Ten years ago today the Trafficking In Persons Bill of Trinidad and Tobago was laid in the country's Parliament. It was eventually passed, assented to, and became law as the Trafficking In Persons Act, Chapter 12:10. (The Act itself took effect in January 2013.)
So to commemorate the anniversary of the introduction of the Bill, we will share one of the first of what we hope will be many resources on the link between childhood trauma and human trafficking.
The report, titled "Domestic Sex Trafficking of Children in Brazil" presents the findings of a mixed-methods study on the trafficking of children for sexual purposes in Brazil. It is written by Natasha Dolby, Research Fellow at the WSD Handa Center for Human Rights and International Justice of Stanford University.
While the report does not into an exploration of these issues, it does raise the question of the various narratives around the sex trafficking of children in Brazil. In a footnote, the author writes:
"Specifically, there are varying perspectives on the role of children’s agency versus victimhood in their circumstances. Dialogue on trafficking has moved beyond the binary notion of free versus not free and now highlights extraordinary economic fragility of family structures in the context of poverty and emphasizes gender disparities, particularly the limited income opportunities for girls."
It cites previous studies which highlight the devastating impact of being trafficked on child development and also shows the relationship that previous childhood trauma has with the incidence of persons being victims of sex trafficking.
Don't worry if your Portuguese is not up to mark. Neither is mine so we are able to post a link to a copy of the report in English. 
Happy reading and please take careful note of the resources cited for more in-depth research.
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