— POSITION STATEMENT—
Trafficking/Sexual Exploitation
PENNSYLVANIA COALITION AGAINST RAPE
125 North Enola Drive • Enola, PA 17025
717-728-9740 • 800-692-7445 • TTY 877-585-1091 • pcar.org
The mission of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape is to work to eliminate all forms of sexual
violence and to advocate for the rights and needs of victims of sexual assault.
Position:
The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape encourages
and supports society’s acceptance of the responsibility to
protect all people from being sexually exploited/trafficked;
prohibits any conduct or material which causes or threatens
psychological, emotional or physical harm as a result of
sexual exploitation/trafficking; and prevents any person
from benefiting, financially or otherwise from sexually
exploiting/trafficking others.
Rationale:
Sexual exploitation/trafficking is the dominance of one
person over another; that domination ranges from subtle
to violent. Reduction of people to sexual objects teaches
society to view others as less than human and contributes
to an atmosphere that makes sexual assault acceptable.
The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape believes that all
people have the right to live freely without the psychological
degradation and physical danger that sexual exploitation/
trafficking inspires and sanctions.
Background:
The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape may issue statements
regarding public policy affecting sexual violence victims
and rape crisis centers. All position statements adopted by
the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape will be viewed as
the official position statement, the center, when publicly or
privately voicing oppositions to the statement, will do so in
the capacity of an independent program and in no way as a
member of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape.
Additional Resources:
Surratt, H. L., Inciardi, J. A., Kurtz, S. P., & Kiley, M.
C. (2004). Sex work and drug use in a subculture
of violence. Crime & Delinquency, 50, 43-59.
doi:10.1177/0011128703258875
Lindeland, B. (2010). Trauma symptomatology in female
sex workers: A review of recent literature (Master’s thesis).
Retrieved from Pacific University: http://commons.pacificu.
edu/spp/132
Romero-Daza, N., Weeks, M., & Singer, M. (2003). “Nobody
gives a damn if I live or die”: Violence, drugs, and street-level
prostitution in inner-city Hartford, Connecticut. Medical
Anthropology, 22, 233-259. doi:10.1080=01459740390219448
Hossain, M., Zimmerman, C., Abas, M., Light, M., &
Watts, C. (2010). The relationship of trauma to mental
disorders among trafficked and sexually exploited girls and
women. American Journal of Public Health, 100, 2442-2449.
doi:10.2105/AJPH.2009.173229
Clawson, H. J., Salomon, A., & Grace, L. G. (2008). Treating
the hidden wounds: Trauma treatment and mental health
recovery for victims of human trafficking. Retrieved from
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/07/HumanTrafficking/Treating/ib.pdf
Farley, M., Cotton, A., Lynne, J., Zumbeck, S., Spiwak, F.,
Reyes, M. E., Sezgin, U. (2003). Prostitution and trafficking
in nine countries: An update on violence and prosttraumatic
stress disorder. Journal of Trauma Practice, 2(3-4), 33-74.
doi:10.1300/J189v02n03_03
Last updated June 18, 2013 © Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape 2013. All rights reserved.