Women's Experiences of Healing After Sex Trafficking in Canada

In Canada sex trafficking is a hidden crime that impacts women of every race and socioeconomic status, though Indigenous women are disproportionately represented as victims. This study provided a platform to listen to seven female survivors’ experiences of healing, strength and resiliency after they were freed from exploitation in Canada to counteract victim’s experiences of oppression and silencing. The qualitative feminist method of the listening guide was utilized to provide victim-informed research driven by participant’s narratives. Two categories of voices emerged in participants’ narratives: voices of resistance and voices of healing. The voices of resistance (oppression, dismissal, avoidance, confusion, and disconnection), spoke about obstacles and barriers in healing, while voices of healing (connection, knowing, compassion, resilience, advocacy, agency, and purpose), captured women’s stories of healing. Survivors were found to experience healing through connection with themselves and others, mastery of new skills, regaining their autonomy, finding purpose, and sharing their stories.