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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 10:44 pm
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Results for child sex trafficking
46 results foundAuthor: Smith, Linda A. Title: The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: America's Prostituted Children Summary: The National Report is the culmination of ten field assessments conducted in targeted locations in the United States, providing a comprehensive understanding of child sex trafficking across America. The report reveals the reality that American children are being recruited from our neighborhoods and sold on our streets. The report found misidentification of victims to be the primary barrier to properly addressing America's trafficked children. Consequently, this misidentification often leads to the criminalization of victims, barring them from receiving proper treatment and care. In fact, in nearly every location American child victims of sex trafficking are being arrested for the crime committed against them while their abusers walk free. In addition, the study found a severe lack of appropriate protective and therapeutic shelters. Finally, the National Report emphasizes that although buyers are critical in addressing the issue of child sex trafficking, buyers most often escape criminalization. Details: Vancouver, WA: Shared Hope International, 2009. 75p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 117036 Keywords: Child ProstitutionChild Sex TraffickingChild Sexual ExploitationHuman Trafficking |
Author: Adams, William Title: Effects of Federal Legislation on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Summary: Each year, as many as 300,000 children become victims of commercial sexual exploitation in the United States. Such victimization can have devastating effects on a child's physical and mental health and well-being. In an effort to stop the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), Congress enacted the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act (TVPA) in 2000. As the seminal legislation in America's efforts to end CSEC, the Act criminalizes human trafficking on a federal level. This bulletin describes the results of a study funded by OJJDP to examine TVPA's impact on the prosecution of CSEC cases. The authors draw on CSEC cases processed in federal courts between 1998 and 2005 to examine how current laws addressing CSEC are enforced, indicate key features of successful CSEC prosecutions, and describe how legislation has affected sentences imposed on CSEC perpetrators, as well as legislation's effects on the provision of services to victims. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2010. 11p. Source: Internet Resource; Juvenile Justice Bulletin, July 2010 Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 119477 Keywords: Child ProstitutionChild Sex TraffickingChild Sexual AbuseChildren, Crimes AgainstSexual Exploitation |
Author: Vidya, S. Title: Unholy Nexus: Male Child Sexual Exploitation in Pilgrim Tourism Sites in India: Andrhra Pradesh, Kerala and Orissa Summary: Public Opinion is on the rise about child sexual exploitation by tourists in India. But, little has been done to study and protect male children from prostitution. This research conducted in 2008, investigates the extent and nature of child sexual exploitation in the pilgrim tourist sites - Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh), Puri (Orissa) and Guruvayoor (Kerala). The study identifies key actors who are involved in and/or facilitate prostitution of male children. The study documents the causes, circumstances, locations and profile of these children and the context in which such sexual exploitation continues unchecked. While the research focuses on the male child, many of the findings and recommendations are equally applicable to female children in similar context. Details: Bangalore, India: EQUATIONS (Equitable Tourism Option); Bangkok, Thailand: ECPAT International, 2008. 64p. Source: Internet Resource; Accessed August 8, 2010 at http://www.equitabletourism.org/stage/readfull.php?AID=424 Year: 2008 Country: India URL: http://www.equitabletourism.org/stage/readfull.php?AID=424 Shelf Number: 118315 Keywords: Child Sex TraffickingChild Sexual ExploitationMale Child Sex TourismMale Prostitution |
Author: Vindhya, U. Title: Sex Trafficking of Girls and Women: Evidence from Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh Summary: A crucial gap in the trafficking literature from India is the dearth of primary data and micro studies that could be used for vulnerability mapping of the source areas and addressing the identified risk factors. The present paper is a small attempt to contribute to plugging the gap in the context of Andhra Pradesh, identified as a ‘hot spot’ in the trafficking literature. This paper is based on case studies of 78 women who had been trafficked from their places of origin in Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh to metropolitan cities across India and who have since returned to their homes. The paper attempted to identify the individual and family circumstances that contribute to the causes of trafficking, to highlight in particular the gendered vulnerabilities that set these women up for trafficking, and to capture the process of the trafficking experience. The findings of the study are located in the dynamic interplay of the social structural context and specificities of the district that contribute to causes of trafficking and the individual circumstances and agency of the women. The case studies reported in this paper are a pointer to the compelling urgency of interventions that will go beyond the forced/ voluntary divide in trafficking and sex work. Details: Hyderabad, India: Centre for Economic and Social Studies, 2010. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper No. 90: Accessed February 9, 2011 at: www.eaber.org/intranet/documents/26/2355/CESS_Vindhya_2010.pdf Year: 2010 Country: India URL: Shelf Number: 120730 Keywords: Child Sex TraffickingHuman Trafficking (India)ProstitutionSex TraffickingSexual Exploitation |
