Torture and its sequelae among prostituted women in the United States
Creators: name: Farley, Melissa
name: Kennedy, M. Alexis
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Medicine
subject: Biotechnology
subject: Science Policy
subject: Sociology
subject: FOS: Sociology
subject: Cancer

description: <b>Background:</b> Extreme violence and psychological abuse have been extensively documented and are pervasive in prostitution. Survivors of prostitution report high levels of posttraumatic stress disorder, dissociation, depression, and self-loathing. These are the same sequelae reported by torture survivors. <b>Objective:</b> Severe forms of violence have been categorized as torture by experts. The authors note that torture is commonly suffered during prostitution and should be appropriately named. <b>Method:</b> Using standardized measures and including a new measure of torture, we interviewed 45 women in the United States about their torture experiences in prostitution and their symptoms of PTSD, dissociation, childhood trauma, health status and somatic symptoms. The interviewees had exited prostitution and were in supportive programmes. <b>Results:</b> Formerly prostituted interviewees reported acts of physical, sexual, and psychological torture, including strangulation, rape, beatings, restriction of movement, denial of privacy, sleep, or food, and being forced to witness the torture of others. The 45 women had high levels of PTSD and dissociation. They endorsed needs for individual counselling, substance abuse treatment, and other medical care. <b>Conclusions:</b> A recognition of the physical, sexual, and psychological torture experienced in prostitution would strengthen psychological and medical interventions for survivors. Naming specific acts of prostitution as torture will reduce the survivor’s shame and self-blame. Holistic treatment includes medical and psychological interventions and peer support, as seen in torture rehabilitation programmes for survivors of state-sponsored torture. This research supports the perspective that private or non-state-sponsored torture against women and marginalized populations should be clinically and legally understood in the same way as state-sponsored torture. Using international legal definitions of torture, we assessed the prevalence of acts of torture perpetrated against formerly prostituted women in the United States.We found an extremely high prevalence of acts of torture perpetrated against prostituted women, as well as symptoms of traumatic stress common to other torture survivors.Two-thirds of the prostituted women in this study were beaten by sex buyers.Torture has been well documented when it committed by a state government’s military or prison system, but it has not been well documented when perpetrated as a private, non-state act, for example, incest, battering, rape, and prostitution.Prostitution’s harm is increased when it is perpetrated against economically and ethnically marginalized women. Using international legal definitions of torture, we assessed the prevalence of acts of torture perpetrated against formerly prostituted women in the United States. We found an extremely high prevalence of acts of torture perpetrated against prostituted women, as well as symptoms of traumatic stress common to other torture survivors. Two-thirds of the prostituted women in this study were beaten by sex buyers. Torture has been well documented when it committed by a state government’s military or prison system, but it has not been well documented when perpetrated as a private, non-state act, for example, incest, battering, rape, and prostitution. Prostitution’s harm is increased when it is perpetrated against economically and ethnically marginalized women.