Hogan Kimberly A, Woo-Cater Sandy, Sharp Donna, Roe-Sepowitz Dominique, Gibbs Holly, Lindén Petra
School of Social Work, College of Education and Human Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA.
CommonSpirit Health, Bakersfield, CA, USA.
Public Health Rep. 2025 Aug 28:333549251362653. doi: 10.1177/00333549251362653.
Human trafficking is a persistent and complex issue in Kern County, California, where data on how social service systems are responding to the needs of survivors are limited. We aimed to identify the service needs and gaps in efforts for human trafficking response among social service providers in Kern County and to explore the role of engaging people with lived experiences in service delivery.
We conducted a cross-sectional survey from April 26 through May 31, 2021, among 57 social service agencies in Kern County involved in assisting juvenile and adult survivors of sex trafficking and/or labor trafficking. In the survey, we included 77 questions addressing agency demographic characteristics, services provided, training needs, and the involvement of people with lived experiences of trafficking in service delivery. We analyzed quantitative and qualitative data.
Of the 57 contacted agencies, 27 (47.4%) completed the survey. Among the 27 responding agencies, 22 (81.5%) provided services to individuals who have experienced sex trafficking and 13 (48.1%) provided services to individuals who have experienced labor trafficking. Only 7 agencies (31.8%) had specialized positions for sex trafficking recovery services. Barriers to service delivery among agencies included funding shortages and limited training in trauma-informed care. Moreover, most agencies did not engage people with lived experiences of trafficking in decision-making roles.
Enhanced funding, targeted training, and increased engagement of people with lived experiences of trafficking among social service providers in Kern County are needed to improve the support system for trafficking victims and create a more effective, collaborative response to human trafficking in the region.
人口贩卖是加利福尼亚州克恩县一个长期存在且复杂的问题，关于社会服务系统如何满足幸存者需求的数据有限。我们旨在确定克恩县社会服务提供者在应对人口贩卖方面的服务需求和努力差距，并探讨让有实际生活经历的人参与服务提供的作用。
2021年4月26日至5月31日，我们对克恩县57家参与协助性交易和/或劳动交易的青少年及成年幸存者的社会服务机构进行了横断面调查。在调查中，我们纳入了77个问题，涉及机构人口统计学特征、提供的服务、培训需求以及有贩卖经历的人在服务提供中的参与情况。我们对定量和定性数据进行了分析。
在联系的57家机构中，27家（47.4%）完成了调查。在27家回复机构中，22家（81.5%）为有性交易经历的个人提供服务，13家（48.1%）为有劳动交易经历的个人提供服务。只有7家机构（31.8%）设有性交易康复服务的专门职位。各机构在服务提供方面的障碍包括资金短缺和创伤知情护理方面的培训有限。此外，大多数机构没有让有贩卖经历的人担任决策角色。
克恩县的社会服务提供者需要增加资金、开展有针对性的培训，并让有贩卖经历的人更多地参与进来，以改善对贩卖受害者的支持系统，并对该地区的人口贩卖问题做出更有效、协作性更强的应对。
