Prostitution in the shadow of life-long sexual abuse: Arab women's retrospective experiences.

The present study uses the life-course and intersectionality perspectives to explore the meaning that aging Arab women attribute to their lived experiences of life-long sexual abuse in the shadow of engaging in prostitution. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was used to analyze the narratives of 10 older Arab women in Israel who were engaged in prostitution. Four themes emerged: experiencing childhood in the shadow of sexual abuse, becoming a prostitute, being entrapped in prostitution, and settling accounts with the native culture. Women aging in prostitution experience a harsh reality of abuse and loss. The present study points to multiple channels of abuse throughout the life course, from childhood until old age.

"I was already there once": Cumulative attempt capital of marginalized women exiting substance use and street prostitution contributes to their recovery capital.

Despite a move to view substance use as a disease of the brain, relapse into drugs is still often viewed as a personal failure. Low recovery capital has been used to explain relapse among certain marginalized populations. Recovery capital is a recent framework that refers to the individual's sum of all internal and external assets that may assist in their recovery process. It includes four categories: physical, human, social, and cultural capital. However, this framework does not relate to the role of actual relapses in the recovery process, despite their common occurrence. To bridge this gap, in-depth interviews with 29 women formerly engaged in substance use and street prostitution in a large urban area were used to probe women about their relapse and recovery experiences. The current study demonstrates the value in repeat recovery setbacks, what I term "cumulative attempt capital": lessons learned from previous recovery attempts. I argue that previous attempts improve women's social and professional networks, help them learn from past mistakes, improve and maintain their health, and provide them with a sense of self-efficacy. This research expands our understanding of the positive role failed attempts play in one's recovery. Such reframing by service providers can alleviate a sense of shame and low self-worth for women in street prostitution and substance use and has implications for policy and program development.

Sexual Health Needs Among Men Who Engage in Transactional Sex with Men in the UK.

Men who engage in transactional sex with men (MTSM) are a high-risk population for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Epidemiological data have so far included them in the broad category of men who have sex with men (MSM), while research on transactional sex typically focused on female sex workers. The internet has substantially changed sex work practices and earlier findings concerning the sexual health needs of MTSM may no longer be applicable. We analyzed quantitative data from MSM based in the UK (n = 11629) taking part in the European MSM Internet Survey (EMIS-2017). Compared to non-MTSM, MTSM (n = 230; 2%) were younger, more likely to self-identify as an ethnic minority, be single, have lower education levels, struggle financially, and-controlling for age-more likely to be living with diagnosed HIV. Commonly unmet needs among all MSM were a lack of confidence in accessing HIV post-exposure prophylaxis, uncertainty about HIV status, and ignorance of where to access hepatitis vaccinations. Compared with other MSM, MTSM were notably less satisfied with the safety of their sexual practices, less confident in their ability to maintain sexual boundaries, and more likely to engage in risk because of absent precautionary resources. Given their greater opportunity for sexual risk, as well as fewer resources for negotiating safety, our findings suggest that services should prioritize MTSM in HIV prevention and sexual health promotion, including assertiveness and social skills training, in addition to knowledge-based education.

The Intersection of Human Trafficking and Natural Disasters: A Scoping Review.

Natural disasters have increased in frequency and severity in recent years. Emerging research also suggests that natural disasters increase the risk of human trafficking. This confluence of phenomena makes it critically important to better prepare communities for preventing and responding to human trafficking during and after a natural disaster. Yet, there is no available synthesis of the extant research to inform these preparations. The present scoping review aims to fill this gap by outlining the existing literature on the nexus of disasters and human trafficking. The review follows the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis-Scoping Review guidelines. Sources were identified through manual reference checking and in four databases: PubMed, Web of Science, APA PsychINFO, and EBSCO Discovery Service. In total, 46 sources met the inclusion criteria, that is, they focused on the nexus between human trafficking and natural disasters, demonstrated scientific rigor, and were published after 2000 and in English. Overall, the reviewed literature provided initial evidence on the association between natural disasters occurrences and increases in national and transnational human trafficking activity, understanding of the compounding vulnerabilities conducive to trafficking following disasters, and recommendations for the prevention and response to human trafficking in the wake of disasters. Future studies should evaluate prevention initiatives, including awareness campaigns and interventions that mitigate trafficking vulnerabilities. In practice, it is crucial to integrate anti-trafficking efforts into disaster relief protocols, empower vulnerable populations, and advocate for enhanced legal protections for displaced and migrant individuals.

