secondary data analysis of victim interviews.

Committee: John Eck PhD (Committee Chair); Deborah (Wilson) Keeling PhD (Committee Member); Pamela Wilcox PhD (Committee Member); James Frank PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Criminology

Master of Social Work, The Ohio State University, 2010, Social Work

Human trafficking, a form of modern day slavery, is alive, well and thriving around the world. In fact, human trafficking is the fastest growing international criminal industry and it is happening in the Central Ohio community. There has been no research regarding the level of human trafficking awareness among service providers in Central Ohio, nor the existence of services for victims of human trafficking in the area. Thus, an exploratory study was conducted to identify Central Ohio's current levels of awareness and capacity to serve trafficked persons. This paper will discuss the definition, nature, and scope of human trafficking around the world, Ohio, and Central Ohio. The survey was intended to answer the study's research questions: (1) What is the level of human trafficking awareness amongst service providers in the Central Ohio area; (2) What services currently exist for trafficked victims; (3) According to service providers, what are the barriers to providing services to trafficking victims; and (4) What assistance or support do service providers need to effectively serve trafficking victims? A broad spectrum of potential agency representatives from organizations offering a variety of services was represented in the sampling frame. Overall the study found that while the majority (62%) of service providers is aware that human trafficking is a problem in Central Ohio, there is a need for training regarding identification, needs of trafficking persons, and response protocols. Furthermore, the Trafficking in Persons Study Commission estimated 1,861 foreign born persons and domestic youth were trafficked over the course of a year in Ohio. Nonetheless, only 111 identified human trafficking cases are being served by service providers statewide. Similar findings were identified for Central Ohio. Likewise, despite the prevalence of human trafficking in Central Ohio, services for victims are greatly lacking. Especially interesting is that of 45 agency representative (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Joseph Guada (Committee Chair); Sharvari Karandikar-Chheda (Committee Member) Subjects: Social Work

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2007, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2024, Geography

Cocaine is universally illegal, incredibly profitable, and popularly trafficked by an adaptive global network of actors to sites of demand in the world's most heavily policed markets. Policy interdiction efforts have failed, aiding in the expansion of this market, with Europe now the main destination for cocaine shipments. In this thesis, I analyze the geography of the cocaine economy in its changes over the past three decades in the member states of the European Union. Seizure data shows a 1215.35% net increase in the quantity of cocaine seized in the European Union between 1990 and 2020, with retail price decreasing by 27.89%, and wholesale price decreasing by 34.39%. I find that in this time, as trafficking flows have moved and responded to threats of enforcement, past epicenters of cocaine traffic like Spain and Portugal have taken a secondary role as hubs of the Netherlands and Belgium have emerged in the late 2010s. Price, in its unequal distribution over time, suggests a two pronged ground for price formation, with both state-specific and market-wide factors of influence. Cocaine markets create and recreate their own order, ultimately displaying continual growth and price decline with geographic variance.

Committee: Bruce D'Arcus (Advisor); Ian Yeboah (Committee Member); Susan Jakubowski (Committee Member) Subjects: Geography

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2023, Industrial and Systems Engineering (Engineering and Technology)

Human trafficking (HT) is a form of contemporary slavery that affects individuals in every state of the United States. Despite the existence of government and non-profit rehabilitation services, HT-affected individuals often miss out due to improper resource allocation. To address this issue, we propose an optimization model that efficiently allocates resources to rehabilitate and reintegrate HT-affected individuals where they are most needed. Our strategy uses a Mixed Integer Linear Programming model to optimize the net societal value (NSV) gained from offering support services while considering the three stages of HT-affected people's healing path, including victim, survivor, and thriver. This model determines the optimal type, quantity, and location of services while also integrating HT risk scores that account for the risk of HT in those areas. Our model's efficacy is demonstrated in an Ohio case study, allocating housing, detoxification, and food services across the state's eighty-eight counties and three stages of the healing path of HT-affected individuals. Through Monte Carlo Simulation in the solution approach, uncertain demand is accounted for, leading to improved NSV under such conditions. Moreover, we illustrate the impact of an increased budget, showcasing extended service reach and allocation possibilities. Our work aims to support decision-makers in efficiently allocating resources to rehabilitate and reintegrate HT-affected individuals effectively.

