Transcript Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking

Matt Baldock, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney
Paula Skomski, ARNP, SANE-A
Objectives
• Define Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking
• State the forms and prevalence of DMST within the U.S.
• State the prevalence of DMST locally and regionally
• State risk factors for victimization
• Identify characteristics of trafficked youth
• Describe how to intervene and refer for services
What is it?
 Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC)
generally refers to the sexual abuse of minors for
economic gain.
 Prostitution
 Production of pornography
 Drug dependence
 “Survival sex”
Scope of Problem
100,000 - 300,000
American children are victims of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST) at
any given time annually.
(U. S. Department of Justice, 2010; National Institute of Justice, 2007; Shared Hope
International, 2009)
Scope of the Problem
 Seattle/King County : Estimates 300 – 500 (Boyer, 2008)
 Snohomish County: Estimates 30-50
 No good empirical data: This is improving with local agencies
now tracking victim contacts
 Up to 70% of street youth are CSEC victims (Greene, Ennett, and
Ringwalt)
The Victims
 13 years old is average age when victims first introduced
into to commercial exploitation
 Targeted
 Runaways or “throwaways”
 Prior abuse
 Mostly female
48 admitted victims
27 between 15 and 18 years old
“The juvenile prostitute is not
seen by society as a worthy
victim, while the sexually-abused
child is. We must realize they are
one and the same.”
Identifying and Combating Juvenile Prostitution
Nat’l. Assoc. of Counties, Inc.
1987
The Paradigm Shift
Prostitute
Defendant
Runaway
Street Kid
VICTIM
The
Law
in
Washington
 Trafficking
 Class A Felony, 8-18 years
 Commercial Sexual Abuse of a Minor
 Class B Felony, 2-10 years
 Promoting Commercial Sexual Abuse of a Minor
 Class A Felony, 8-26 years
The Law Enforcement Approach
 Multi-Disciplinary Model
 Advocacy
 Medical Care
 Housing/shelter
 Counseling
Risk Factors
 History of sexual abuse
 This is the number one risk factor
 Runaways
 Foster Care
 Low Self Esteem
 Living in high crime areas
 Poverty
Additional Risk Factors
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Walk to school or to the store alone
Own or have access to a computer
Are attracted to consumer goods
Desire to develop romantic relationships
Feel misunderstood
Fight with their parents
Sometimes feel their parents don’t care
Want more independence
Test boundaries and take risks
(GEMS, 2009)
Entry to DMST
 Seduction and coercion
 Peer recruitment
 Internet enticement through chat rooms, social networking, or
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profile-sharing sites
False advertising for “modeling,” “acting,” or “dancing”
opportunities
Violence and force
Parents selling children
Kidnapping
(GEMS, 2009)
Recruitment
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Befriend potential victim
Offer gifts, shelter, protection
Develop trust
Isolate from family and friends
Develop sexual relationship
Manipulate into sex with friends
Sells her to others
Gang involvement
Lured in by “The Man, The Money or The Life”
(Shared Hope International, 2010; Smith et al., 2009)
Identifying DMST Youth
 Talk of a much older boyfriend
 Money, cell phones, make-up, nails, hair that isn’t explained
 Tattoos
 Visible signs of abuse
 Transformation of physical appearance
 Lack of ID or false ID
 Staying in motels or having motel keys
 Travel/Vacations to other areas
 Sexually explicit online profile
 Language
Needs of DMST Youth
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Safety
Housing
Health care
Counseling
Education
Legal Assistance
Re-integration
(Boyer, 2008; Choi, et al., 2009; Clawson, 2010; Leitch & Snow, 2010; Lloyd & Orman, 2010;
Logan, et al, 2009; Mukasey, et al., 2007; NCMEC, 2002; Scott & Harper, 2006; HHS, 2011;
Zimmerman, et al., 2008)
Interacting
 Provide a safe environment
 Address immediate needs
 Don’t be judgmental
 Gain trust and confidence
(GEMS, 2009; Shared Hope International, 2010; Smith et al., 2009)
I am not a victim!
 There is a psychological bond between the pimp and the
victim called trauma bonding (Stockholm Syndrome)
 The result is
 Failure to self-identify as a victim
 Repeated returns to pimp
 Denial of violence/abuse/exploitation
 Two primary physiological states
 Hyper-arousal: Anger, panic, tantrums
 Hypo-arousal: Flat affect, dissociation, daydreaming,
inattention
Indicators of Trauma Bonding
 Denies violence when it is obvious it is occurring
 Believe they have some control over abuse
 Self-blame for situation and abuse
 Hyper-vigilant to pimps needs
 Sees world from the pimps perspective
Be prepared to deal with…
 Ambivalence
 You can’t talk them into changing so don’t try
 Difficult behavior
 Dishonesty
 Recantations
 Don’t get frustrated
 They have been manipulated by the pimp to act the way
they do and to not trust people in roles of authority
What is helpful
 Meet the client where they are and follow their lead
 Meet basic needs
 Let them know that regardless of their choices you will
support them
 Validate their strengths and skills
 Ask what they would find helpful now
Intervening
 Gather identifying information
 Talk with victim about a safety plan
 Call the Hotline 425-258-9037 (Snohomish County)
 National Hotline 1-888-3737-888
Summary
Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking is a problem in every
community which is complex and requires a coordinated
community response.
