Amanda Connella, MA, a 2023 alumna of the Department of Criminology, is one of four recipients of the 2023 Outstanding Thesis and Dissertation Award. The Office of Graduate Studies views this as the highest award they give to USF graduate students. The selection committee was impressed with the theme of Connella's research and the extent of her professional development to date.
Connella's thesis, titled addresses the issue of boy victims of commercial sexual exploitation being overlooked both in research and by service providers. While there has been a large body of research conducted on girl victims of commercial sexual exploitation, boy victims are often left out of the conversation, according to Connella.
From the few studies that have been conducted on this topic, boys and young male victims of commercial sexual exploitation may have gender specific barriers that result in boys being overlooked by service providers and researchers.
"Using survey data from key providers that work in programs that serve commercially sexually exploited boys, my thesis fills this hole in the literature by providing insight on the gender specific barriers that boy victims face," Connnella said.
In her thesis, Connella proposes three gender specific barriers (hegemonic masculinity, male victimization myths, and homophobic beliefs) that she believes may help explain why boys are forgotten when talking about commercial sexual exploitation victims. She also aims to highlight the lack of programs available for boys and suggests that the same barriers that prevent boys from being identified as victims may also be to blame for the lack of programs for boys.