Committee: Felipe Aros-Vera Dr. (Advisor); Vardges Melkonian Dr. (Committee Member); Omar Ibrahim Alhawari Dr. (Committee Member); Tao Yuan Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Industrial Engineering; Operations Research; Rehabilitation

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2023, Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies

The Romani people are arguably the most ostracized group in Europe. This thesis examines how their minority status intersects with the vulnerability factors for human trafficking. Romania serves as the location of my research as it is not only a dominant sending country of trafficking victims, but it also has the largest Roma population in Europe. My research provides an overview of trafficking in Romani communities, the responses of the Romanian government, non-government organizations (NGOs), and anti-trafficking groups in Romania. I analyze data on the Roma community's access to state services, Roma socioeconomic status, Roma migration patterns, and anti-Roma sentiment among civil society and state actors in order to explain why the Roma are at higher risk of being trafficked. I employ a labor market and human rights approach to anti-trafficking in order to 1) formulate more appropriate responses to anti-trafficking efforts and Roma inclusion initiatives and 2) challenge the notion that human trafficking in Romani communities is inherently a Roma, or ethnocultural, problem.

Committee: Angela Brintlinger (Committee Member); Jennifer Suchland (Advisor) Subjects: Minority and Ethnic Groups; Regional Studies; Slavic Studies

Ed.D., Antioch University, 2023, Education

Higher education students are vulnerable to being sex trafficked (Campus Law Enforcement-DHS, n.d.). As a means of prevention, an online training was developed for higher education students. The purpose of this training was to provide awareness and education about sex trafficking and promote safety in terms of relationships, jobs, and the internet. The intention of this study was to research the effectiveness of this training in building an understanding of sex trafficking. A convergent mixed methods study was conducted using pre and post surveys to assess awareness around sex trafficking in higher education. The training was found to be effective in educating participants about “discerning legitimate and safe websites and apps.” In addition, participants' questions and concerns about sex trafficking are included for future course development and awareness training. Ideas for future steps to help prevent sex trafficking are also included. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https:// etd.ohiolink.edu).

Committee: Ashley Nielsen PhD (Committee Chair); Lesley Jackson PhD (Committee Member); Gary Delanoeye EdD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Higher Education

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2022, Design

The purpose of this research was to co-design with a local non-profit organization, She Has a Name (SHAN), for the purpose of aiding in their fight against sex trafficking through education. Co-design participants included frontline professionals who work to combat sex trafficking. A two-year effort resulted in four projects, each improving an aspect of a “John School” program offered by SHAN: (1) learning activities to be used in the SHAN John School curriculum, (2) an online database for John Schools across the world, (3) an online global community for frontline professionals to discuss best practices and other topics related to John Schools, and (4) interviews with current John School administrators. Once the four projects were completed, participants co-designed a transition plan to enable SHAN to take ownership of each project.

Committee: Elizabeth B.-N. Sanders (Advisor); William Nickley (Committee Member); David J. Staley (Committee Member) Subjects: Design

