Citation

Gerassi LB. Behav. Med. 2018; 44(3): 199-208.

Affiliation

a Affiliate of the Department of Gender and Women's Studies , University of Wisconsin - Madison , 1350 University Avenue, Madison , WI 53706 , Email: gerassi@wisc.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/08964289.2017.1384360

PMID

28985156

Abstract

More than 50% of women entering substance use treatment in the U.S. reported having traded sex for money or drugs. Women's participation in addiction treatment and related services is essential to their recovery and increased safety, stabilization, and quality of life. This paper's aim is to explore the barriers related to accessing detox facilities and essential services including substance use treatment and residential services for women impacted by commercial sexual exploitation (CSE). Data are drawn from a larger, community-based, grounded theory study. In-depth interview data were collected from 30 adult women who traded sex as adults (through maximum variation and snowball sampling), as well as 20 service providers who come into contact with adult women who trade sex (through nominations and purposive sampling). Finding suggest that women often encountered sobriety requirements, which created barriers to accessing addiction treatment or residential services. Some organizations' policies required evicting women if they were caught using, which created additional challenges for women who relapsed. Women wanted to avoid becoming "dopesick" on the streets or at home, which partially contributed to them needing to maintain their addiction. Consequently, some returned to sex trading, thus increasing their risk of trafficking. Some women engaged in creative strategies, such as claiming they were suicidal, in order to access the detox facilities in hospitals. Some women indicated they were only able to detox when they were forced to do so in jail or prison, often without medical assistance. Implications to improve health care delivery for this population are discussed.

Keywords: Human trafficking

Language: en

Keywords

addiction treatment; commercial sexual exploitation; detoxification; sex trafficking; substance use