2012 Trafficking In Persons Final Report.pdf - NCJTC Home

Kotrla, Kimberley, ―Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking in the United States‖ in Social Work
Volume 55, Number 2, April 2010.
Kimberley Kotrla, a social worker and academic, provides an overview of the
phenomenon coming to be known as Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST) in the US
in order to acquaint readers who may be unfamiliar with the connection between
prostitution and the vulnerability of children to trafficking. Kotrla argues that the cultural
tolerance of commercial sex has created a dangerous atmosphere for youths who are
already at risk for exploitation. She calls for better research on these at-risk groups and on
successful reintegration strategies for those who have been removed from the sex
industry. Kotrla also urges social workers to take an active role in advocacy and policy
reform by lobbying officials, defending young people as victims rather than as criminals,
and raising social awareness about the dangers to at-risk populations.
Logan, T. K., Robert Walker, and Gretchen Hunt. ―Understanding Human Trafficking in the
United States‖ in Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, Vol. 10, No. 1, January 2009, 3-30.
Written by scholars of social worker, psychology, and law, this article assesses nine
reports about human trafficking in the United States in order to determine its prevalence
and scope. The article concludes that US-trafficking exists in a number of areas, from
factory work to commercial sex work, and that many may yet be unidentified. The review
also cites factors increasing vulnerability, such as poverty and marginalized social status.
Due to the clandestine nature of forced labor and forced prostitution, for example, the
authors feel that it is critical to train service providers and law enforcement officials in
the recognition of various red flags that would indicate trafficking where a victim may
not explicitly state his or her situation as such.
McClain, Natalie M. and Stacey E. Garrity, ―Sex Trafficking and the Exploitation of
Adolescents‖ in JOGNN, 40, 243-252, 2011.
Practicing nurses and educators Natalie McClain and Stacey Garrity call for greater
involvement of nurses at various stages of human trafficking intervention. By making
themselves aware of the prevalence of sex trafficking among adolescents, nurses have the
opportunity to play a greater role in the critical stages of identifying victims, intervening
on their behalf to remove them from their dangerous situations, and advocating for them.
Reid, Joan A., ―An Exploratory Model of Girl‘s Vulnerability to Commercial Sexual
Exploitation in Prostitution‖ in Child Maltreatment 2011 16: 146, 10 April 2011.
This quantitative article examines the relationship between initial caregiver maltreatment
of children and vulnerability to sex trafficking. It uses structural equation modeling to
determine the impact of caregiver strain on maltreatment, the possibility of maltreatment
leading to risky behavior and sexual degradation, and the link between these factors and
sex trafficking. The study concludes, from a data set of 174 women, that strain on a
child‘s caregiver could set in motion a chain of events, including maltreatment, substance
abuse, delinquent behavior, running away, devaluing of self, and entry into prostitution as
a minor.
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