Minor sex trafficking Flashcards
Human trafficking
-The recruitment,
transportation, transfer,
harbouring or receipt of
people through force, fraud
or deception, with the aim of
exploiting them for profit
Minor sex trafficking
-Recruitment, harboring,
transport, provision,
obtaining, patronizing, or
soliciting of a minor for the
purpose of a commercial sex
act
-All persons under 18 who
engage in commercial sex
acts are victims
Chart of core elements of human trafficking
Domestic minor sex trafficking
-When a minor is
involved
-No need to establish force, fraud, or coercion
-Do not need to have movement from one place to another
Prevalence DMST
-No reliable estimates of the prevalence of domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) in the U.S.
-A conservative estimate is that 100,000 American juveniles are victimized through sex trafficking each year
-The average age a child is recruited is 12-14 years old
Challenges in estimating DMST:
-Hidden nature of crime
-Hard to reach nature of trafficked minors
-Reluctance from victims to disclose victimization, seek services, or participate in research due to fear, shame, and stigma
-Varying definitions
-Lack of uniform, centralized, integrate system for tracking DMST/CSEs in part due to legal and policy barriers
-Lack of training and identification by law enforcement and service
providers
-Challenges to collecting data from trafficked youth (e.g., getting consent
from parents/guardians)
Risk factors of involvement (chart)
Risk Factors to Involvement
-Substance use issue
-Running away/Homeless youth
-Victims of abuse
-LGBTQ+ youth
-Youth with special needs
-Youth lacking support networks
-Unaccompanied and undocumented foreign youth
Traffickers
-May have a relationship to the victim
-Condition victims to:
-Remain loyal to the trafficker
-Distrust law enforcement
Recruitment may include:
-Frequenting their hang out locations
and befriending potential victims
-Coercive techniques to persuade and
manipulate youth to become involved:
flattery and romance, normalizing
sex, promises of money and items,
enticing lifestyles and careers (e.g.,
modeling), feeling empowered, having
a sense of belonging, and isolating
youth
-Physical force, legal threats, or show
intimacy and affection toward victims
Where does recruitment occur?
-Bus stops
-Malls and social hang outs
-Parties
-Schools
-Online and social media
-Neighborhood
-Girlfriends of gang members
Consequences of Sex Trafficking
-Physical and sexual violence from trafficker, costumers, & others in the industry
-Increased risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
(HIV/AIDs)
-Risk of unintended pregnancy
-Poor physical health (poor dental care; malnourishment)
-Complex & untreated mental health issues (e.g., anxiety
disorders, depression, suicidal ideation, trauma bonding)
-High risk of continued involvement into adulthood
Responses: “safe harbor” laws
-Focus on rehabilitating, not criminalizing
-Laws are designed to protect youth from
punitive sanctions and instead refer
them to supportive services
-Based on the premise that these crimes
should be understood as acts of abuse
and violence against youth and that
minors who are exploited commercially for sexual purposes should not be
considered criminals, but rather
victims and survivors
Responses: trafficking victims protection act
-Can charge this crime under RICO
-Victims can sue traffickers
-Protected families from deportation
-Supports monitoring
