Community Risk Factors
Lack of basic needs like housing, food, and healthcare increases vulnerability. (4 & 7)
What is poverty?
This type of relationship often involves manipulation, control and emotional dependence. (4 & 6)
What is an abusive relationship?
This concept explains how repeated exposure to trauma alters brain development and stress responses over time. (5)
What is toxic stress?
This psychological strategy involves building emotional dependence before exploitation begins. (1 & 4)
What is grooming?
This approach emphasizes understanding trauma's impact when providing services to survivors. (2)
What is trauma-informed care?
High levels of this in a community can increase exposure and increase vulnerability to trafficking networks? (3)
What is crime or community violence?
Youth without this support system are more vulnerable to traffickers. (6)
What is lack of parental or caregiver support?
Survivors may experience difficulty regulating emotions and identity due to this form of prolonged trauma. (5)
What is complex trauma/PTSD?
Traffickers exploit this hierarchy of needs by first providing essentials like food or shelter to gain control. (4)
What is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs?
Prevention efforts that target schools, families and communities simultaneously are based on this type of approach. (2)
What is a multi-level or ecological approach?
This lack of institutional support, underfunded schools, limited social services, limited access to law enforcement, etc., raises risk. (7)
What is the lack of community resources?
Traffickers often pose as this type of person to gain trust. (4 & 6)
What is a friend, romantic partner or "boyfriend/girlfriend"?
Victims may face barriers to employment and stability due to this type of record. (3)
What is a criminal record?
This theory explains why victims may remain loyal to or defend their trafficker despite abuse. (2)
What is trauma bonding?
This strategy focuses on reducing vulnerability by improving housing, education and economic opportunities. (2)
What is primary prevention?
Frequent relocation or unstable/unsafe living environments can lead people to search for housing and exposing them to trafficking networks. This is an example of this risk. (4 & 7)
What is housing instability?
Family involvement in trafficking situations is known as this. Family involvement includes child abuse, excessive labor, using child for income (e.g. selling), etc. (6)
What is familial trafficking?
Long-term trafficking survivors often face barriers to employment due to gaps in education, stigma and this structural issue. (7)
What is systemic inequality?
Traffickers often exploit systemic vulnerabilities such as poverty and discrimination, which are examples of this broader concept. (7)
What are structural or systemic risk factors?
Policies that invovlve survivor voices in program design reflect this principle. (2)
What is survivor-centered or survivor-informed practice?
Communities with limited awareness or education within the community and with law enforcement/resources about trafficking may experience higher rates due to this issue. (7)
What is the lack of awareness or education?
A history of this increases vulnerability due to normalization of abuse. (6)
What is prior abuse or neglect?
This concept describes how trauma can be passed down and affect generations through behavioral and environmental patterns. (5)
What is intergenerational trauma?
This combination of manipulation, coercion and perceived lack of alternatives keeps victims from leaving even when opportunities exist. (1)
What is psychological coercion or perceived entrapment?
This long-term strategy addresses root causes like inequality discrimination and lack of resources to reduce trafficking risk overall. (3)
What is systemic change or structural prevention?