Author: Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq (OWFI) Title: Prostitution and Trafficking of Women and Girls in Iraq Summary: In spite of the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI) background on women's rights, we did not expect nor comprehend the extent of the problem when we received reports of the kidnapping of women and girls in Baghdad in May 2003. When we started to gather reports from Baghdad neighborhoods the following summer, the numbers were shocking. We expressed our dismay to the media and fearing that a new and vicious era has attacked the women of Iraq. OWFI learned that trafficking of women is the hidden face of war, insecurity and chaos. In those days, we sympathized with women who were forced or maybe sold into prostitution. We did not have the same consideration for women who were already prostituted in brothels. We thought of them as the unfortunate margins of the society. It was only in 2006, that we noticed an epidemic rise in the number of women who prostituted for a living, whether in formal brothels, inregular working places, or in a hidden neighborhood hideaway. The numbers were obviously no longer something we could consider an unfortunate marginal minority. It was only then that we, in OWFI, decided to investigate the extent prostitution in Iraq, in order to better understand the underground industry of trafficking which thrives on the exploitation of women's flesh. We also needed to gather some background information about the history of prostitution and trafficking in Iraq. Our efforts started with documenting kidnappings in the first years, but gradually expanded into searching for places where girls and women are sold. We found ourselves documenting prostitution houses where the actual buying and selling take place. Eventually, it was impossible to separate one issue from the other. After confronting officials throughout 2008 and 2009 about the issue of trafficking, OWFI developed a reputation of a fierce defendant of women's integrity against the war-time disasters. As a result, eye-witnesses and the victims of trafficking began contacting OWFI with their stories. Some reports were of incidents too big for OWFI to handle. For example, distressed witnesses reported the kidnapping and trafficking 128 women from the city of Diyala in 2007. Following an interview with OWFI activist on MBC TV, the government campaigned against OWFI starting in May 2009 with active attacks over the public Al Iraqia television, and intervened to stop the airing of televised broadcasts where OWFI sought to tell the trafficking story. Frankly, we were intimidated and scared. Moreover, OWFI was advised by allies that publishing these facts may jeopardize our lives as we are touching onto one of the biggest industries in the world, and a new and thriving one in Iraq. We decided to be silent, stay safe, and keep our information to ourselves. OWFI could not maintain that position for long. A visit to the female juvenile prison in Baghdad in January 2010 reminded us that OWFI served an important mission that required courage, but facing our fears. It was the faces of 12 year old Mena and her sister that reminded us or our responsibilities. They were imprisoned after being sent back from the Arab Emirates as "prostitutes." Meeting those two children and hearing their stories was a heavy experience for the activists of OWFI. Some rushed out crying; some promised to help; while others hardened their resolve to document and reveal these crimes against the women or Iraq, including innocent young girls. Innocent girls who should still be enjoying childhood under the protection of their mothers were being incarcerated for the crime of prostitution, an ordeal in which they were modern-day slaves. At this point, we do not know if the numbers of Iraqi teenaged trafficking victims of the recent years are in the thousands, or tens of thousands. We do know that the Iraqi government does not want to hear the facts nor acknowledge the sufferings. Lawmakers do not feel an urgency to eradicate the crime of trafficking. One recent letter from an informed OWFI supporter gave us the ultimate push to publicize the facts. He had previously forwarded us a report which was too big to handle. That letter said, "You need to do something. The women and their families need to know that someone stands with them. The fact that 128 young women from Diyala were exported into sexual slavery within a few months cannot pass unnoticed. The traffickers and their official partners are set free while the trafficked women and their families suffer in silence, from shame and slavery… The case just cannot be closed". Details: New York: Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, United Nations Office, 2010. 84p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 16, 2011 at: http://www.peacewomen.org/assets/file/Resources/NGO/dispvaw_prostitutiontraffickingiraqwomen_owfi_march2010.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Iraq URL: http://www.peacewomen.org/assets/file/Resources/NGO/dispvaw_prostitutiontraffickingiraqwomen_owfi_march2010.pdf Shelf Number: 121724 Keywords: Child Sex TraffickingHuman TraffickingKidnappingProstitution (Iraq)Sex TraffickingSexual Exploitation |
Author: Miles, Glen Title: The Butterfly Longitudinal Research Project. The Chab Dai Study on (Re-) integration. Researching the lifecycle of sexual exploitation & trafficking in Cambodia Summary: In 2010, Chab Dai and partners in Cambodia launched The Butterfly Longitudinal Research Project: Study on Reintegration. Over a period of 10 years, this study aims to better understand the experiences of survivors of abuse who have been reintegrated back into society after rehabilitation. Researchers will follow victims as they become survivors starting from the time they are in the aftercare program. The purpose will be to ‘hear’ from the survivors themselves, about their lives, understandings and experiences so their voices can contribute towards a greater understanding of the complexities of reintegration. The First Year Progress Report features findings from the Phase 1 of the research completed in 2010. Researchers focused on collecting data from aftercare programs about how they reintegrated girls back into their communities. They also facilitated peer group discussions with girls currently in aftercare programs about: What the ideal aftercare shelter would look like; What their hopes and fears are about leaving the aftercare program; And what they think a girl needs to take with her in her heart, her mind, and in her suitcase when she is reintegrated. Details: Phnom Penh, Cambodia: Chab Dai Coalition, 2011. 130p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 26, 2011 at: http://chabdai.org/download_files/Butterfly%20Progress%20Report%202010.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Cambodia URL: http://chabdai.org/download_files/Butterfly%20Progress%20Report%202010.pdf Shelf Number: 122559 Keywords: Child ProstitutionChild Sex TraffickingChild Sexual Exploitation (Cambodia)Reintegration, Child Victims |
