Essay Example on Human Trafficking: Karla Jacinto's Case & Controls Needed

Introduction

Human trafficking remains one of the most critical challenges facing the international community in contemporary society (Swailleh, 2018). Researchers are increasingly directing their focus on understanding the causes, effects, and control measures of this atrocious act. The case of Karla Jacinto points to the need for the legislation and enactment of stern measures to safeguard people who are vulnerable to human trafficking (Chivers-Wilson, 2006). This reflection paper provides appropriate responses to different psychological questions associated with Karla's human trafficking case and its effects.

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Part 1-Reflection

An Overview of the Emotions Experienced by Karla

Karla Jacinto experienced mixed emotions while growing up in their home and during the sexual slavery incident. First, Karla suffered from feelings of sadness and insecurity on realizing that her parents could not respond to her abuser who was one of her family members, as indicated in the case study (Romo, 2017). Secondly, the victim grew up with emotions of fear and insecurity with a comprehensive understanding that none of her family members could protect her from any form of atrocious acts committed by her relatives as well as enemies (Swailleh, 2018). Lastly, Karla had emotions of anger, annoyance, and apathy to the extent that she was ready to run away from their home in search of safety.

The Role of the Pimp, how they rationalize their Awful Behavior and their Punishment

According to Vickerman and Margolin (2010), the role of pimps is to control prostitutes and arrange clients for them and, in turn, take a percentage of the total earnings paid by their offenders. However, pimps take all the financial gains that victims of sexual slavery, such as Karla, generate in the case of human trafficking. Such individuals rationalize their behaviours in different ways. For instance, they assume that what they are doing is correct and may take psychotic drugs to ensure that they suppress the emotional feelings associated with abusing others and seeing them abused (Romo, 2017). The punishment for such individuals should entail strict fines, court sentence for a predetermined period, and death.

Role of the Sexual Offenders, Behavior Rationalization, Motivations, and their Punishment

According to Vickerman and Margolin (2010), sexual offenders play a critical role in the continuation of human trafficking and slavery. Such individuals may not only participate in kipping victims but also assaulting them sexually. Such individuals rationalize their awful acts by assuming that they are right in committing their atrocities, use drugs to suppress the associated negative emotions, and may bribe the victims to prevent them from punishment (Vickerman & Margolin, 2010). Sexual offenders get motivated by various conditions. For instance, offenders who suffered from divorce or sexual abuse by their spouse see molesting victims of human trafficking as part of revenge for what they experienced in their lives. Also, some offenders, such as the 30 policemen, could engage in sexual abuse because of living far away from their spouses (Chivers-Wilson, 2006). The punishment for such sexual offenders should include not only court fines but also life imprisonment and even death.

Part II-Application

Psychological Effects of Human Trafficking

Vickerman and Margolin (2010) ascertained that victims of human trafficking are likely to suffer from multiple psychological effects that could be difficult to bear. First, such victims, including Karla, suffer from short-term psychological impacts of anger and fear. However, such feelings may result in long-term sustained effects of depression, hopelessness, and sadness. Secondly, recurrent intrusive memories of abuse are a common psychological effect among victims of sexual slavery. Victims usually get it challenging to enter and sustain intimate relationships throughout their lives and may even become abusive in their marriages. Bad memories can lead to nightmares, sleeplessness, insomnia, and sleep disturbances throughout a person's life. Thirdly, victims may suffer from mood and stress-related disorders leading to disorientation, panic attacks, and confusion (Swailleh, 2018). Lastly, some victims usually commit suicide as a solution to their sustained problems.

Psychological Treatments/Interventions that are Helpful for Karla Jacinto

Different psychological treatment strategies can be helpful to victims of sexual abuse resulting from human trafficking (Chivers-Wilson, 2006). For example, the victim needs to have a detailed understanding of the human atrocity experienced and its associated effects before seeking appropriate intervention. The best intervention strategy would be visiting a professional psychiatrist to diagnose different psychological conditions and disorders of the patient. For instance, psychiatrists can treat patients diagnosed with trauma by using multiple techniques, including the cognitive processing therapy (CPT), the eye-movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR) approach, and the prolonged exposure therapy (PE) (Romo, 2017). Therefore, PE can be useful for Karla who suffered from 43,200 incidents of rape. Lastly, visiting a counsellor and identifying appropriate friends to provide advice and encouragement can lead to an ultimate solution.

Myths, Facts, and Prevention of Rape

Different myths and facts are surrounding the issue of rape. First, many people assume that sexual abuses occur in the dark and are committed by strangers (Vickerman & Margolin, 2010). However, statistics indicate that most of the rape offenders usually are close family members and relatives as well as friends who have a well-established relationship with the victim. Also, rape occurs at any time without the knowledge of the preference of the victim. Secondly, people assume that men cannot rape their spouses. In the real sense, intimate partners are the leading victims and offenders of rape cases. Thirdly, the society holds the myth that men are never victims of rape (Chivers-Wilson, 2006). However, facts indicate that male children, as well as adults, frequently suffer from cases of rape throughout their lives. Lastly, people assume that those who rape are either mentally ill or psychotic, yet the facts indicate that limited numbers of perpetrators have a mental illness. Majority of the offenders are usually mentally upright. Prevention of rape, on the other hand, should entail enactment of strict laws demanding life imprisonment of offenders, fines, and death (Swailleh, 2018). However, educating and creating awareness among those vulnerable to rape is also a critical prevention strategy.

Conclusion

Human trafficking is one of the most common ways of violating human rights. The act consists of multiple effects that can be difficult to bear, especially among offenders. Therefore, there is a growing need for collaboration and partnership among various stakeholders to prevent human trafficking and its associated psychological effects, as discussed in this paper.

References

Chivers-Wilson, K. A. (2006). Sexual assault and posttraumatic stress disorder: A review of the biological, psychological and sociological factors and treatments. McGill Journal of Medicine, 9(2): 111-118. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2323517/.

Romo, R. (2017 September). Human trafficking survivor: I was raped 43,200 times. CNN. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2015/11/10/americas/freedom-project-mexico-trafficking-survivor/index.html.

Swailleh, W. (2018). Research trends on human trafficking: A Bibliometric analysis using Scopus database. Globalization and Health, 14(1), 106. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6225706/.

Vickerman, K. A. & Margolin, G. (2010). Rape treatment outcome research: Empirical findings and state of the literature. Clinical Psychology Review, 29(5), 431-448. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2773678/.