South Dakota State University Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2018 Successes and Challenges in Services for Victims of Sex Trafficking: An Organizational Analysis Annelieke Sinnema South Dakota State University Follow this and additional works at: https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd Part of the Sociology Commons Recommended Citation Sinnema, Annelieke, "Successes and Challenges in Services for Victims of Sex Trafficking: An Organizational Analysis" (2018). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2670. https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd/2670 This Thesis - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SUCCESSES AND CHALLENGES IN SERVICES FOR VICTIMS OF SEX TRAFFICKING: AN ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS BY ANNELIEKE SINNEMA A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science Major in Sociology South Dakota State University 2018 iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I would like to thank the clients of Calltofreedom for participating in this research. I want to thank them for the trust they had in me and this project and the openness in which the answered my questions. I am honored to have been able to talk to you and see human trafficking trough different eyes. Secondly, I want to thank all the staff members of Calltofreedom, other service organizations and law enforcement agencies who participated in this project. Thank you for your time and knowledge about this topic and willingness to share your information with me. Lastly, I want to thank my advisor, Dr. Julie Yingling, for her encouragement and guidance throughout this project. Your advice and enthusiasm have helped me to keep going when things got rough. I also want to thank Dr. Meredith Redlin and Dr. Dwayne Beck for being on my committee and taking the time to read my research. iv CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................................ vi Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Literature review .............................................................................................................................. 4 Social and legal definitions of trafficking ..................................................................................... 4 LGBTQ Youth ................................................................................................................................ 8 Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) ......................................................................................... 9 Places of trafficking .................................................................................................................... 11 Events related to trafficking in South Dakota ............................................................................ 12 South Dakota tier ranking .......................................................................................................... 14 South Dakota law changes ......................................................................................................... 15 Barriers in awareness, response and services ........................................................................... 19 Purpose statement ........................................................................................................................ 21 Theoretical framework .................................................................................................................. 22 Labeling theory .......................................................................................................................... 22 Memorable messages ................................................................................................................ 24 Research methods ......................................................................................................................... 27 Research site .............................................................................................................................. 27 Sampling ..................................................................................................................................... 27 Data collection ........................................................................................................................... 30 Analysis ...................................................................................................................................... 31 Findings 1: Successes and challenges regarding Calltofreedom .................................................... 33 Needs ......................................................................................................................................... 33 Housing ...................................................................................................................................... 37 Case management ..................................................................................................................... 44 Counseling .................................................................................................................................. 50 Employment and skills training .................................................................................................. 53 Education and awareness .......................................................................................................... 55 Other .......................................................................................................................................... 58 Findings 2: Memorable messages, labeling and stigma ................................................................ 62 Memorable messages: ............................................................................................................... 62 Stigma and labels ....................................................................................................................... 74 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 80 v Limitations and future research..................................................................................................... 83 References ..................................................................................................................................... 84 Appendix A. .................................................................................................................................... 99 Appendix B ................................................................................................................................... 103 Human Subjects Approval Request .............................................................................................. 103 Appendix C ................................................................................................................................... 105 Appendix D ................................................................................................................................... 109 vi ABSTRACT SUCCESSES AND CHALLENGES IN SERVICES FOR VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING: AN ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS ANNELIEKE SINNEMA 2018 This study examines how the organization Calltofreedom, located in Sioux Falls South Dakota, works to rehabilitate victims of sex trafficking and how, what this organization offers fits with the needs these victims have. Secondly, this study looks at memorable messages clients of Calltofeedom receive that prevents or encourages them to heal after getting out of a trafficking situation. Sex trafficking is not only an international problem but a home-grown problem in the United States. Awareness about sex trafficking and needs of victims, especially in rural places, is still lacking. With this comes a lack in organizations that can help empower victims. Investigating how Calltofreedom works and how their work fits their clients’ needs is important information for the organization itself and the clients that use this organization. Understanding what memorable messages encourage victims to look for help and start healing is important for services organizations and law enforcement as they are often the first interaction women have to get out of a trafficking situation. Through interviews with staff members, victims, law enforcement and other victim services this study has tried to create a clear picture of what victims need, what is offered and what needs to change to better help sex trafficking victims. 1 Introduction Over the past several decades, the problem of human trafficking has received increased public attention due to movies like “Taken” and “Eden”, new legislation, and multiple trainings and seminars for law enforcement and social services staff (Jordan, Patel and Rapp 2013). Human trafficking in the United States (U.S.) encompasses two different offenses: trafficking to the U.S. and trafficking within the U.S. Although both are