By Nadine El-Dekmak
In recent years, advancements in technology have led to significant changes in criminal activities, particularly in online human trafficking and child sexual abuse. Predators now exploit AI, social media platforms, and other online avenues to groom and coerce victims into sexual activities while hiding behind digital screens (InHope, 2022). These crimes, whether committed online or offline, have severe consequences, especially when victims are children, violating both human and children's rights. In some cases, a psychological phenomenon called trauma bonding occurs between perpetrators and victims. This bond develops as a result of prolonged exposure to abuse and manipulation, leading victims to form complex emotional attachments to their abusers. In this post, we will explore trauma bonding and its occurrence in online child sexual abuse and trafficking crimes in order to give an overall understanding of this concept that would allow all stakeholders to constantly evolve their responses towards victim-oriented assistance. This research was conducted in the framework of the Horizon funded project HEROES.
Child Sexual Abuse and Human Trafficking: A Human Rights Crisis
Child sexual abuse and human trafficking, whether online or offline, are among the most horrific violations of human rights, targeting the most vulnerable members of our society. According to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, children are recognized as a vulnerable group that requires empowerment and protection (UNGA, A/RES/70/1, 2015). This recognition places a solemn duty on states to protect children's rights and prevent their exploitation through trafficking and sexual abuse. Various international legal instruments underscore the necessity of this protection. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) highlights the right to life, liberty, and security of person, as well as freedom from torture, and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment (Article 3,4, and 5 UDHR). The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) further reinforces these rights by obligating states to take measures to prevent abuse and trafficking, and to provide support and rehabilitation for victims (Articles 19, 34, and 35 CRC).
The impact of these crimes on children is profound, affecting them socially, physically, and psychologically. Indeed, the trauma inflicted by such abuse is often compared to the suffering experienced by victims of torture and armed conflict (UNGA, A/70/222, 2015). A particularly complicated psychological effect is "trauma bonding," where victims develop emotional attachments and dependencies on their abusers, which complicates their ability to trust others and seek help (UNGA, A/51/456, 1996). Engaging with these victims thus requires a human rights-based approach that puts the victims in the centre of its effort. This approach focuses on addressing the root causes of abuse and trafficking while upholding the rights of the child (UNGA, A/76/702, 2022). Crucially, it involves providing adequate support to victims without re-traumatizing them (trauma-informed approach), ensuring that interventions are sensitive to their traumatic experiences and needs (UN Policy, 2021). Understanding trauma bonding and its impact on victims of these crimes is therefore essential for offering effective support and assistance to child victims as it will be explained in this blog.
Trauma bonding: What is it? How does it develop? What are its consequences?
Trauma bonding refers to an attachment bond developed by the victim towards their abuser due to cognitive and emotional manipulation (Fonseca N, Oliveira B, 2021). This bond can result in victims feeling grateful, indebted, and reliant on their abuser (Sanchez R, Patrician S, et al. 2019). Such tie can manifest in various contexts, including a hostage situation, kidnaping, sexual exploitation/abuse, domestic violence, etc. Both minors and adults could develop such bond as a survival behavior to cope with the abuse. However, in the case of children, the abusive experience often outweighs their ability to cope, leading to the normalisation of the abuse. This emotional tie renders the victim dependent on their abuser for basic needs as well as for love and affection, consequently, they do not perceive themselves as victims and may even feel compelled to protect their abuser. This dynamic poses challenges for law enforcement and service providers, as victims may be reluctant to cooperate, hindering efforts to provide assistance and seek justice (El-Dekmak et al., 2023).
While not all victims of these crimes develop such a bond, research indicates that the majority do depending on a number of factors, including vulnerabilities of the victim, cultural background, past negative experiences, and the success of the grooming process (El-Dekmak et al., 2023). But how exactly does this bond form, and what tactics do perpetrators employ to establish and exploit it? Predators take advantage of pre-existing vulnerabilities of the victims and manipulate them to groom the victim. Perpetrators may initially show affection, showering the victim with expressions of love and care thus creating an illusion of trust, safety and security, making the victim feel valued, cherished and reliant on the abuser. This manipulation can also be seen in “The Loverboy Phenomenon” where pimps seduce young victims into sexual exploitation (Payoke, 2014).
