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Prostitution, Trafficking and Traumatic Stress
Prostitution, Trafficking, and Traumatic Stress offers the reader an analysis of prostitution and trafficking as organized interpersonal violence. Even in academia, law, and public health, prostitution is often misunderstood as sex work. The book’s 32 contributors offer clinical examples, analysis, and original research that counteract common myths about the harmlessness of prostitution.
Prostitution, Trafficking, and Traumatic Stress extensively documents the violence that runs like a constant thread throughout all types of prostitution, including escort, brothel, trafficking, strip club, pornography, and street prostitution. Prostitutes are always subjected to verbal sexual harassment and often have a lengthy history of trauma, including childhood sexual abuse and emotional neglect, racism, economic discrimination, rape, and other physical and sexual violence.
International in scope, the book contains cutting-edge contributions from clinical experts in traumatic stress, from attorneys and advocates who work with trafficked women, adolescents, and children and also prostituted women and men. A number of chapters address the complexity of treating the psychological symptoms resulting from prostitution and trafficking. Others address the survivor’s need for social supports, substance abuse treatment, peer support, and culturally relevant services. To stay up-to-date on this powerful subject, visit the Traffick Jamming blog at
Prostitution, Trafficking, and Traumatic Stress From the editor's
Prostitution is to the community what incest is to the family.
Slavery, at its height, was normalized in the United States as unpleasant but inevitable, yet it is now considered to be an institution that violated human rights. Perhaps we will at some point in the future look back on prostitution/trafficking with a similar historical perspective. It is my hope that this book will assist the reader in understanding prostitution and trafficking and in how to help women and children escape it.
Prostitution, Trafficking, and Traumatic Stress extensively documents the violence that runs like a constant thread throughout all types of prostitution, including escort, brothel, trafficking, strip club, pornography, and street prostitution. Prostitutes are always subjected to verbal sexual harassment and often have a lengthy history of trauma, including childhood sexual abuse and emotional neglect, racism, economic discrimination, rape, and other physical and sexual violence.
International in scope, the book contains cutting-edge contributions from clinical experts in traumatic stress, from attorneys and advocates who work with trafficked women, adolescents, and children and also prostituted women and men. A number of chapters address the complexity of treating the psychological symptoms resulting from prostitution and trafficking. Others address the survivor’s need for social supports, substance abuse treatment, peer support, and culturally relevant services. To stay up-to-date on this powerful subject, visit the Traffick Jamming blog at
Prostitution, Trafficking, and Traumatic Stress From the editor's
Prostitution is to the community what incest is to the family.
Slavery, at its height, was normalized in the United States as unpleasant but inevitable, yet it is now considered to be an institution that violated human rights. Perhaps we will at some point in the future look back on prostitution/trafficking with a similar historical perspective. It is my hope that this book will assist the reader in understanding prostitution and trafficking and in how to help women and children escape it.
384 pages, Paperback
First published March 29, 2004
3 people are currently reading
257 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 8, 2011
i am reading this for my IS400 class. this book needs to be read by all DA, social work, human services, and law enforcement professionals!! it is a 'slap in the face' wake-up call to all of the people that believe that prostitution is a good thing.
this book will break your heart.
this book will break your heart.
July 9, 2016
Self-published collection of claims with no transparency or accountability as to methodology. I am no fan of Nevada's legalized brothel system, but the author has been routinely criticized for putting forward dubious research from her think tank (of which, according to IRS records, she is the only paid participant) without peer review, plenty of ethics complaints, and inflammatory language. Read this with more than a grain of salt, and check against peer-reviewed social and behavioral science research on the subject.
June 18, 2020
Started the year off by finishing this one for work. This is a compilation of research articles and is a really helpful look at several different nuanced angles involved in this issue. My only holdback was that it was published almost 20 years ago, so would love an updated edition!
July 22, 2023
Técnicamente no me lei el libro como tal pero me tuve que comer todos los artículos que contiene para mi tfm. Una realidad muy dura desde la visión de las mujeres que la viven. Mínimo la introducción debería ser obligatoria leerla
September 7, 2025
This collection of research papers is written in a formal, academic style and presents some of the strongest studies on the topic of prostitution. It is an excellent and very informative resource that I would recommend to anyone interested in the subject. I especially appreciated the international perspective, as many studies cover countries where prostitution is legalized, regulated, or not legal at all, allowing readers to see how different legal frameworks affect the situation. Another strong point is the detailed documentation of trauma, including psychological and physical effects, stress, and PTSD, which highlights the profound impact prostitution has on those involved. The findings make it clear that prostitution is far from a normal job and that legalization does not improve the situation for the women involved.
One problematic aspect is the broad use of the term prostitution. For example, activities like stripping were included under the same label instead of being described in their own context. Women who enter prostitution voluntarily were hardly discussed, even though the studies in the book itself show that they do exist, although as a very small minority. In addition, counterarguments from the opposing side were not discussed at all, which left parts of the debate feeling incomplete, though including them could have made it nearly a perfect book. However, given that this is a collection of research papers, it is understandable that not every aspect of the topic is covered in a single volume.
Despite these issues, the book remains highly valuable and one of the best resources I have read on this topic.
One problematic aspect is the broad use of the term prostitution. For example, activities like stripping were included under the same label instead of being described in their own context. Women who enter prostitution voluntarily were hardly discussed, even though the studies in the book itself show that they do exist, although as a very small minority. In addition, counterarguments from the opposing side were not discussed at all, which left parts of the debate feeling incomplete, though including them could have made it nearly a perfect book. However, given that this is a collection of research papers, it is understandable that not every aspect of the topic is covered in a single volume.
Despite these issues, the book remains highly valuable and one of the best resources I have read on this topic.
September 22, 2008
collection of research papers ..all promoting the idea that legalizing prostitution is NOT a solution...most if not all written from a feminist perspective...very nicely done...it's as if a muslim wrote it. or should've written it.
critical reading for anyone interested in the topics of prostitution, international and domestic trafficking, modern day slavery, women's rights, etc.
critical reading for anyone interested in the topics of prostitution, international and domestic trafficking, modern day slavery, women's rights, etc.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews