| Description |
As the number of women affected by sex slavery continues to increase worldwide, the amount of literature surrounding what happens after sexual exploitation occurs has not. Much of the literature discussing the topic of sex trafficking in India only mentions the rehabilitation of trafficking victims as an afterthought. Through the qualitative methods of semi-structured interviews and participant observation, this project begins to fill the gap of literature surrounding the rehabilitation process sex trafficking survivors in India experience. The findings from six participants living at the nonprofit Madras Christian Council of Social Service (MCCSS) in Chennai, India indicate four prevalent themes found throughout the process of rehabilitation. 1) Some difficulties in the rehabilitation process are due to communication barriers, including the development of misunderstandings, mistrust, and trouble forming supportive relationships. 2) The tendency to compare one's current situation to time spent at the government-run protection home is based on access to one's own human rights. 3) Providing the survivor the freedom to make her own choices, such as whether or not to be reintegrated/repatriated, is a critical aspect of the rehabilitation process. 4) A supportive familial structure, which at times includes the presence of confrontation, is vital to the rehabilitation of sex trafficking survivors. |