APPS-S: A Tool for Measuring the Attitudes Toward Prostitution and Women in Prostitution in the Spanish Population.

This study was designed with the purpose of testing the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Attitudes toward Prostitution and Prostitutes Scale through three studies with different samples. The first one explores the test's dimensional structure or constructs validity through confirmatory factor analysis, as well as internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The second one focuses on discriminant and criteria validity. Finally, the third one examines the scale's convergent validity and its sensitivity to detecting changes. The results support two subscales with an optimal index of internal consistency, structural stability over time, and discriminative power between groups of participants. It is, therefore, an adequate tool for adults as well as young people and teenagers, and for detecting changes in the context of intervention or awareness workshops.

I'm a 45-year-old woman in the body of an 80-year-old: The multiple losses of living and aging in the shadow of prostitution.

INTRODUCTION: Research on aging women who are involved in prostitution is currently limited, both in terms of the number of studies conducted and their scope. Nevertheless, the available research suggests that women who are aging while involved in prostitution may confront some unique challenges. Thus, the study aims to explore the experiences of aging as narrated by Arab women in prostitution, using Intersectionality as a theoretical framework. METHOD: Interpretive phenomenological analysis was used, and semistructured interviews were performed with 12 participants. FINDINGS: Four themes emerged: "I'm a 45-year-old woman in the body of an 80-year-old:" Loss of physical and mental health; "There is no retirement plan in prostitution: Economic and social losses; As they were taken, my soul went with them too: The loss of the parenting experience and motherhood"; and "I'm going to get older with the disgust clinging to me:" The loss of authentic identity and dignity. CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrate how aging serves to exacerbate overlapping forms of discrimination and marginalization. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Healthcare professionals, including nurses caring for older women in prostitution, should be aware of their unique circumstances, considering the social, economic, and healthcare obstacles they face. By being cognizant of these factors, healthcare practitioners can provide meaningful assistance in their pursuit of improved quality of life.

Strategies and Interventions Used to Prevent Violence Against Sex Workers in the United States: A Scoping Review Using the Social-Ecological Model.

Structural factors in the United States, such as criminalization, contribute to disproportionate rates of violence against sex workers and subsequent risk of adverse health outcomes. There is a clear need for systemic interventions and risk reduction strategies to reduce violence in this population. To inform next steps in prevention, this scoping review provides an overview of the literature on violence prevention efforts targeting sex workers in the United States, mapped out according to the social-ecological model (SEM). A comprehensive search of peer-reviewed literature across five databases with no limit on publication date yielded 2,372 documents. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they focused on the U.S. population of sex workers and had a clearly defined aim or purpose of exploring, describing, or evaluating sex work violence prevention interventions or risk reduction strategies. Twelve studies met all eligibility criteria and were selected. Only two of the studies evaluated sexual violence prevention interventions, while the remaining 10 explored strategies sex workers use to minimize the risk of violence. Most research focused on female sex workers, violence from paying clients, and prevention at the individual level of the SEM. Our findings suggest a need for additional violence prevention interventions tailored for diverse groups of sex workers and cognizant of the overlapping forms of violence they face. This scoping review contributes to the limited body of research on the prevention of violence against sex workers in the United States by providing future directions for research and program development that span across the SEM.

