Recipients of PSC Small Grant Awards

Human trafficking is one of the world’s fastest growing crimes and human rights violations. Human trafficking involves the recruitment and movement of individuals by force, coercion or deception for the purposes of criminal exploitation and abuse. Despite the trauma and violence inherent in most trafficking situations, little is known about the individual and public health implications of any form of human trafficking. This study examines the association between human trafficking, physical, and mental health outcomes among a cohort of 1,102 formerly trafficked individuals who experienced various forms of forced labor and exploitation in the Mekong subregion (Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam). Specifically, the study has three aims: (1) to assess the association of trafficking-related violent coercive factors and mental health outcomes [anxiety, depression, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)] among individuals from the Mekong sub-region, (2) to assess whether the association of trafficking-related violent coercive factors and mental health outcomes (anxiety, depression, hostility, and PTSD) differ by sex or trafficking sector, and (3) To examine whether the perpetrator of violence (e.g., trafficker, bouncer, employer), as well as the frequency and type of injuries received by trafficked individuals are associated with formerly trafficked individuals’ mental health outcomes (anxiety, depression, and PTSD) after adjusting for demographic characteristics. This application requests support for training activities to enhance the student’s contextual and theoretical understanding of trafficking, health and human rights as well as for travel funds to meet with the study PI in Berkeley California who has graciously agreed to share her data.

Funding Source: PSC Ford Funds