All I was Thinking About was Shattered”

Women's Experiences Transitioning Out of Anti-Trafficking Shelters During the Covid-19 Lockdown in Uganda

Bibliographic Data

ID12142514
AuthorsNamy (0000-0001-5104-1089, corresponding author), Sophie Namy (Healing and Resilience after Trauma (HaRT), Asturias, Spain), Sylvia Namakula (Healing and Resilience after Trauma (HaRT), Kampala, Uganda), Agnes Grace Nabachwa (Healing and Resilience after Trauma (HaRT), Kampala, Uganda), Madeleine Ollerhead (0000-0002-8120-2725, Healing and Resilience after Trauma (HaRT), Asturias, Spain), L Cordisco Tsai (0000-0003-0089-1459, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Harvard University John F Kennedy School of Government, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA), Jean Kemitare (Urgent Action Fund- Africa, Kampala, Uganda), Kelly Bolton (0000-0003-3543-8339, School of Social Work, the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA), Violet Nkwanzi (0000-0002-4508-8822, School of Social Work, the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA), Catherine Carlson (0000-0002-9501-0214, School of Social Work, the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA)
Year2022
Volume38
Issue2
Pages278-293
Publication date2022-12-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAffilia (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0886-1099 • E-ISSN: 1552-3020
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/08861099221137058
PMID38603358
OpenAlexW4310670119
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited27

Human trafficking is an egregious violation of fundamental human rights and a global challenge. The long-term harms to survivors' physical, psychological and social wellbeing are profound and well documented, and yet there are few studies exploring how to best promote resilience and holistic healing. This is especially true within shelter programs (where the majority of anti-trafficking services are provided) and during the transition out of residential shelter care, which is often a sensitive and challenging process. The current study begins to address this gap by centering the lived experiences of six women residing in a trafficking-specific shelter in Uganda as they unexpectedly transitioned back to their home communities due to the COVID-19 lockdown. We explore this pivotal moment in participants' post-trafficking journey, focusing on how these women described and interpreted their rapidly changing life circumstances-including leaving the shelter, adjusting back to the community setting, and simultaneously navigating the uncertainties of a global pandemic. Four core themes emerged from the analysis: economic insecurities as a cross-cutting hardship; intensification of emotional and physical symptoms; social disruptions; and sources of hope and resilience. By centering their personal stories of struggle and strength, we hope to elevate survivors' own accounts and draw on their insights to identify actionable considerations for future programming

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Criminology · Economic growth · Lived experience · Pandemic · Political science · Psychological resilience · Public relations · Sociology · African Sexualities and LGBTQ+ Issues · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk · Medicine · Psychology · Sex work and related issues · Social Psychology