Author: Lainez, Nicolas Title: Transacted Children and Virginity: Ethnography of Ethnic Vietnamese in Phnom Penh Summary: The goal of this study is to explore how the Vietnamese populations live and perceive forms of sale of sexual services and persons in Cambodia. Firstly, it is necessary to contextualize the legal and socioeconomic framework deriving from historical events within which the Vietnamese of Cambodia evolve, and that make them particularly vulnerable. Being excluded from Cambodian citizenship and most of them not holding Vietnamese nationality, they are stateless people who live in a legal void. Consequently, they are confronted with several obstacles that prevent them from being fully integrated into Cambodia. Among the causes that motivate the prostitution of young women, family indebtedness figures high. The fieldwork reveals the existence of an endogenous financial sector run by moneylenders who provide loans at high interest rates. Once in debt, borrowers may push their daughters to sell their virginity or to engage in prostitution to alleviate the economic burden. Secondly, two forms of the transfer and selling of sexual services of minors are addressed: the virginity sale and the sale of young children. The sale of virginity is relatively frequent among the elements of our sample. In the case study presented, the mother pushes the family’s economic burden onto her daughters as soon as they are old enough to generate income with their bodies. While according to Confucian precepts parents ought to preserve the virginity of their daughters until marriage, in fact they organize its commodification and monopolize the profits. The sale of a child for adoption has emerged in these communities. Oral tales and news clips give evidence of a market of children for sale for adoption. Informants involved in the trade make a distinction between the “gift of a child” (cho con) and the “sale of a child” (bán con). The gift is made to families for a payment that is lower than the price of a sale. The sale is negotiated for a price between some hundreds and some thousands of US dollars. The motivations, modus operandi and representations utilized by actors try to make morally acceptable what is otherwise a legally forbidden transaction. Details: Ho Chi Minh City: Alliance Anti-Trafic, 2011. 51p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Report No. 2: Accessed January 10, 2012 at: ftp://ftp2.allianceantitrafic.org/alliancea/Research_reports/AAT_ResearchReport_02-TransactedKinship.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Vietnam URL: Shelf Number: 123543 Keywords: Child Prostitution (Vietnam)Child Sex TraffickingChild Sexual Exploitation |
Author: Squire, Jason Title: Sri Lanka Research Report The Sexual Abuse, Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking of Children in Sri Lanka Summary: Sri Lanka is famed for the proverbial three S’s: Sun, Sea and Sand. In the north and east of the country, the government has been engaged in armed conflict for over 25 years with the secessionist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Relative to the other countries of South Asia, the Sri Lankan government over the last 40 years has been able to provide adequate social services to its population: the country has the best educational system in South Asia, with a relatively high attendance of children in school, and health services that reach the majority of the population. People’s access to media is high throughout the country. At the same time, the ongoing civil war and decrease in the strength of the agricultural economy, which supports approximately 75% of the population, have resulted in increased rural poverty. In response to this, the government has engaged in two primary economic strategies, both of which have had a direct impact on the sexual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation of children. The first strategy has been the promotion of external labour migration for women. Sri Lanka has the highest proportion in South Asia of females working abroad for employment, and these comprise primarily women who have young children. The consequent absence of female caregivers has resulted in a reduction of protection for children in the home, in turn resulting in what many consider to be a high level of domestic sexual abuse. The second economic strategy supported by the government has been the development of an international tourism industry, initiated in the 1970s. National and international tourism are mainly concentrated around the western, north central, central and southern provinces. Tourism is one of the main income-generating activities for the country. While benefiting the economy, the growth of tourism coupled with low levels of child protection, the prevalence of domestic child sexual abuse and increasing rural poverty is thought to have contributed to the growth of child sex tourism (CST) in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka gained notoriety for the availability of child sex in the 1980s. Since then, many local NGOs and international agencies have been active in raising the issue as a concern and developing projects around the issues. To date, the majority of interventions and research on the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) and child sex tourism have focused on the ‘destination’ end of the situation – that is, the locations where sexual exploitation take place. Fewer interventions and less research have been conducted on the ‘source’ side of the situation – that is, in the families and communities from which the exploited children originate. Details: Lausanne, SWIT: Terre des hommes, 2008. 62p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 9, 2012 at: http://www.childtrafficking.com/Docs/trafficking_report_srilanka_17_12_08.pdf Year: 2008 Country: Sri Lanka URL: http://www.childtrafficking.com/Docs/trafficking_report_srilanka_17_12_08.pdf Shelf Number: 114895 Keywords: Child ProstitutionChild Sex TraffickingChild Sexual Abuse (Sri Lanka)Child Sexual ExploitationHuman TraffickingSex Tourism |