El orden de nacimiento como factor de riesgo para ser víctima de trata sexual en el triángulo norte de Centroamérica / Birth order as a risk factor for being victim of sex trafficking in the northern triangle of Central America

RESUMEN Las redes de tráfico humano para la prostitución captan a menores vulnerables, en especial, a quienes consideran no les queda otra opción que emigrar al norte para hacer frente a problemas económicos graves. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue establecer si el orden de nacimiento representó un factor de riesgo, asociado a la vulnerabilidad para la trata sexual de menores centroamericanas, traficadas a Estados Unidos. Las entrevistadas mostraban vulnerabilidades vinculadas con estructuras sociales y conductas individuales. Por una parte, todas crecieron en hogares caracterizados por la pobreza extrema. Por otra parte, también presentaban vulnerabilidades relacionadas con el embarazo adolescente, la falta de educación, la disfuncionalidad familiar y la participación en mercados ilegales. Ocupar el primer lugar en orden de nacimiento eleva la vulnerabilidad de las menores a ser traficadas a Estados Unidos para el comercio sexual. Por el contrario, ocupar el último lugar disminuye este riesgo.

ABSTRACT Human trafficking networks for prostitution recruit vulnerable underage girls, especially those who are considered with no choice but to migrate north to cope with serious economic problems. The aim of this work was to determine if birth order represented a risk factor associated to the vulnerability for sex trafficking of Central American female minors. The interviewees presented vulnerabilities associated to social structures and individual behaviors. On the one hand, all of them grew up in house holds characterized by extreme poverty. On the other hand, they also had vulnerabilities related to teenage pregnancy, lack of education, family dysfunction and participation in illegal markets. Findings suggest that occupying the first place in the order of birth raises the vulnerability of minors to being trafficked to the United States for sex trade. On the contrary, occupying the last place decreases this risk.

Expanding Our Understanding of Traffickers and Their Operations: A Review of the Literature and Path Forward.

Human trafficking is a serious crime and violation of human rights that results in numerous harms. Although the phenomenon is not new, scholarship on the issue has grown substantially since the first legal framework was passed in 2000. However, the existing literature has been criticized for its skewed focus on victims, among other things. The dearth of information on traffickers and their operations limits our ability to reduce or prevent perpetration. The current study presents a comprehensive and critical review of the existing literature focused on traffickers to synthesize what is already known and highlight the key gaps. Twenty-nine articles met the inclusion criteria of (1) focusing on traffickers and their operations and (2) relying on data either directly from traffickers or sources that contained detailed information about criminal cases against traffickers. We used an iterative process to identify relevant studies, which included collecting articles of which we were already familiar or were identified in existing reviews, searching their reference lists, and conducting cited-by searches until saturation was reached. Topics found in the extant literature included: characteristics of traffickers, relationships between traffickers and victims, organizational characteristics and networks, operations, connections with other crimes, motivations, perceptions of behavior, and risks associated with trafficking. It concludes with recommendations for future research and a discussion of how bridging gaps in the literature could support more rigorous mathematical modeling that is needed to identify and assess promising perpetration prevention and intervention strategies.

Risk and Protective Factors for Sexual Exploitation in Male and Female Youth From a Cross-Cultural Perspective: A Systematic Review.

Youth are at elevated risk of becoming victims of sexual exploitation, which has a detrimental impact on their physical and psychological well-being. Understanding factors associated with sexual exploitation is key for prevention efforts and adequate and timely treatment. This systematic review sheds more light on this by providing an overview of both risk and protective factors for sexual exploitation in male and female youth from a cross-cultural perspective. In all, 65 studies were selected meeting the inclusion criteria: qualitative or quantitative peer-reviewed studies in English, Dutch, or German with findings on risk and protective factors associated with sexual exploitation in youth aged up to 24 years. Results show that there are common risk factors in male and female youth worldwide (e.g., adverse childhood experiences, lack of a social network, substance use, and running away). Positive and supportive relationships are an important protective factor in mitigating the risk of sexual exploitation. Geographic differences were found. In non-Western continents, more environmental factors (e.g., economic vulnerabilities, residential instability) were cited. Research in countries outside the United States is limited and protective factors and males are underexamined. To fully understand vulnerabilities in youth, their interactions, and possible gender differences and to address the needs of diverse populations, more insight should be gained into the broader range of risk and protective factors worldwide. This systematic review has made a valuable contribution to this by providing practice, policy, and research guidance in the establishment of more targeted prevention efforts, adequate treatment, and areas to address in future research.

