Onto the Next Generation: Exploring the Impact of Mother’s Experiences of Child Abuse and Commercial Sex Industry Involvement on Child Custody Outcomes

ABSTRACT

Women and girls remain substantially overrepresented in the commercial sex industry. While a number of outcomes have been linked to childhood abuse and involvement with the commercial sex industry, there exists a gap in understanding the unique impact of child abuse on child custody outcomes among adult women involved in the commercial sex industry. Drawing from data collected from 107 case files of adult women with a history of commercial sex industry involvement, the aim of the current study was to understand the link between child abuse history, commercial sex industry involvement, and child custody outcomes. Results indicated that among women who reported a history of child sex trafficking, 91.7% reported having endured child abuse. Further, 82.4% of women reported that their children were not under their custody. Dysfunctional family dynamics, substance abuse, and economic and structural barriers endured by these women are explored further, and intergenerational continuity of such traumagenic precarities is considered as a prolonged implication of such issues. Through a trauma-informed perspective, implications for prevention and intervention are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Sex trafficking
• prostitution
• child abuse
• child custody
• intergenerational continuity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Klejdis Bilali

Klejdis Bilali, MA, is a PhD student in the Department of Criminology at the University of South Florida (USF), a registered mental health counseling intern at the USF Department of Pediatrics, and a graduate research assistant at the USF Trafficking in Persons (TiP) Risk to Resilience Research Lab and Data Depository. Klejdis’ research focuses on interpersonal violence and victimization, including human trafficking, child abuse, and family violence, with a focus on trauma-informed prevention and intervention.

Kaci Crook

Kaci Crook, MA, is a registered mental health counseling intern and a researcher at the University of South Florida Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Risk to Resilience Research Lab and Data Depository. Kaci’s research has focused on human trafficking, substance abuse, and therapeutic interventions.

Sarah Gardy

Sarah Gardy, MA, is a PhD student in the Department of Psychology at the University of Florida, Gainesville, and a researcher at the University of South Florida Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Risk to Resilience Research Lab and Data Depository. Sarah’s research has focused on mental health, trauma, and human trafficking.

Joan A. Reid

Joan A. Reid, Ph.D., LMHC is a Professor of Criminology and the Director of the University of South Florida Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Risk to Resilience Research Lab and Data Depository. Dr. Reid has authored over 70 publications featured in prominent journals to include the American Journal of Public Health, Annals of Internal Medicine, Justice Quarterly, and Sexual Abuse, with the majority focused on sex trafficking of girls and boys in the United States. As a licensed mental health counselor, Dr. Reid has experience providing trauma therapy to rape, sexual abuse, and human trafficking survivors.