Oct. 19, 2018

During migration, women are vulnerable to sexual assault, rape as a price of border-crossing, and exploitation or human trafficking. In some cases, the experiences of violent acts interact with one another and create cumulative trauma, Cook Heffron said. 

“Women often experience sexual violence while crossing multiple international borders and then further violence or exploitation here in the United States, whether that be in drop houses or stash houses, where immigrants are held by smugglers, or in immigrant detention centers funded by the U.S. government and operated by private, for-profit companies,” Cook Heffron said. 

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