Barriers and facilitators to social services for trafficking victims: A qualitative study

Introduction

Despite policy advances in human trafficking victim assistance in Finland, access to social services for trafficking victims remains fragmented. Existing research has focused mainly on healthcare and professional perspectives, with limited attention to victims’ lived experiences. This study examines how trafficking victims navigate social services and the barriers and facilitators involved.

Methods

This qualitative study uses semi-structured interviews with trafficking victims (N = 10) in Finland who had experienced barriers in accessing social services or had not engaged with them. Participants were recruited via purposive and snowball sampling with non-governmental organizations support, regardless of formal identification. Interviews were conducted primarily in person and analysed thematically using Atlas.ti, applying an intersectional framework.

Results

Participants’ experiences clustered around three dimensions: access to services, experiences of support, and trust and continuity. Access to services was often limited by lack of awareness, isolation, and control, but facilitated through informal networks and supportive professionals. Experiences of support ranged from fragmented and poorly coordinated services, often requiring participants to repeatedly explain their situation, to more holistic and empathetic support where they felt heard and received coordinated, needs-based assistance. Trust depended on continuity, respectful encounters, and opportunities for agency.

Conclusions

Experiences of social services were structured by the interplay of barriers in access, variability in the quality of support, and challenges in establishing continuity. The findings highlight the need for accessible, coordinated, and trauma-informed services that facilitate continuity of care and recognise trafficking victims’ agency in service engagement.

Key messages

• Human trafficking victims face barriers to social services due to limited awareness, fragmented support, and lack of continuity, highlighting the need for coordinated, trauma-informed services.

• Service engagement among trafficking victims is shaped by both structural barriers and individual agency, underscoring the need for accessible, trust-based, and continuous support systems.