By Linda A Smith Samantha Healy Vardaman Melissa A Snow

70Shared Hope InternationalRecognizing the severe impact of trauma in the lives of child victims of commercial sexual exploitationconfirms the need for law enforcement and service provider collaboration. The law enforcementinvestigation can benefit by allowing service providers to work with the victimized youth first, potentiallyengaging the youth’s parasympathetic nervous system and regulating the neurological system, calming thevictim and encouraging better recall of the details of her exploitation.ConsistencyVictims of sex trafficking have been rejected and abused by so many people that consistent, unrelentingsupport and love is a necessity in reaching out to them. Furthermore, traffickers/pimps provide a chaotichome life and existence that affect the child’s development in multiple ways. Structure and stability,on the other hand, assist in creating a sense of safety for the victim; however, it is important to notethis unfamiliar aspect to their environment may initially be rejected. Consistency and the underlyingcompassion for these victims, regardless of their attitudes or appearance, is a powerful tool in servingdomestically trafficked minors.Countering the Trauma BondOnce the trauma bond is identified, countering it becomes an important issue to address.Agencies need to recognize that there are psychological and emotional reasons why the victim is attachedto her trafficker/pimp. Methods can be implemented to counter that bond by identifying what needs thetrafficker is fulfilling and providing a healthy alternative.Table 7: Countering Trauma BondsTrafficker ProvidesTraffickers/pimps seek to fill emotionalvoids and needed roles.Traffickers/pimps provide hope, which theylater exploit.Traffickers/pimps fill physical needs.Traffickers/pimps thrive off fear andintimacy creating instability.Traffickers/pimps manipulate, lie, betray,and let the victim down, but they are alwaysthere.ResponseFind out what needs are being met or aretrying to be met, such as love and selfesteem.Give hope through a variety of ways, suchas skill-building, education, and advocacy.Provide holistic programs and services.Create a safe pace to stabilize and long-termcare.Set realistic and honest expectations. Beconsistent.A victim of child sex trafficking normally has a range of physical reactions to the trauma. These reactionscan manifest in addictions, illnesses, diseases, and psychosomatic reactions. Many survivors of domesticminor sex trafficking reveal disassociating as a means of surviving the chronic sexual abuse. Thoughresearch specific to disassociation by child sex trafficking victims is lacking, it is important to consider