The Availability of Mental Health Care for Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Victims
As part of my Master of Science degree, I completed a 15,000-word research project into mental health care for this vulnerable group for which I received a distinction.
Abstract:
There exists the prevalent issue of modern slavery and human trafficking (MSHT) in the UK. The exploitation victims of this population endure often has lasting negative mental health effects. As many are in need of psychological support as part of their recovery, this prompts the need to assess the access and availability that this population has to mental health support.
In order to explore this phenomenon, FOI requests were issued (n = 14) with most responses (n = 9) and semi-structured interviews (n = 3) were conducted. From this data, a thematic analysis developed four global themes: structural context, community context, legal context and personal context. An additional document analysis was carried out on relevant legal instruments and protocols, as well as published impact and research reports from non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
With regard to the factors affecting the access and availability, the study found that primarily organisations and healthcare professionals provide for this population; however, they often lack training and numbers to do this effectively. Additionally, the legal instruments can have flaws in the current political climate. Secondly, from an international perspective, there are a number of similar and innovative measures in place to cater to the psychological needs of trafficking survivors.
Essentially, while the UK has the right agencies and organisations as part of the support systems for this population, an improved communication between these agencies could be much more effective for the access and availability to mental health support. Implementing the suggested recommendations could propel such progression within existing support systems.