SWK 500: Human Trafficking: The Case of Luciana

Luciana is a 15-year-old, heterosexual, Hispanic female. She attends high school and is in the tenth grade. She currently lives in an apartment with her biological mother and her sisters, ages 8 and 13. She has a good relationship with her mother and sisters. She came to the United States 8 months ago from Guatemala. Luciana is a sex trafficking survivor and was referred to me for individual therapy by a human trafficking agency in the United States.

Luciana’s biological mother and father separated when Luciana was 3 years old. She lived with her paternal aunt and biological mother until she was 6 years old, and her mother left Guatemala to come to the United States. At that time, Luciana stayed in the care of her paternal aunt and kept in touch with her biological mother via phone and through the visits that her mother made to Guatemala. Luciana would visit with her father, who lived nearby, on occasion, although she stated they did not have much of a connection. When Luciana was 13 years old, her paternal aunt forced her into prostitution, using the money from the sex acts as her main source of income. Luciana reported that her paternal aunt began treating her “like a slave” and would make her smoke an unknown substance before obligating her to perform sexual acts on countless men for money. This took place for close to a year before Luciana was able to sneak a phone call to her mother and explain what had been happening to her. Her mother quickly arranged for Luciana to be picked up by a “coyote” (a person who smuggles people into the United States). The coyote successfully smuggled Luciana into the United States within 2 months of that phone call. However, while crossing the border from Mexico to the United States, Luciana once again became the victim of sex trafficking crimes. The coyote was also a pimp who arranged for men crossing the border in the same truck as Luciana to engage in sexual acts with her for which the coyote collected money. U.S. immigration officers caught most of the people traveling in the truck, including Luciana, and placed them in a detention center. However, the coyote got away. Three weeks after Luciana was detained, after much questioning and investigation, she was reunited with her mother.

I met with Luciana weekly for individual therapy in my role as a social worker at an agency serving individuals who have experienced human trafficking. Luciana reported having occasional flashbacks and fear that “it will all happen again,” and she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The goals agreed upon in therapy included building Luciana’s support system, building her self-esteem, and managing her symptoms of trauma. Building rapport with Luciana in therapy took several weeks as she reported not trusting anyone and not wanting to think about what happened to her. After about 12 weeks of relationship building and safety planning, I was able to engage her through education on the dynamics of human trafficking. She reported that it was especially hard for her to trust men and that she often had a hard time speaking up. She stated that to keep boys and men from “liking her” she gained a lot of weight. Luciana reported gaining 35 lbs. since coming to the United States. I worked with her on these issues by teaching her how to be more assertive and by modeling assertive behaviors. Also, we worked on self-affirmations to help build her self-esteem. Because Luciana is very self-conscious, practicing self-affirmations was challenging for her. I often utilized a trauma-informed curriculum for adolescents called S.E.L.F. (Safety, Emotions, Loss, and Future) to facilitate healing and trauma reduction. Luciana reported that grounding techniques taught via this curriculum helped take her out of her thoughts and bring her back to the present moment. Some of the grounding techniques she continues to engage in on a daily basis include tapping her feet, stretching, journaling, walking, and washing her face when she feels she is becoming numb or getting lost in thoughts of what happened to her.

Luciana has demonstrated great resiliency. She is attending a Catholic church close to her home and reports having faith in God. She recently enrolled in swimming and volleyball and has made several friends in the community. I continue to meet with Luciana on a weekly basis and will be stepping down with her to biweekly sessions now that she is stable and connected to her community. Because Luciana does not speak English and is a child, there are no support groups available in her area for human trafficking survivors. I am presently working on connecting her with a mentor.

Luciana is currently working with the human trafficking agency that referred her, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and an attorney to obtain a visa specific to human trafficking (T-Visa). A T-Visa grants survivors of human trafficking a visa in the United States. In 2000, Congress passed the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (VTVPA), which strengthens the ability of law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute human trafficking and also offers protection to victims via a T-Visa. The T-Visa is for those who are or have been victims of human trafficking. It protects victims of human trafficking and allows victims to remain in the United States to assist in an investigation or prosecution of human trafficking.

Luciana’s mother is also attending weekly individual therapy. She has been working through the heavy guilt and trauma of this experience. Luciana and her mother continue to heal, and with each passing day, they grow stronger.

Instructions: Based on the above case study, demonstrate your knowledge of human behavior and answer the following questions.

1. What developmental stage is Luciana in? What are the developmental tasks for this stage? How has her experience affected her from a biological, psychological, and social perspective?

2. Which theory or theories did you use to guide your practice? What are the tenets of the theory? Why is it a good “fit” for this case

3. What were the identified strengths of the client(s)?

4. What were the identified challenges faced by the client(s)?

5. What specific intervention strategies (skills, knowledge, etc.) did you use to address this client situation?

6. What were the agreed-upon goals to be met to address the concern?
7. What cultural considerations are important to consider when working this case?

8. From an Ecological perspective, what local, state, or federal policies could (or did) affect this case?
9. How would you advocate for social change to positively affect this case?
10. From an ethical perspective were there any legal or ethical issues present in the case? If so, what were they and how were they addressed?

11. How can evidence-based practice be integrated into this situation (*reference some supporting literature)?

12. Is there any additional information that is important to the case?
13. Describe any additional personal reflections about this case.