After building a relationship with the victim, perpetrators often establish control over victims through alternating between violent and non-violent actions, a tactic known as “psychological coercion techniques” (El-Dekmak et al., 2023). On one hand, they isolate victims from external support systems, leaving them dependent solely on them, and on the other hand, violent control involves physical abuse, such as rape, beating, starvation and coercion into using drugs (Hom K, Woods S, 2013). These psychological coercion techniques have long been identified as a manipulation method in different contexts, such as interrogative torture (Dando C, et al., 2016) (See also, Al-Adsani v. the United Kingdom, ECtHR, 35763/97, 2001, and Bates E, 2003) and human trafficking (UK Home Affairs, 2014). Indeed, coercion is considered to be one of the elements of a human trafficking offence as stipulated in article 3 of the Palermo Protocol.
As a result of this manipulation, victims develop a trauma bond, leading them to trust and depend on their abusers. The implications of this bond go beyond attachment issues and the inability to leave the exploitative situation. It also fosters a deep distrust in victims towards any external intervention that could offer help and protection (Casassa et al., 2023). Consequently, the child might be reluctant to disclose anything related to the abuse or the abuser (UNGA, A/76/144, 2021).
Could online grooming result in a trauma bond?
The rise of online grooming have caught the attention of many international bodies that adopted legal instruments to target the issue, such as the Lanzarote Convention that explicitly criminalises grooming of children through information and communication technologies (Article 23, Lanzarote Convention).
Indeed, by exploiting the accessibility and anonymity offered by the internet, perpetrators have access to multiple victims simultaneously and could easily create fake identities to manipulate and trap victims into trafficking or child sexual abuse/exploitation to even meet them offline. As a result, predators have gained skills to easily groom and manipulate victims online in a shorter time than it takes to do it offline (Iaonnou M et al., 2018). Either online or in-person, grooming can be conducted by using psychological coercion techniques to build a strong relationship with the victim, as previously explained. In online grooming process, five steps are identified (Pasca P et al., 2022):
- Identification of the targeted young person based on their social media profiles, and the creation of a matching fake profile by the predator to start engaging with them (Stop the Traffik, 2023). Conversations are asked to be kept private.
- Showing behaviors of admiration, affection and understanding towards the victim to build trust with them and develop the bond.
- A constant and consistent presence of the predator in the victim’s life by taking the role of a friend or even a lover.
- The use of coercion, deception, and threats in order to pressure the victim into engaging in sexual activities.
- Any sexual content produced by this victim can be used as a means to control them into producing more.
This creates a cycle of manipulation meaning that online grooming could potentially result in the development of a trauma bond, such as offline grooming, if successful.
The way forward through a trauma-informed, victim-centered approach
Victims experiencing trauma bonding, through online or offline grooming, often have troubles disclosing any information about their situation and/or their abuser, whom they perceive as their protector. Sometimes, they may not even identify as victims. This presents significant barriers and challenges in cooperating with service providers and law enforcement. To effectively engage with these victims, it is imperative to adopt a trauma-informed, victim-centered approach. This approach involves initiating private conversations with the victim, demonstrating empathy, and maintaining a non-judgmental attitude towards their relationship with the perpetrator. Importantly, it also requires refraining from pressuring the victim to answer questions they may not be comfortable with (El-Dekmak et al., 2023). In evolving our response to human trafficking and child sexual abuse crimes, this approach is a step forward and a key tenet of human-rights based approach to better support and assist victims affected by a trauma bond.
Acknowledgment
This work was supported by the HEROES project. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101021801. The content of this article does not reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Responsibility for the information and views expressed therein lies entirely with the authors.
Bio:
Nadine El-Dekmak is a PhD candidate in law from the Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB) and a member researcher of the Fundamental Rights Research Centre at the VUB. Her research focuses on the issues of human trafficking, migrant workers, and human rights due diligence.