Author: Gardner, Julie Title: Minnesota Girls Are Not For Sale Summary: It is fair to say the problem of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST) is among the greatest travesties known in our world today. The issue is deplorable, and the haunting effects on its victims are an appalling injustice. The scale on which this trafficking is taking place reflects the magnitude of the problem, and our global society risks being judged in history as having fundamentally failed our most vulnerable members without broad efforts to fight it. Although a subject rife with research possibilities and probable solutions, sex-trafficking is currently poorly defined, differentially and intermittently quantified, and often challenged by obsolete legal codes and a sexist prostitution enforcement paradigm. In response, government agencies, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, faith-based organizations, and the private sector are reallocating and mobilizing some of their resources to combat this ancient scourge made modern. The vast majority of anti-human trafficking money is being offered to organizations involved in rescue and rehabilitation work. While this is commendable, it also potentially puts the cart before the horse. The funding for research, data collection and analysis is rare in comparison and it remains very hard to find either short-term or longitudinal studies. Governments and organizations are currently being forced to make important policy decisions based on very few substantial analyses of the problem. There are considerable gaps in our knowledge, which in turn means that policy is being developed in the absence of strong data. A review of the literature on human sex-trafficking, state by state, region by region, and topic by topic, is the critical first step to understanding the scope of the problem. This review is also essential to finding the gaps in the knowledge base so that coordinated efforts can be directed to those areas. Without research and attendant analyses, policymakers potentially make decisions in the dark, thereby wasting precious and limited resources. With the aforementioned in mind, this project investigates the literature, law, funding mechanisms, and program services available relating to the trafficking of girls for sexual exploitation within the United States, and where possible Minnesota. Attention is also paid to the media and its coverage of the issue. The intent is to explore the extent and complexity of the problem, the cost in both human and economic terms, and research directions toward the development and implementation of probable political, legal, economic, and social solutions applicable to Minnesota. Recommendations include continued state statute monitoring with an eye toward modification, police training and paradigm change as well as an increased and broadened victims’ services framework. Details: Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, 2011. 96p. Source: Internet Resource: MPA and MPP Professional Paper: Accessed September 13, 2012 at: http://law-library.rutgers.edu/cj/gray/search.php Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://law-library.rutgers.edu/cj/gray/search.php Shelf Number: 126331 Keywords: Child Sex TraffickingHuman TraffickingSex Trafficking (Minnesota)Sexual Exploitation |
Author: Cox, Lisa Title: Global Monitoring Status of Action Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: United States of America. 2nd Edition Summary: The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President, Congress and the Judiciary share powers reserved to the Federal Government, and the Federal Government shares sovereignty with the state governments. Although the financial crisis has resulted in a prolonged economic downturn, the United States still has the largest and most powerful economy in the world, with a per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of around $48,000. The country overall has a very high standard of living and was ranked fourth in the world on the Human Development Index (HDI) in 2010. Despite the United States being a very high income country, US children are worse off than their peers in less rich countries in key areas of health, education and poverty. For example, infant and child mortality and rates of low birth weight are higher in the United States than in most other countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). In addition, the rate of child poverty is double and the rate of teen births, over three times the OECD average. However, the US Government is working to address these issues. It currently spends more on children than most OECD member states and has developed several relevant policies, as well as a good knowledge base, with regard to child wellbeing. The United States has also made progress in addressing the problem of commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). Successful efforts in this area have included: adoption of strong legislation like the PROTECT our Children Act of 2008; the formulation and implementation in 2010 of The National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction; new initiatives promoting Internet safety and national public awareness campaigns; cooperation between public and private sectors; and the creation of national databases. Despite these efforts, there remains a huge gap in the implementation of existing laws, policies and practises. Major factors contributing to this gap include: a lack of resources to assist victims; insufficient awareness of the extent of harm caused by CSEC; and widespread public attitudes that often view sexually exploited children as juvenile delinquents undeserving of protection. While the United States has a welldeveloped child welfare system that includes risk assessments, family preservation, foster care and adoption services and youth development, these services are often only available to children with caregivers. Children living on the street, runaways and those who have been forced into prostitution are often treated as criminals instead of victims in need of assistance. Thus, the child welfare system needs to be adapted to provide specialised services to children and youth who are without caregivers or parents. Although the prostitution of children is often perceived as a problem confined to developing countries, it regularly takes place in the United States. However, accurate figures about children being entrapped into this form of sexual exploitation are not available. According to government information, experts estimate that at least 100,000 children are exploited through prostitution every year in the United States; however, there is a paucity of reliable data. about the source and characteristics of sexually exploited children.8 It is noteworthy that since the enactment of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (often referred to as the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000), all cases of children exploited in prostitution are considered as child sex trafficking regardless of whether the victim is an American citizen or has been transported. Details: Bangkok: ECPAT International, 2012. 70p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 4, 2012 at: http://www.ecpat.net/EI/Pdf/A4A_II/A4A_V2_AM_USA.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.ecpat.net/EI/Pdf/A4A_II/A4A_V2_AM_USA.pdf Shelf Number: 126556 Keywords: Child ProstitutionChild ProtectionChild Sex TraffickingChild Sexual Exploitation (U.S.)Human Trafficking |
