The College of Education announces the final Dissertation of

Brian Bruijn

for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

October 30, 2017 at 11:00 am in Ball Hall

Major Advisor: Elin Ovrebo, PhD

Domestic Sex Trafficking Survivor-Advocates’ Experience with Aftercare

ABSTRACT: In recent decades, the United States government passed laws to make human trafficking a federal offence and fund efforts to mitigate the use of humans for illegal labor. There has been little research regarding aftercare services for survivors of domestic sex trafficking. For this qualitative study, eight survivors of domestic sex trafficking (DST) were interviewed about their experiences with aftercare. The semi-structured interviews were analyzed using grounded theory. The core category, or central finding, of this study was “For DST survivors, a successful restorative aftercare experience is bookended by high-risk phases of building trust and connection that is critical to healing, hope, and future success.” Other findings focused on relapse (or going back to one’s trafficker after having sought restorative support), continued support for survivors when the aftercare program is complete, and the importance of community collaboration for service provision. It takes a concerted effort on the part of survivors, service providers, and communities working together, in the context of a safe and ethical aftercare setting, to establish an environment where healing can occur.