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, Social Work

Among the many issues facing sex trafficking survivors, the bonds they develop to their traffickers or other perpetrators are one of the most complex and least understood concerns. In part due to the sensitive quality of the issue at hand and the often-hidden nature of the population, too few studies have sought to give voice to survivors themselves and their own experiences with trauma bonding. It is important to hear from survivors directly about how trauma bonds are formed and how they manifest, and most importantly, how individuals can sever these bonds and experience healing and freedom from a life of exploitation. Furthermore, little research has examined survivors' experiences in human trafficking specialty docket courts. Trauma bonds likely affect survivors who are involved in these courts, but no prior research has sought to explore how these survivor-participants experience these bonds. This study sought to fill these gaps by seeking to understand how survivors have experienced trauma bonding, how they have experienced healing from trauma bonding, and how their participation in a human trafficking specialty docket has affected their healing from trauma bonding. This phenomenological study seeks to center survivors' lived experiences and to prioritize and honor survivors' voices. The sample consisted of 19 female survivors of sex trafficking who were all participants in or graduates of a human trafficking specialty docket. The first research question was: How have survivors of sex trafficking experienced trauma bonding? Two themes emerged from the data. The first theme is the source of the trauma bond. Participants in the focus groups and interviews discussed in depth with whom they had trauma bonds with. The second theme is aspects of trauma bonds, which included three subthemes. Specifically, survivors have experienced trauma bonds as being (a) involuntary, as having a (b) lingering power, and as consisting of both (c) love and hate. The second research q (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Sharvari Karandikar Dr. (Advisor); Susan Yoon Dr. (Committee Member); Cecilia Mengo Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Social Work

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, Geography

Introduction Much is known about human trafficking, but alarmingly little is known about anti-trafficking practices. In general, and without substantive investigation, the anti-trafficking movement is taken-for-granted as a force for good, beyond reproach, and somehow magically uncoupled from trafficking per se. Yet the animating logics and practices of the anti-trafficking movement reproduce some of the very same violences of trafficking itself. By investigating the mechanics and logics of anti-trafficking, as well as the ways in which gendered and sexual violence constitutes both illicit and licit forms of gendered and sexualized labor related to human trafficking and rescue, this project pushes back against the normative logic of much of the trafficking research which to date has exempted anti-trafficking from serious, sustained critical analysis. My dissertation research remedies this situation by subjecting recent federal anti-trafficking legislation SESTA/FOSTA to rigorous social scientific scrutiny and specifically by learning from the people who occupy the liminal space between victim and worker, in order to situate anti-trafficking efforts in their historical, economic and political contexts. Chapter 1: Sex, Labor and the Consent Gap Despite many shared goals and investments, the anti-trafficking movement has long been at odds with the sex worker's rights movement. The anti-trafficking movement is characterized by a commitment to radical feminist values which view heterosexual sex as inherently violent and consent to paid sex impossible. In this view, the sex industry is painted as uniformly violent and exploitive. For this reason, the anti-trafficking movement has advocated the increasing criminalization of the sex industry (what Elizabeth Bernstein calls “carceral feminism”). Taking seriously the implications of an emerging sex worker literature which is critical of work, I argue that to understand consent when sex is work, the term's component (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mathew Coleman (Advisor); Madhumita Dutta (Committee Member); Jennifer Suchland (Committee Member); Joel Wainwright (Committee Member) Subjects: Geography; Womens Studies

Master of Science in Criminal Justice, Youngstown State University, 2021, Department of Criminal Justice and Consumer Sciences

Human trafficking is a global problem that takes many forms, making it difficult to identify. Published research has drawn a connection between children who suffer neglect by their caregivers and children who are trafficked. This thesis will present an exploratory body of research that examines the screening tools from 20 states across the country. A qualitative study was conducted on all the screening tools to determine what tools are being used for both trafficking victim identification as well as establishment of victimization history. This research will present the importance screenings tools serving a dual purpose, by including prior victimization and victim services in addition to trafficking identification. Using a well-rounded screening tool allows investigators to obtain a full history of victimization, as well as establishing services needed, while limiting the number of times the victim must relive their trauma.

