Talk, Parallel sessions

Broken souls, healing hands: An overview of the mental health conditions of victims and survivors of sex trafficking

Friday June 23, 16:50, Lobby NLG

Sunitha Krishnan recounted stories of young girls who have been victims of trafficking, identifying the common exploitation and vulnerability of the victims, who are usually very young. Traffickers promise money, careers and a better life, when all they really provide is fear, violence, slavery, and terrible living conditions. Women’s bodies are thus turned into profit-making machines for traffickers, creating enormous physical and mental problems for the victims, often to the point of suicide. Faced with this problem, Krishnan advocates a program of mental and physical therapy, a comprehensive therapeutic community for the victims and a safe space, thus integrating these women into a multifaceted process of therapeutic activities. In order to change this situation, we must all act and not remain silent, so that we may collectively put an end to the problem of slavery and violence against women.