Suchergebnisse

In this politically charged times, the plight of Mexican immigrants have been incorrectly characterized and ridiculed. We believe clinicians need to better understand who they are and how to become culturally competent to work effectively with Mexican immigrants. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (1951) defines a political refugee as "a person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country…" In contrast, an economic refugee is a person seeking refugee status in another country for economic reasons. With political refugee status comes both legal and financial support by the U.S. government. However, an economic refugee is not afforded such opportunities. In the United States, there are 660,477 political refugees (Dovidio & Esses, 2001), additionally, it is estimated that there are five to eight million economic refugees who are without legal documents (Yakushko & Chronister, 2005). It is believed that of this five to eight million economic refugees, 95% are from Mexico (Yakushko & Chronister). This translates to 4,750,000 to 7,600,000 Mexican economic refugees. Though U.S. legislation has tried to control the number of economic refugees entering the country and expel economic refugees already living within its borders, the reality is that great majority of the 4,750,000 to 7,600,000 individuals are gainfully employed and will probably stay in the United States until they have earned sufficient money to be able to return to Mexico and survive economic deprivation. With such staggering numbers of economic refugees seeking the opportunity to make a living within the United States, it is becoming increasingly important to address the mental health needs of such individuals. Although federal policy often dictates the exclusion of funding opportunities for services to economic refugees, the reality is that there is an ethical responsibility to provide services to all individuals despite legal status or country of origin.

There is increasing evidence that children who are subject to commercial child sexual exploitation (CCSE) are likely to experience complex mental health needs. Failure to address the trauma experienced by victims of CCSE can lead to suicide attempts, self-harm, and long-term mental health needs (Powell, Asbill, Louis, & Stoklosa, 2018). A 'trauma-informed' approach (TIA) creates a responsive environment that improves the motivation of victims of CCSE to seek treatment and service providers to address unmet needs. Merging Maslow's (1943) hierarchy of needs with a TIA approach provides a comprehensive framework to assess the service requirements necessary to meet CCSE survivors' needs. Particularly, when Maslow's hierarchy of needs model is coupled with contemporary extensions, which address our greater understanding of the neurological impact of abuse on physiological well-being greater resilience can be created. Additionally, a TIA instigates a shift from victims of CCSE being viewed as damaged, to an understanding of the impact abusive experiences have had on their development. That approach permits them and others to perceive their "survivorhood" and develop their capacity to achieve self-actualization. This paper critically examines what is constituted as best practice in trauma-informed mental health service delivery to not only meet needs but to support CCSE survivors' attainment of self-actualization.

<p>Peru has been found to be a country of destination, origin, and transit of men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. Peruvian news highlights growing trends in labor and sex trafficking, but it is widely recognized that there is a paucity of rigorous data on the subject.</p><p>This study interviewed stakeholders involved in prevention, intervention, and support of victims of human trafficking in Peru. The research team surveyed thirty human trafficking organizations throughout Peru. Questions included where victims come from, gender, age, how they are trafficked, who trafficks them, where they are trafficked to, how traffickers maintain control, whether they were trafficked for the purposes of sex or labor, duration of trafficking, and how they were able to exit their exploitation. Additionally, each organization was asked from their vantage point, what they would do to end human trafficking in Peru.</p><p>The findings from this research add substantially to the knowledge of the clandestine world of human trafficking. This research is one of the first studies in Peru that gives insight into both the extent of the problem of human trafficking and real solutions of how it can be combatted.</p>