To combat this problem it is important to know the risk
factors, signs of possible victimization, local resources to
help and how to safely intervene.
Contact Information
Matt Baldock
[email protected]
Paula Skomski
[email protected]
References
Boyer, D. (2008). Who pays the price? Assessment of youth
involvement in prostitution in Seattle. Seattle, WA: Boyer Research.
Clawson, H. (2010). Study of HHS programs serving human trafficking
victims. http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/07/HumanTrafficking/
Cole, H. (2008). Human trafficking implications for the role of the
advanced practice forensic nurse. Journal of the American
Psychiatric Nurses Association , 14 (6), 462-70.
Coy, M. (2009). Moved around like bags of rubbish nobody wants: How
multiple placement moves can make young women vulnerable to
sexual exploitation. Child Abuse Review , 18, 254-66.
Dovydaitis, T. (2010). Human trafficking: The role of the health care
provider. Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health , 55 (5), 462-67.
Girls Educational & Mentoring Services. (2009). GEMS.
http://www.gems-girls.org
References
Kalergis, K. (2009). A Passionate practice: Addressing the needs of
commercially sexually exploited youth. Journal of Women and Social
Work , 24 (3), 315-24.
Kotrla, K. (2010). Domestic minor sex trafficking in the United States.
Social Work , 55 (2), 181-7.
Lebloch, E., & King, S. (2006). Child sexual exploitation: A partnership
response and model intervention. Child Abuse Review , 15, 362-372.
Leitch, L., & Snow, M. (2010). Intervene: Identifying and Responding to
America's Prostituted Youth. Vancouver, WA: Shared Hope
International.
Lloyd, R., & Orman, A. (2010). Training Manual on the Commercial Sexual
Exploitation of Children (CSEC). New York: Girls Educational and
Mentoring Services (GEMS).
Logan, T., Walker, R., & Hunt, G. (2009). Understanding human trafficking
in the United States. Trauma, Violence & Abuse , 10 (1), 3-30.
References
Mitchell, K., Finkelhor, D., & Wolak, J. (2010). Conceptualizing juvenile
prostitution as child maltreatment: Findings from the national juvenile
prostitution study. Child Maltreatment , 15 (1), 18-36
Moynihan, B. (2006). The high cost of human trafficking. Journal of Forensic
Nursing , 2 (2), 100-101.
Mukasey, M., Daley, C., & Hagy, D. (2007). Commercial sexual exploitation of
children: What do we know and what do we know about it? Washington
DC: U.S. Dept of Justice.
National Institute of Justice. (2007, October 25). Human Trafficking.
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/topics/crime/human-trafficking/
Sabella, D. (2011). The role of the nurse in combating human trafficking.
American Journal of Nursing , 111 (2), 28-37.
Scott, S., & Harper, Z. (2006). Meeting the needs of sexually exploited young
people: The challenge of conducting policy-relevant research. Child Abuse
Review , 15, 313-25.
References
Shared Hope International. (2010). Shared Hope International.
http://www.sharedhope.org
Smith, L., Vardaman, S., & Snow, M. (2009). The national report:
Domestic minor sex trafficking - America's prostituted youth.
Vancouver, WA: Shared Hope International.
The Nest Foundation. (2011). Playground. Retrieved February 18,
2011, from The Nest Foundation: http://nestfoundation.org/
U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2011, January 31).
Administration for Children and Families.
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/
U. S. Department of Justice. (2010). Child Exploitation and Obscenity
Section. http://www.justice.gov/criminal/ceos/index.html
References
U. S. Department of State. (2010). Trafficking in Persons Report.
Washington DC: U. S. Department of State.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2007). Senior policy
operating group on trafficking in persons- Subcommittee on
domestic trafficking final report. Washington DC: U. S. Department
of Health and Human Services.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). (2011). Online
Edition - Toolkit to Combat Trafficking in Persons.
http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/electronictoolkit-to-combat-trafficking-in-persons---index.html#6
Zimmerman, C., Hossain, M., Yun, K., Gajdadziev, V., Guzun, N.,
Tchomarova, M., et al. (2008). The health of trafficked women: A
survey of women entering post trafficking services in Europe.
American Journal of Public Health , 98 (1), 55-9.