Committee: Monica Merrill PhD (Committee Chair); John Hazy PhD (Committee Member); Susan Laird MSEd (Committee Member) Subjects: Criminology; Sociology

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2019, Psychology - Experimental

Sex trafficking is a public health concern affecting approximately 4.5 million victims each year (International Labor Office, 2012). Despite the pervasiveness of sex trafficking, many people still hold false beliefs about the topic. Endorsement of false beliefs may lead to failure to identify victims and victim blaming (Cunningham & Cromer, 2014). A variety of educational trainings are available for professionals and community members to learn more about sex trafficking. The goals of such trainings are to reduce the endorsement of common myths about trafficking, and to increase identification of victims and reporting of suspicions to authorities. Trainings are provided in a variety of formats such as: facts-only (Polaris Project, 2012), stories-only (Equality Now, 2014), and combined facts and stories (Department of Homeland Security, 2018). However, there is little literature investigating the efficacy of sex trafficking educational trainings. In the current study, 268 participants were recruited nationwide using Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants completed several questionnaires online as a pre-training assessment. Variables assessed included: myth endorsement, self-reported and actual knowledge, identification of sex trafficking scenarios, reactions to sex trafficking scenarios, and willingness to engage in behaviors to combat trafficking. Next, participants were randomly assigned to complete one of three trainings (i.e., facts-only, stories-only, combination) to learn about sex trafficking. One week later, participants completed the same questionnaires online as a post-training assessment. Participants were most satisfied with the facts-only training. Participants showed improvements in myth endorsement, perceived and actual knowledge, identification of sex trafficking, risk sensitivity to sex trafficking scenarios, victim blaming, decision to report sex trafficking scenarios to authorities, perceptions of sex trafficking as a major problem, willingness to en (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kamala London (Advisor); Kim Gratz (Committee Member); Jason Rose (Committee Member); Stephen Christman (Committee Member); Lisa Pescara-Kovach (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

PHD, Kent State University, 2018, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences

The purpose of this study was to examine whether scores of attitudes based on labels as measured by the Attitudes Toward Prostitutes and Prostitutions Scale (APPS) and the Attitudes Toward Trafficked Women and Sex Trafficking Scale (ATTS) and counselor attributes predicted scores of empathy on the Empathy Assessment Index (EAI) and scores of rape myth acceptance on the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale Short Form (IRMA-SF) in counselors. The participants in this study (N = 396) included licensed professional counselors (LPCs) and licensed professional clinical counselors (LPCCs) in Ohio. The results of this study found a difference on attitudes depending on whether "prostitute" or "sex trafficking" labels were used. The study also confirmed how attitudes based on labels and counselor demographics predicted empathy scores on the EAI and scores of rape myth acceptance on the IRMA. Within both APPS and ATTS groups, male counselors were more likely to accept rape myths compared to female counselors. The significance of this study's results illuminate the importance of avoiding stigmatizing labels within counseling, counselor education, and counselor supervision settings.

Committee: Jane A. Cox (Committee Co-Chair); Steven Rainey (Committee Co-Chair) Subjects: Counseling Education

BA, Kent State University, 2015, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences

Domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) is a specific sector of human trafficking in which the victims are United States citizens and under the age of 18. This type of trafficking is widespread across the U.S. in every state and every major city. The harm caused by such exploitation is extremely damaging to victims, especially considering a high proportion of these victims have already faced some type of abuse prior to their trafficking experience. Many of these children come from abusive and neglectful backgrounds and often end up homeless, which makes them especially vulnerable to traffickers. Most victims, if they do escape from the industry, are severely damaged emotionally, mentally, and physically. Therefore, treatment for this population is difficult to provide. The following will propose a prevention program that could potentially be implemented into institutions that tend to populations of children that are at a higher risk for DMST (e.g., alternative schools, juvenile detention centers, inner-city community centers in high risk locations). This program will have a basis in the building of resiliency, in which children build on valuable character traits and life skills that can help them overcome adversity. This program has groundwork in evidence-based research and the study of resiliency.

Committee: James Shepherd Dr. (Advisor); Leslie Heaphy Dr. (Advisor) Subjects: Psychology; Sociology