2012 Trafficking In Persons Final Report.pdf - NCJTC Home

Trafficking in Persons symposium
The scope and scale of child labor trafficking is currently under study by the U.S. government. A Health
and Human Services (HHS) Programs Report from 2009 suggested looking for child victims where children are
already known to be working (Clawson, 2010). This Report relies on Child Labor Corporation (CLC) estimates
that there are 5.5 million youth between the ages of 12 and 17 employed across the United States. The CLC
(2007) also estimates there are 500,000 U.S. children working in various agricultural settings, with most being
members of minority groups, and 50,000 children involved in street peddling (Clawson, 2010).
Prevention and Intervention
Social service providers and criminal justice agencies face many challenges to addressing child
trafficking. In addition to the unique risk and needs of trafficking victims outlined above, child trafficking is difficult
to detect because there are no firm figures on the scope or scale of the problem; and victims are well hidden
and do not self-identify as such. Furthermore, research into effective community and law enforcement strategies
to combat the issue is just beginning to find a place in public and private sectors.
In Bell and Todd’s (1998) study of 21 juvenile prostitutes, the primary assistance needs to stop prostitution
were identified as money for food, clothing, and shelter. Shaw and Butler (1998) proposed four service
responses to address the problem of juvenile prostitution; 1) prevention of child abuse; 2) prevention of young
people from living on the streets; 3) provide some form of safe housing; and 4) identify and address employment
issues for at-risk youth. Social services assisting juveniles with existing sexual exploitation should be designed
to meet their multifaceted needs including: 1) a safe, secret and stable location to live; 2) access to supportive
and trauma-focused individual and group counseling to address the risk factors that may have led to the entry
(including childhood abuse and neglect, running away) as well as the traumatic experiences during prostitution; 3)
the re-creation of an identity as a non-prostitute including disengagement with their social and support network;
4) addressing substance use and addiction (to men, money, attention, excitement) if necessary; 5) a supportive
and steady environment of mentors to provide encouragement to work through issues related to family and love
relationships and sexual issues; and, 6) a non-judgmental environment in which to heal and reconstruct their selfimage,
identity and future.
As noted by Newman (2006) sex trafficking occurs in four distinct phases: recruitment, transportation
and entry, delivery and marketing, exploitation. Each phase represents a unique challenge for law enforcement
agencies, which must address each stage within the unique context of their area. Public awareness of human
trafficking and personnel attitudes and beliefs about the problem are just two factors that impact law enforcement's
local response to child sex trafficking. Newman (2006) provides general guidance to law enforcement agencies
and suggestions on how to craft a response to sex trafficking. The response should include techniques for locating
and identifying victims and safely engaging them in the criminal justice process; educating the public on the
issue; adopting clear policies on prostitution including efforts to reduce demand; working with federal and state
agencies; and making the local environment unappealing to those who benefit from trafficking (Newman, 2006).
While challenging, it is difficult to overstate the importance of better understanding how to identify victims,
for estimation purposes as well as for service provision, investigation, and prosecution. In relative terms, a
great deal of public and private resources and activity has been directed toward child trafficking, but it is unclear
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