Voces y verdugos: resonancias y afectaciones en el proceso de investigación con prostitutas en la perspectiva epistemológica feminista

Se trata de un artículo con el objetivo de reflexionar sobre el proceso de un estudio realizado con mujeres profesionales del sexo, señalando las reverberaciones y afectaciones de la investigación en la investigadora, a partir de una perspectiva epistemológica feminista. La investigación se propuso a escuchar tres mujeres profesionales del sexo, las cuales fueron entrevistadas en distintos espacios: un cabaret, un café y una sala comercial. A partir del análisis de los diarios de campo producidos a lo largo del recorrido metodológico y a fines de presentación de las inquietaciones producidas, se enumeraron categorías de análisis. La primera, intitulada "El doloroso proceso de la investigadora", trata de las resonancias de la investigación en la investigadora, siendo las demás: "¿Cuánto pagas?": dominación masculina; "No tiene a nadie que mire por ella, no valía nada…": narrativas de resistencia; "¡Tu señora te está esperando!": sobreposición de prejuicio y "Hay afecto, más allá del sexo": identidad y reconocimiento como mujeres, relacionadas a las vivencias y narrativas de las (mujeres) entrevistadas. Como principales reflexiones, se evidencia que el prejuicio reproducido en los discursos machistas reverbera en la segregación de ser mujer y ser prostituta. Sin embargo, en la contramano de los discursos patriarcales, las narrativas de las entrevistas también revelan caminos de resistencia ante los desafíos sociales y culturales que la profesión establece. Se concluye que es necesario construir más espacios en que los discursos de las mujeres puedan resonar en el sentido de producir ciencia a partir de la potencia de las voces femeninas.

Este artigo teve o objetivo de refletir sobre o processo de uma pesquisa realizada com mulheres profissionais do sexo, sinalizando as reverberações e afetações da investigação na pesquisadora, a partir de uma perspectiva epistemológica feminista. A pesquisa que deu origem a este trabalho propôs-se a ouvir três mulheres profissionais do sexo, as quais foram entrevistadas em diferentes espaços: uma boate, um café e uma sala comercial. A partir da análise dos diários de campo produzidos ao longo do percurso metodológico e para fins de apresentação das inquietações produzidas, categorias de análise foram elencadas. A primeira, intitulada "O processo da pesquisa(dor)a", aborda as ressonâncias da pesquisa na pesquisadora, sendo as demais: "Quanto tu paga?": dominação masculina; "Ela não tinha ninguém por ela, não valia nada...": narrativas de resistência; "A patroa tá te esperando!": sobreposição de preconceito e "Tem afeto, além de sexo": identidade e reconhecimento enquanto mulheres, relacionadas às vivências e narrativas das mulheres entrevistadas. Como principais reflexões, evidencia-se que o preconceito reproduzido nos discursos machistas reverbera na segregação de ser mulher e ser prostituta. Porém, na contramão dos discursos patriarcais, as narrativas das entrevistadas também revelam caminhos de resistência frente aos desafios sociais e culturais que a profissão estabelece. Conclui-se que é necessário construir mais espaços em que os discursos das mulheres possam ecoar no sentido de produzir ciência a partir da potência das vozes femininas.

