Control and Autonomy in Sex Trafficking: A Theoretical View of Three Case Examples

Fri, September 25 | 11:30 AM EDT–12:30 PM EDT
Topic: Research, Legal | Knowledge Level: Advanced

Jesse Bach, PhD and George Tsagaris, PhD

This session explores a continuum of trafficker control, personal freedom of movement, and autonomy as evident in three confirmed cases of sex trafficking which were prosecuted in a U.S. District Federal Court. These court cases are examined with methods of control theory, pertaining to instinctive aversion developed by David Grossman (2014), and the four stages of entrapment as developed by Barnado’s Street Lanes Project (Swann, 1998). This session will examine control, freedom of movement, and autonomy so as to develop and encourage future strategies for prevention by human service practitioners and law enforcement, as well as future research. The focus will be on address the grooming and maintenance process that sex trafficking survivors have experienced as well as methods to overcome such situations.


Presentation Objectives
  • Present three confirmed cases of sex trafficking and examine them using control theory
  • Examine control, freedom of movement, and autonomy to develop and encourage future strategies for prevention and future research
About the Presenters
Jesse Bach, PhD

Dr. Jesse Bach is a researcher specializing in the topics of exploitation, oppression, and human trafficking. His research interests include the systems and institutional agents associated with domestic sex trafficking, forced labor, domestic child soldering, and the role that education hold in rectifying the situation.


George Tsagaris, PhD

Dr. George Tsagaris is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at Cleveland State University. He is an adjunct faculty member with Australia’s Sexual Violence and Research Prevention Unit (SVRPU), University of the Sunshine Coast, member of the Academic Council at Athens Institute of Education and Researchers, and member of the National Association of Social Workers.