The Process of Managing Family Financial Pressures Upon Community Reentry Among Survivors of Sex Trafficking in the Philippines: A Grounded Theory Study

Author: Cordisco Tsai, Laura

Abstract: Trafficking survivors commonly face substantial economic challenges upon community reentry, including pressure to provide financially for their families. However, no studies have addressed the process of how trafficking survivors manage these family financial pressures upon returning to the community. This grounded theory study explores the process of managing family financial pressures upon reentry among 22 Filipina women who were formerly trafficked into sex work. Findings reveal that survivors adopt a range of strategies to address financial pressures in their concurrent roles as daughters, partners, and mothers, including providing, controlling, resigning, and boundary-setting behaviors. As daughters, survivors use three strategies—providing for their parents while setting boundaries and at times becoming resigned to their inability to meet their parents’ needs. As partners, survivors primarily attempt to control their partners’ expenditures but recognize limitations in their capacity to change their partners’ habits. In their roles as mothers, survivors focus on providing for their children at all costs. The findings deviate from common narratives about trafficking survivors by reflecting the balance women draw between sacrificing themselves for the family and exercising their own agency in pursuing their goals. Implications for the design of community-based support services for survivors will be discussed.

Keywords: economic vulnerability, human trafficking, reintegration