Author: Shared Hope International Title: The Protected Innocence Challenge: State Report Cards on the Legal Framework of Protection for the Nation’s Children Summary: Sweeping national legislative advancements proved successful for Louisiana, Florida and Georgia who will join the ranks of Illinois, Missouri, Texas and Washington in leading the nation with laws that provide protection and justice to child victims of domestic minor sex trafficking, according to research released Nov. 29, 2012 by Shared Hope International. Recent findings from the 2012 Protected Innocence Challenge Report, the first comprehensive study on state child sex trafficking laws, show 15 states have raised their grades by enacting legislation that strengthened laws that impact or relate to domestic minor sex trafficking. In addition to the seven leading states listed above that scored a “B” on the 2012 report, nine states earned a “C,” compared to only six in 2011. In 2012, 35 states received grades of “D” or lower, including 18 failing grades— a significant improvement from the 2011 scores with 41 states receiving a grade of “D” or lower and 26 failing states. Every year in the United States, experts estimate at least 100,000 children are exploited in the U.S. commercial sex industry. The average age a child is first exploited through prostitution is 13 years old. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS 1. 15 states improved their grades from 2011 2 states went up two grades: AK and MA went from F to C 13 states went up one grade 3 new “B” states: LA, FL, GA 6 new “C” states: AK, IN, MA, OH, OK, WI 6 new “D” states: CO, MD, NE, NV, SC, UT 2. 7 states improved their Protected Innocence Challenge scores by 10+ points MA went up 29.5 pts WV went up 21 pts LA went up 17 pts SC went up 17 pts AK went up 14.5 pts OH went up 12 pts WI went up 10 pts 3. States were scored based on six categories of law. Scores by area of law – states have achieved perfect scores in sections 1 and 6, with “near perfect” scores in the other areas of law: Section 1 (Criminalization of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking): IL and TX have perfect scores (10 points possible) Section 2 (Criminal Provisions Addressing Demand): LA now has a “near perfect” score with 24.5 points (25 points possible) Section 3 (Criminal Provisions for Traffickers): MS, KY, FL and AL have a “near perfect” score with 14.5 points (15 points possible) Section 4 (Criminal Provisions for Facilitators): LA and WA have a “near perfect” score with 9.5 points (10 points possible) Section 5 (Protected Provisions for Child Victims): IL is the closest to a “near perfect” score with 24.5 points (27.5 points possible) Section 6 (Criminal Justice Tools for Investigation and Prosecution): AL, MN, OH and TX have perfect scores (15 points possible) 4. Most Improved = MA 5. Highest Score = LA 6. Worst score = WY GRADES: B (7) – FL, GA, IL, LA, MO, TX, WA C (9) – AK, AZ, IN, MA, MN, OH, OK, TN, WI D (17) – AL, CO, DE, IA, KY, MD, MS, NE, NJ, NV, NY, NC, OR, RI, SC, UT, VT F (18) – AR, CA, CT, DC, HI, ID, KS, ME, MI, MT, NH, NM, ND, PA, SD, VA, WV, WY 2012 Legislative Progress: One year after the release of the 2011 Protected Innocence Challenge:* 240 state and 38 federal bills were introduced that relate to domestic minor sex trafficking. 78 laws were passed that relate to domestic minor sex trafficking. 40 states had legislation introduced that relates to the Protected Innocence Framework. 33 states enacted legislation related to the Protected Innocence Framework. Details: Vancouver, WA: Shared Hope International, 2012. 211p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 1, 2012 at: http://sharedhope.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/PIC_ChallengeReport_2011.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://sharedhope.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/PIC_ChallengeReport_2011.pdf Shelf Number: 127095 Keywords: Child ProstitutionChild Sex TraffickingChild TraffickingHuman Trafficking (U.S.)Sexual Exploitation |
Author: Minnesota. Department of Public Safety. Office of Justice Programs Title: No Wrong Door: A Comprehensive Approach to Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Youth. Summary: Juvenile victims of sexual exploitation are the focus of a recent model aimed at ensuring they are indentified, receive effective services and are housed safely, according to Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Justice Programs (OJP). The model is highlighted in the recently released report No Wrong Door: A Comprehensive Approach to Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Youth. The model features 11 recommendations from 65 stakeholders, including representatives from The Family Partnership—an organization that strives to build strong families, communities and better futures for children through counseling, education programs and advocacy. Recommendations include: 1.Creating a statewide human trafficking director position. This full-time position with the Department of Health would be responsible for coordinating trainings, and collecting and disseminating information on sexual exploitation and services across the state as a resource to stakeholders. 2.Creating six regional navigator positions. These grant-funded positions would serve as experts in their region of the state and a resource to professionals needing information on how to work with juvenile sex trafficking victims. 3.Providing comprehensive training on juvenile sexual exploitation. Training on how to recognize, screen, refer and investigate sexual exploitation would be available to professionals who come into contact with youth. 