This article aimed to reflect on the process of a research study conducted with women engaged in sex work, highlighting the reverberations and impacts of the investigation on the researcher from a feminist epistemological perspective. This article is the result of a research which sought to listen to three female sex workers who were interviewed in different settings: a brothel, a café, and a commercial facility. Based on the analysis of field diaries produced throughout the methodological journey, in an effort to present the raised concerns, categories of analysis were identified. The first one, called "The researcher's (painful) journey", addresses the reverberations of the research on the researcher, while "How much do you pay?" explores male domination, "She had no one by her side, she was a worthless whore..." examines narratives of resistance, "Your missus is waiting for you!" analyzes overlapping prejudices, and "There is affection, beyond sex" approaches identity and recognition as women, related to experiences and narratives of the interviewed participants. Key findings highlight that the prejudice reproduced in misogynistic discourses reverberates in the segregation of being both a woman and a sex worker. However, in contrast to patriarchal narratives, the narratives of the interviewees also reveal paths of resistance in response to social and cultural challenges imposed by the profession. To sum up, there is a need to create more spaces where women's voices can resonate, thus enabling the production of science from the power of women's voices.

A Longitudinal Analysis of Residential Mobility and Experience of Client Violence Among Women Who Exchange Sex in Baltimore.

Residential mobility remains an underexplored yet critical construct that may influence the risk of violence among women who exchange sex. This study examined the longitudinal relationship between residential mobility and experience of client-perpetrated physical or sexual violence among women who exchange sex in Baltimore, Maryland. Participants were at least at 18 years of age, were cisgender women, reported having engaged in transactional sex three or more times within the last 3 months, and were willing to be contacted for 6-, 12-, and 18-month follow-up visits. Analyses of responses from 370 women who exchange sex participating in at least one study visit were conducted. Unadjusted and adjusted Poisson regression models of the association over time between residential mobility and recent experience of physical or sexual violence were fit. Generalized estimating equations with an exchangeable correlation structure and robust variance estimation were used to account for clustering of participants' responses over time. Findings demonstrated that those who had lived in at least four places in the past 6 months had a 39% increased risk of client-perpetrated physical violence (aRR: 1.39; 95% CI: 1.07-1.80; p < .05) and a 63% increased risk of sexual violence (aRR: 1.63; 95% CI: 1.14-2.32; p < .01) compared to their less-mobile counterparts. These findings provide necessary evidence of correlations over time between residential mobility and experience of client-perpetrated violence among women who exchange sex. Strengthening our understanding of how residential mobility intersects with violence is critical for the development of public health interventions that are relevant to women's lives and needs. Future interventions should explore including residential mobility, a critical pillar of housing instability, with efforts to address client-perpetrated violence.

The "Reservoir" Metaphor in Anti-Venereal-Disease Campaigns in Mid-Twentieth-Century North America.

Focusing on British Columbia during the mid-twentieth century, this article illuminates how North American medical, public-health, and law-enforcement professionals used the "reservoir" metaphor in efforts to control venereal disease (VD). It traces the transition from a pre-Second-World-War paradigm of VD eradication - what I call an epidemio-logic - focused on the single reservoir of female sex workers, to one concerned with several groups, including the White "male homosexual." The article also demonstrates how conceptualizing VD control in terms of human reservoirs led to analogical reasoning, improvements and setbacks to disease-control efforts, shifting understandings of infection risks, and changes to the built urban environment.

Sex Trafficking in New York City and Vulnerabilities to Re-Trafficking.

