The Rural Professional's Experience Working with Child Trafficking Survivors
Danielle Thomas, EdD, MA | September 22 | 9:45-10:45 am
Topic: Research, Direct Service | Knowledge Level: Intermediate
The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of professionals working with minor-aged survivors of human trafficking in nonmetropolitan environments throughout the Northeast. Husserl’s noematic process, integrated with Maslow’s theory of human motivation, provided this study’s theoretical framework, which strived to answer the following research questions: What are the experiences of professionals working with minor aged human trafficking survivors in Northeast nonmetropolitan communities (noema)? and How do professionals describe their experiences helping minor-aged survivors of human trafficking obtain their basic needs after exploitation (noesis)? Data collection involved demographic questionnaires and interviews. The data was analyzed by using Moustakas’ phenomenological methodology. Two primary themes emerged from the data analysis. The first theme was the participant’s experience meeting the needs of survivors, containing subthemes of needs being met through their vocation and community resources. The second primary theme included the challenges participants experienced when meeting the survivors’ needs; the subthemes contained the challenges they experienced through their vocation and community. The most prominent result was the differences in challenges experienced by participants depending on if their employer was a nonprofit organization, or a state agency. These vocational discrepancies are imperative for ensuring that nonmetropolitan communities best understand how to provide services to minor-aged survivors of human trafficking.
Presentation Objectives:
· Review the study’s overview, methodology, and findings
· Define the noematic relationship and Husserl’s Theory of Intentionality
· Integrate the study’s findings into how to best support survivors in rural areas to streamline statistics to prove the need for services in rural communities