4.Ensuring effective outreach to youth. Outreach efforts would be made to sexually exploited youth to connect them with services and support. 5.Supporting coordinated law enforcement investigations across Minnesota. Law enforcement would increase their ability to effectively conduct victim-centered investigations focused on arresting traffickers and commercial sex abusers. 6.Providing appropriate, effective diversion opportunities to youth ages 16 and 17. Law enforcement and county attorneys would divert victimized youth as a means of keeping them from becoming more deeply involved in the juvenile justice system. 7.Modifying the Juvenile Protection Hold Statute to meet the needs of sexually exploited youth. This modification would ensure that sexually exploited youth being held by law enforcement would be placed in the least restrictive setting possible. 8.Ensuring access to safe and supportive housing. Four types of shelter and housing services would be available specifically for sexually exploited youth across Minnesota to meet the different needs of youth. 9.Providing appropriate and accessible supportive services to sexually exploited youth. They would have access to several types of trauma-informed, victim-centered services including advocacy, health care, education and employment. 10.Supporting efforts to prevent the sexual exploitation of youth. Prevention activities would be undertaken to address the environmental, organizational and cultural norms that allow for the sexual exploitation of youth. 11.Conducting comprehensive evaluation to ensure the No Wrong Door Model is an effective model of intervention. Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Youth Law The creation of the No Wrong Door Model is one of five provisions included in Minnesota’s Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Youth Law. Passed in July 2011, the law affirms Minnesota’s recognition that it is a best practice to treat sexually exploited children and those at risk for exploitation as victims rather than as juvenile delinquents. The legislation also ensures that those who purchase juveniles for sex are held accountable, and that there is a system of response in place to move victims of sexual exploitation toward recovery and healing. In addition to development of a victim-centered response model, provisions of the law: •Define sexually exploited youth in Minnesota’s child protection statutes/laws (effective Aug. 1, 2011). •Increase the penalty against commercial sex abusers (effective Aug. 1, 2011). •Exclude sexually exploited youth under the age of 16 from the definition of a delinquent child (effective Aug. 1, 2014). •Create a mandatory first-time diversion for any 16 and 17 year old who has been exploited in prostitution (effective Aug. 1, 2014). Details: St. Paul: Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Office of Justice Programs, 2013. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 18, 2013 at: https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ojp/forms-documents/Documents/!2012%20Safe%20Harbor%20Report%20(FINAL).pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ojp/forms-documents/Documents/!2012%20Safe%20Harbor%20Report%20(FINAL).pdf Shelf Number: 127999 Keywords: Child ProstitutionChild Sex TraffickingChild Sexual Abuse (Minnesota, U.S.)Child Sexual ExploitationHuman Trafficking |
Author: Nordic Council of Ministers, Title: Nordic-Baltic Campaign Against Trafficking in Women. Final report 2002 Summary: Trafficking of women and children is not a new phenomenon in the Nordic Baltic region. However, the magnitude, forms and impact are more alarming and devastating than before. The United Nations estimates that between one and four million women and children are victims of trafficking every year around the world, of these more than 500,000 are believed to be trafficked into the European Union. The majority of these women and children, mostly girls, are recruited, transported, sold and purchased by individual buyers, pimps, traffickers and members of organized crime networks within countries and over national borders for the specific purpose of sexual exploitation in the sex industry. In the past most women were trafficked for brothel prostitution. Today the forms and varieties have expanded. Trafficked women are sexually exploited through brothel prostitution, including in nightclubs, through escort service agencies, for sex tourism and military “rest and recreation,” in pornography and in other forms of sexual “entertainment” such as striptease and telephone sex. Many women are also sold to men around the world as mail order brides through newspaper ads and over the Internet, for domestic work and other forms of servitude. The majority of these women and children are trafficked from countries in the south to countries in the north, and from Eastern Europe, the Baltic countries and the countries in Central Asia to countries in Western Europe and North America. However, women and children are also trafficked domestically between neighbourhoods, from city to city, within the Nordic and Baltic countries and to and from countries in the Baltic region. An increasing number of women, often very young, from the Baltic countries are sold to Nordic men and sexually exploited in the Nordic countries. Nordic men also travel to the Baltic countries as sex tourists. Trafficking in women is extremely profitable. Due to the increasing globalization of the economy and the rapid expansion of the sex industry combined with lenient punishment, trafficking in women and children for sexual exploitation has become a relatively low risk, high profit activity that attracts opportunity-seeking individual traffickers and well-organized crime networks in the Nordic Baltic region and beyond. These local, regional and international trafficking networks recruit and transport women and children to markets around the world for buyers who demand unlimited access to a varied supply of women and children from different countries, cultures and backgrounds. It is estimated that these groups may earn several billion Euros every year, making trafficking in human beings the third largest source of profit after drugs and arms trafficking. Trafficking in women for sexual purposes is a gender-specific crime and a serious barrier to gender equality in all societies. The traffickers exploit to their full advantage the fact that most women who are victims of trafficking come from the most oppressed and vulnerable groups in society, those who are educationally, economically, ethnically and racially marginalized and often victims of prior male sexual violence. The impact on the victims is devastating. Women who have been trafficked for sexual purposes experience physical and psychological harm that has lifelong consequences. Trafficking in women for sexual purpose is also a gross violation of women’s human rights, their human dignity and their right to bodily and psychological integrity. Women who escape from the traffickers or, who courageously agree to testify against them, often run a serious risk of retaliation, to themselves, to their families and to their friends. Many women who return to their home countries may find themselves unprotected, isolated and further discriminated against due to misconceptions in the society around them. Details: Copenhagen: Nordia Council of Ministers and the Nordic Council, 2004. 