Human trafficking occurs in a cycle of coercion and exploitation of vulnerable people; yet, little is known about those who are trafficked more than one time (re-trafficked). Our study sought to describe the trafficking experiences and explore vulnerabilities to re-trafficking in an urban, majority immigrant, population. This study is part of a parent cohort study that enrolls patients at the EMPOWER Center in New York City, which provides trauma-informed obstetric and gynecologic services to victims of sexual- and gender-based violence. Retrospective chart review was conducted on patients with a history of sex trafficking who were evaluated at the EMPOWER Center from February 2013 to January 2021. A total of 87 patients were enrolled in this study, 23 (26.4%) of whom had been re-trafficked. All were women. Most (88.5%) were victims of international trafficking, most often from Mexico or the Caribbean/Central America. Nine (10.3%) reported contraceptive use and six (6.9%) experienced forced substance use while trafficked. The most reported barriers that women faced in escaping trafficking were threat of violence (28.7%) and financial dependence (19.5%). Re-trafficked patients were more likely to have a history of being undocumented (odds ratio [OR] = 5.29; 95% confidence intervals [CI] [1.34, 20.94]) and experienced childhood sexual abuse (OR = 2.99; 95% CI [1.10, 8.16]), experienced childhood physical abuse (OR = 3.33; 95% CI [1.18, 9.39]), and lived with a non-parent family member (OR = 6.56; 95% CI [1.71, 25.23]). Although these vulnerabilities were no longer significant when analyzed in a parsimonious multivariate logistic regression model adjusting for the other significant variables, likely due to the limited sample size. Almost half (46.0%) reported ongoing emotional effects from being trafficked, which did not vary by re-trafficking status. Our study highlights potential pre-trafficking vulnerabilities, illustrates the complexity of the trafficking experience, and presents potential risk factors for being re-trafficked.

Fugitivity and marronage and the study of sex work.

Campaigns against female prostitution used slavery as a rhetorical device to characterize the condition of sex workers, and sex work features prominently in contemporary campaigns against "modern slavery". In both types of campaigning, "the slave" is worked as a symbolic device to represent the abject condition of human beings objectified, controlled by violence or its threat, and stripped of agency and choice. The assumptions and generalizations about prostitution that inform this vision have been extensively critiqued. However, less attention has been paid to the fact that the analogy also rests on a very particular reading of "the slave" and a very partial appeal to histories of Atlantic World slavery. Histories of enslaved people's resistance and flight are entirely overlooked. The latter has recently prompted interest in fugitivity and marronage as analytic concepts, albeit concepts that are defined and deployed in different ways by different scholars and activists. This review asks whether and how they might potentially have theoretical purchase with regard to the contemporary experience (both positive and negative) of sex workers.

New Zealand's Approaches to Regulating the Commodification of the Female Body : A Comparative Analysis Reveals Ethical Inconsistencies.

In 2003 and 2004, Aotearoa New Zealand enacted two key laws that regulate two very different ways in which the female body may be commodified. The Prostitution Reform Act 2003 (PRA) decriminalized prostitution, removing legal barriers to the buying and selling of commercial sexual services. The Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Act 2004 (HART Act), on the other hand, put a prohibition on commercial surrogacy agreements. This paper undertakes a comparative analysis of the ethical arguments underlying New Zealand's legislative solutions to prostitution and commercial surrogacy. While the regulation of prostitution is approached with a Marxist feminist lens with the aim to ensure the health and safety of sex workers, commercial surrogacy is prohibited outright for concerns of negative impacts on present and future persons. I ground the principles of each Act in their ethical foundations and compare these two against one another. I conclude that New Zealand's legislative approach to regulating the commodification of the female body is ethically inconsistent.

Covid-19 and female sex workers in India: a journey of brutal reality.

