Using the theoretical perspective of Fairbairn's object relations theory, integrated with the dialogical approach to social representations, the presenter will discuss the role of shame in gender violence inherent in sex trafficking. Drawing from a qualitative, phenomenological research study with 18 men and women survivors (of various intersecting identities in terms of race, ethnicity, and age) asked to describe their experiences, this presentation will feature cases that correspond to different types of shame. In the spirit of dialogical analysis, it will demonstrate how shame can be co-constructed in a dialogical exchange of self and different counterparts, including the perpetrator, family members, officials, and a more generalized notion of others as an expression of a given culture. Paying attention to words might provide some insight into a dimension of shame, while noticing and systematically recording non-verbal cues can enrich that perspective. Pauses, incomplete sentences, smiles, and tears, to mention just a few, might indicate shame not explicitly shared with the researcher who has a choice on how to respond to it. Similarly, an exchange with another interlocutor could elicit a different reaction. That response could in turn shape the subsequent reaction and partially explain certain phenomena common in anti-trafficking response, such as the frequent survivor's preference for a peer mentor rather than a professional therapist (if a person is forced to choose, as emerging from the data). The presentation will include examples of how shame might impact the self-concept and the figures that have been perceived as neglectful shamers in the lives of survivors of gender violence impacted by sex trafficking. It will conclude with a discussion of specific interventions aimed at shame reduction, not only from a therapeutic perspective, but also in the social arena, recognizing the role of stigma in fueling and perpetuating shame.