144p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 6, 2013 at: http://www.norden.org/en/publications/publikationer/2004-715/at_download/publicationfile Year: 2004 Country: Europe URL: http://www.norden.org/en/publications/publikationer/2004-715/at_download/publicationfile Shelf Number: 128308 Keywords: Child Sex TraffickingHuman Trafficking (Baltic Countries, Europe)Organized CrimeProstitutionSex TraffickingSexual Exploitation |
Author: Banerjee, Paramita Title: Where Have All the Flowers Gone? An Evidence-Based Research Into Sex Trafficking of Girls Summary: Is human trafficking an issue of crime or development? Most would argue – both. Domestic and international legal instruments define it as a trans-national organised crime, in recognition of the complex criminal nexus that is involved in profiteering from it. Many argue that defining trafficking as a crime alone is a blinkered approach, whereby the context of victims of trafficking, context of socio-economic and political forces that creates vulnerability for victims are ignored, reparation is substituted by prosecution alone. And therefore, rather than welfare, policing has become the centre-stage of action. The focus on the developmental context and responsive welfare measures has taken a backseat. This research draws its learnings from the implementation of an anti-trafficking case management programme – the objectives of which are to identify cases of children disconnected from their families and assist families to recover traces of their missing children. This programme shows that if the assistance begins from the source areas/ victims’ homes, then victims are often recovered even before they are sold off into brothels; traffickers in the source areas (first procurers) can be arrested and evidence from destination points can be used to strengthen the case against the first procurers. And this has a significant impact on prevention – because the crime gets visibilised to the community at large. But, project implementation experiences also showed that survivors’ contexts (family, community and the context of rural India at large) were desperate and gloomy. And there is very little attention paid to this context – so, even after all the ‘assistance’ of recovering prostituted girls and women, the context they were returning to raises serious questions in the wisdom of survivors returning to situations of deprivation and abuse. And therefore, it seemed necessary to learn, from these experiences, more closely, more in detail, on what is not working, what interventions seem to create dents in the system and could be scaled up and learn, from the researchers’ perspectives, what are the questions that are to be asked for its answers to be found. This research, in its present form, should be useful for development practitioners at national and international levels, researchers and academics and policy makers and influencers. In particular, this research should influence welfare policies targeting the poor in India, adolescents and children in particular, with a bias towards girls and women. Details: West Bengal, India: Sanjog, 2010. 84p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 13, 2013 at: http://lastradainternational.org/lsidocs/where%20have%20all%20the%20flowers%20gone.pdf Year: 2010 Country: India URL: http://lastradainternational.org/lsidocs/where%20have%20all%20the%20flowers%20gone.pdf Shelf Number: 129395 Keywords: Child PornographyChild ProstitutionChild Sex TraffickingHuman Trafficking |
Author: Kloc, Zuzanna Title: Prostitution-Related Crimes and Child Trafficking in Poland: Report from a case-file study Summary: This report presents conclusions from research on prostitution-related crimes and the crime of trafficking in children for commercial sexual exploitation. English translation is the summary of the full version of the report available in Polish. Child trafficking and exploiting children in prostitution are forms of enslavement and abuse that reduce children to the role of sexual objects having specific commercial value. Official statistics reflect only the cases that have been reported or detected. One of the causes of low detectability of such offences is the fact that commercial sexual exploitation of children is a domain of organized criminal groups that use various coercive measures against their victims. Children are intimidated and they fear ostracism and rejection, both by their family and friends and by the society, because they often have a feeling that they have somehow contributed to their exploitation. Variability of methods used to recruit potential victims makes it difficult to estimate the scale of the problem and to describe the characteristics of victims and perpetrators. The case-file study presented in this report was meant to fill the gaps in our knowledge about exploiting children in prostitution, gaps that have to be filled if we are to develop effective preventive and rehabilitation programmes for victims. The future of a child or young person exploited in prostitution depends significantly on the response of the criminal justice authorities, including the correct legal classification of the acts committed by the perpetrators. The research was also meant to determine whether criminal acts that meet the statutory criteria of human trafficking - as defined in the Polish criminal law and international legislation - are classified as such in the judicial practice. Details: Warsaw: Nobody's Children Foundation, 2012. 26p. Source: Internet Resource: http://www.canee.net/files/Prostitution%20related%20crimes&child_trafficking_NCF-1.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Poland URL: http://www.canee.net/files/Prostitution%20related%20crimes&child_trafficking_NCF-1.pdf Shelf Number: 125776 Keywords: Child ProstitutionChild Sex TraffickingChild Sexual AbuseChild Sexual Exploitation |