The present paper is focused on the devastating effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on female sex workers (FSWs) in India and the globe. In Indian scenario, it emphasises on historical factors and theoretical frameworks that explicates the ceaseless exploitation of FSWs even before the pandemic. This inquiry analyses the efficacy of legislative and judicial endeavours taken with regard to FSWs. It highlights the role of non-governmental organisations and sex workers' community, actively working in providing support to the FSWs. Here, we attempt to document the scattered information from various reports regarding sex workers and prostitution. Literature search was done through search engines like Science Direct, Google Scholar and PubMed using keywords such as "COVID-19 pandemic" "sex workers", "prostitutes", "health", and "policies". Web hits from Google Scholar were collected using a Boolean search and retrieval method involving sex workers and the "AND" operator. During Covid-19 pandemic, due to stigmatisation of their profession FSWs are majorly excluded from government relief programs and health services. In India, the existing laws for FSWs are rigid in nature. They emphasize on prohibition of prostitution. There is an urgent need in India to move towards a substitute model which embody a flexible decriminalisation policy for sex workers. By studying relevant literature on the present topic the gap between policy formulation and implementation was identified. In case of India, it outlines recommendations, in particular providing immediate aid and relief, issuance of temporary documentation to sex workers.

Prevalence, Perpetrators, and Factors Associated With Intimate Partner Violence Among Adolescents Living in Urban Slums of Kampala, Uganda.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) poses a public health burden, yet few studies have assessed co-existence of physical, emotional, and sexual IPV among adolescents. We assessed recent IPV victimization and associated factors and described IPV patterns and perpetrators among young people from urban slums in Kampala, Uganda. We conducted a prospective cohort study among 14 to 19-year-old individuals enrolled from March 2019 to March 2020 and followed quarterly for 12 months. We collected data on socio-demographics, sexual behavior, and substance use through interviews. Recent IPV victimization was documented at all visits if a participant reported experiencing physical, emotional, and/or sexual IPV in the past 3 months. Baseline factors associated with recent IPV victimization were determined using multivariable logistic regression. We enrolled 490 adolescents (60.6% female) with median age 18 years (Interquartile range (IQR) 17-18 years), 91.0% had less than secondary level education. Females mainly engaged in sex work (17.5%) and selling fruits/snacks (9.1%) while males commonly earned from sale of metal scrap or plastic waste (28.5%), 41% reported ≥10 life-time sexual partners, 16.1% were high-risk alcohol drinkers and 34.9% used illicit drugs in the past 3 months. Overall, 27.8% reported recent IPV victimization (20.0% females) with emotional IPV being common (17.8%). At baseline, recent IPV victimization was associated with high-risk alcohol consumption (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.57; 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.44, 4.58]), reported paid sex in the past 3 months (aOR 1.82; [1.02, 3.22]) and being separated (aOR 2.47; [1.29, 4.73]). Recent IPV victimization declined from baseline to month 9 and increased at month 12 visits which coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic. IPV victimization is high among young people living in urban slums with emotional IPV being prevalent. IPV interventions are needed and should also address excessive alcohol consumption.

A Systematic Review of Specialty Courts in the United States for Adolescents Impacted by Commercial Sexual Exploitation.

Nationwide efforts to enhance services for adolescents experiencing commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) in the judicial system have led to the emergence of specialty courts, including human trafficking and girls' courts. Given that prior research has documented competing stances on the effectiveness of specialty courts for CSE-impacted populations, we conducted a systematic review of the literature to identify key characteristics of programming, profiles of adolescents served, and effectiveness of these courts. To identify relevant research and information, we systematically searched scholarly databases and information sources, conducted reference harvesting, and forwarded citation chaining. Articles presenting primary data with quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methodologies or programmatic descriptions of specialty courts serving adolescents at risk or with confirmed histories of CSE that were published after 2004 were included. We identified 39 articles on 21 specialty courts serving adolescents at risk or with confirmed histories of CSE, including seven specialty courts with evaluation or outcome data. Across specialty courts, adolescents benefited from an increase in linkage to specialized services, improved residential placement stability, and reduction in recidivism-measured by new criminal charges. Specialty court participation was also associated with improved educational outcomes and decreased instances of running away. A lack of empirical data, specifically of evaluation studies, emerged as a weakness in the literature. Still, findings support that specialty courts can be an integral judicial system response to CSE. Multidisciplinary collaboration can help target and respond to the multifaceted needs of adolescents, encourage healthy behaviors, and promote their overall wellness.