Research: Exit Stages
Immersion is the first stage and is the beginning of the journey and describes the indoctrination of the individual into the lifestyle by the trafficker/pimp and other associates. Immersion is part of the entry pathway as its main goal is to detain and retain the individual. This immersion leaves little room to consider leaving or even develop the awareness of leaving. Thus, during this stage, an exit would occur typically through interception—meaning a victim is discovered and forcibly removed. However, permanent exit may be difficult for someone who is in this first stage due to intense fear of being recaptured or fear of being without any resources.
Visceral awareness and conscious awareness occurs in the second stage. Visceral awareness is described as a “gut” feeling about leaving prostitution due to the awareness that things have changed. Conscious awareness is an amplification of these visceral feelings of wanting to leave. Part of consciousness is a verbalization of these feelings. Again, this stage is a difficult one to imagine a successful exit, as awareness is not enough to ensure safety or available help. Talking about wanting to leave is a dangerous proposition and could result in severe punishment.
Deliberate planning is the third stage and involves an assessment of formal and informal support resources. This planning may be initiated by the individual or imposed by others (e.g., social services, criminal justice, family). Preparing to exit is, again, a very dangerous move and one that should be approached with significant attention paid to safety for the individual. Given individual variability and personal initiative, length of time spent in this stage could vary dramatically.
Initial exit is the fourth stage. Baker et al. (2010) explains the complex and delicate nature of this stage as cyclical due to the reality of reentering soon after an initial exit. Baker et al. (2010) emphasize the importance of the work done in the deliberate planning stage, as it lays the foundation for a successful exit process. During this stage, formal services and informal supports are essential to ensure that the individual’s needs are met and that she does not feel the draw to return to her former situation to survive. Professionals working with the woman at this time should be aware that service provision is predicated on service receptivity, and in these early stages, her sense of safety, confidence, and motivation is regularly tested (Baker et al. 2010).
Reentry is the fifth stage in this model and captures the reality of the exit process. Reentry into sex trafficking may result in a complete re-immersion into the industry/lifestyle despite conscious awareness of a need to change. The individual may be faced with several barriers, which prevent her from being successful in her exit from sex trafficking. It is quite possible that reentry functions much like a relapse process in addiction and may be part of the journey toward final exit.
Final exit is the sixth stage and the most complicated to define, as it often occurs after a series of cycling in and out of prostitution. Final exit relies on one fining legal employment, safe residence, persons supportive of this “new lifestyle,” and many other factors (Baker et al. 2010). Because these factors are volatile, reentry is always a possibility, even after significant time away.
Baker, L.M., Dalla, R. L., &Williamson, C. (2010). Exiting prostitution: an integrated model. Violence Against Women, 16(5), 579–600.