HomeAbstract of 10th-rssconfTrauma, Compliance, and Recovery: a Psychological Perspective on Human Trafficking in the European and Romanian Contexts

Trauma, Compliance, and Recovery: a Psychological Perspective on Human Trafficking in the European and Romanian Contexts

  • Nov 3, 2025
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Abstract Book of the 10th International Conference on Research in Social Sciences

Year: 2025

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Trauma, Compliance, and Recovery: a Psychological Perspective on Human Trafficking in the European and Romanian Contexts

RUS MIHAELA

ABSTRACT:

This study investigates the psychological mechanisms that underlie trauma, compliance, and recovery among victims of human trafficking, with a specific focus on the European and Romanian contexts. The aim of the research is to understand how psychological trauma contributes to victims’ compliance with traffickers and to identify the factors that facilitate recovery and reintegration. Human trafficking, beyond its criminal dimension, represents a severe psychological process marked by coercive control, dependency, and the erosion of personal agency. Adopting an interdisciplinary and qualitative approach, the study integrates concepts from trauma psychology, victimology, and forensic sciences, examining empirical evidence and clinical observations in light of European human rights standards and Romanian socio-legal realities. The research further analyzes how trauma bonding, fear conditioning, and learned helplessness explain victims’ apparent cooperation and delayed self-identification, while also exploring resilience-building mechanisms essential for long-term rehabilitation. Romania’s role as both a source and transit country offers a critical perspective on structural vulnerabilities such as poverty, early trauma, and institutional distrust. The findings underscore that effective recovery requires not only legal protection but also sustained psychological assistance and trauma-informed interventions that restore autonomy and dignity. The study concludes by emphasizing the necessity of an integrated, victim-centered approach that bridges legal frameworks with mental health care, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of human trafficking as both a legal and psychological phenomenon.

Keywords: Human Trafficking, Trauma Bonding, Psychological Compliance, Recovery, Victimology, Resilience, Trauma-Informed Care