b'Why doesnt she just leave? These findings tell us that exploited persons2.Dependency on substance use. Because of experience exploitation most often as a child, andmy drug addiction, I couldnt get a job because that abuse continues for a significant number ofI was unemployable. years. But being trafficked may not be a continuous3.Limited economic options, or the lure of easy experience; it can often be disrupted by periods ofmoney. I was financially dependent on exploita-arrest/incarceration, medical issues, detox and sub- tion. I had no family and nowhere else to go.stance abuse programs, or willful attempts to exit. This study found that 15 percent of survivors4.Relational ties with individuals in the sex trade. exited exploitation, never to return. The remain- Not surprising to Citygate Network members ing 85 percent, however, experienced a cycle ofand those who work with the homeless and re-entry at 2.6 times prior to final exit. We askedaddicted, these respondents reported that they at the end of the survey if they thought returninghad supportive relationships with customers to exploitation was a risk for them today. Theirand other victims, which influenced their responses were as follows:decision to stay. They were my family and it was really all I knew. Also, I really thought they Risk of Returning to Exploitation? loved me and that something was just wrong Im at risk of going back: 5.1% with me. Advocates and service providers must appreciate Im not sure: 7.4% that exiting means severing almost all relation-ships. Establishing many new and healthy I highlyrelationships is vital to sustained exit. One of doubt it:the survivors we surveyed wrote, Teach me how 19.3% to build a community of support and resources that will stick with me for the next several years. Absolutely not:Because two years in, I still have far more needs 68.2% and trauma than I thought I would. Relationships of all types factored significantly in these results. Providing for children, the threat Variables that perpetuateof having ones child taken away, or becoming victimizationpregnant were all identified as reasons a woman W hat kept these survivorsfelt she had to stay in exploitation. However, in exploitation? Primarily,these factors can also be motivations for exiting. they noted: Consider these comments: If I hadnt lost 1.A fearbased relationship with her trafficker.custody of my son I probably would have never He often said he would commit a murder- gotten help and My children having a bettersuicide, and I believed him.life is the biggest motivation. \x02NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2025 WWW.CITYGATENETWORK.ORG 21'