THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING ON VICTIMS IN BENIN CITY

ABSTRACT

Human trafficking has been a global issue since the onset of colonialism (1807) which began in form of slave trade and currently it has assumed a dimension that is difficult to control. It is an essential social hassle which employs all anti-social units of deception, coercion, abduction and so on. Victims of human trafficking are often subjected to various forms of abuse in one way or the other as they suffer repetitive infliction of psychological trauma that is initially enforced with physical violence emotional or Psychological abuse or deprivation of their fundamental human rights and at times denial of their malienable rights. This study was carried out to examine the psychological effects of human trafficking on victims in Benin City. Specifically, the study examined how human trafficking affects victims psychologically, examined the major causes of human trafficking, identified various socio-cultural factors that influences human trafficking and social work intervention strategies for the rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of human trafficking through preventive and curative measures. The study employed the cross sectional research design and the respondents were selected through the convenient sampling technique, a semi structured questionnaire was administered to 300 respondents as the method of data collection, respondents were asked to indicate Yes, No or Not certain to the options that best suited their responses to items asked by the researcher. From the obtained and analyzed data the findings of the study indicated that poverty, gender inequality, lack of education and awareness are the major causes of human trafficking, poor family economic status, peer pressure and marginalization of minority groups are the socio-cultural factors that influences human trafficking and also stated that human trafficking has severe psychological effects on the victims who often experience posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety disorder etc. which eventually affects all areas of their lives. The study concludes that there is need for implementation of intervention strategies the curb the issue of human trafficking and aid the rehabilitation and reintegration of victims. The study recommends that all concerned stakeholders such as the government, NGO's, social workers, x and the law enforcement agencies should work together in curbing human trafficking in Benin City.