Author: Zurita, Brenda Title: Children in Prostitution: What to Do? Summary: Most people can agree that children caught up in the commercial sex industry need help. How to help those children trapped in the sex industry - and even knowing how many child victims are involved - is often the point at which radically differing opinions enter the conversation. In the past four years, several states - Illinois, Tennessee, Vermont and Connecticut - have passed legislation, commonly called Safe Harbor laws, to decriminalize prostitution for minors. New York and Washington State have laws that divert minors arrested for prostitution into services and rehabilitation programs at the discretion of the judge in New York and at the discretion of the prosecutor in Washington. Massachusetts has the best model for legislation in HB 3808, signed into law in November 2011. In Massachusetts, the law diverts minors found in prostitution into services and treatment but keeps the charges pending against them in place until they successfully complete the rehabilitation programs after which the charges are dropped. Those who push legislation that decriminalizes prostitution for minors contend that arresting these minors further traumatizes them. Proponents of decriminalization want to remove the possibility of arrest. They argue that what the children need are services directed towards restoring their dignity and rehabilitating them out of a life of selling sex. They want this accomplished outside the juvenile justice system. Others strenuously argue that removing the discretion of law enforcement, district attorneys, and judges from the process takes away one of the most effective means of rescuing children; they say that taking law enforcement out of the picture is not the answer. These children's advocates argue that a comprehensive approach is necessary and accomplished by leaving every available option on the table to help these children, including arrest and detention to ensure the evaluation and handling of their situations on a case-by-case basis. Those who advocate the decriminalization of prostitution for minors claim that thousands of minors are arrested every year. The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Report shows though that less than two percent of all arrests for prostitution are minors, averaging 1,117 a year. The Human Trafficking Reporting System identified 248 minors 17 years old and younger as victims of sex trafficking during the January 2008-June 2010 reporting period. According to the FBI's Innocence Lost National Initiative, as of April 2011, more than 1,600 children have been rescued since 2003. So how many children are victims of sex trafficking in the United States? It depends on who you ask. There are estimates, all based on guesses, that range from 100,000 to 2.4 million children. The United States Department of Justice uses the number 293,000 as the estimate for youth "at risk" of being commercially sexually exploited. The only hard data available are from the government sources listed above. It is very difficult to make good policy relying on estimates based on questionable methodologies. In 2006, the Government Accounting Office said, "The U.S. government has not yet established an effective mechanism for estimating the number of victims or for conducting ongoing analysis of trafficking related data that resides within government entities." With states moving in the direction of decriminalizing prostitution for minors, are there sufficient shelters to house the minors? According to a 2007 study done for the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, there were only four residential facilities in the United States, with thirty-five beds between them. The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Acts of 2005 and 2008 authorized funding for shelters for minors, but the money has never been appropriated. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to the problem of commercial sexual exploitation of children. Arresting minors in prostitution and sex trafficking, but not making counseling and support services available to them, will leave them without help to create a better future. Decriminalizing prostitution for minors will leave them at the mercy of pimps and johns and without the judicial system to advocate for their treatment and rehabilitation. The collaborative program in Oakland, California, run by the Alameda County District Attorney's office shows that, with proper training, law enforcement can be compassionate, understanding, and provide resources to help; the District Attorney's office can use its discretion as to which cases to charge and which to send to support services outside of the juvenile detention system; and the juvenile detention system can provide counseling and support services for the minors in it. Concerned Women for America (CWA) believes keeping all the tools in place to assist minors found in prostitution and holding the government accountable to fulfill the TVPRA mandates to fund shelters for minors and find out how many minors are involved in prostitution are important steps for eradicating the commercial sexual exploitation of minors. Details: Washington, DC: Concerned Women for America, 2012. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 11, 2014 at: http://www.cwfa.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/CWA_Decriminalization-of-Prostitution-for-Minors2012.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.cwfa.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/CWA_Decriminalization-of-Prostitution-for-Minors2012.pdf Shelf Number: 132655 Keywords: Child Prostitution (U.S.)Child Sex TraffickingChild Sexual AbuseChild Sexual Exploitation |
Author: Shared Hope International Title: Demanding Justice Report 2014 Summary: America's youth are at risk because of a simple economic principle-demand for sex acts with children drives the market of exploitation. Little has been done to address the culture of tolerance or confront the obvious conclusion that penalizing buyers is essential to protecting our youth from becoming prey. Unfortunately, attempts to find answers to the problem of demand have been scarce. In a very limited number of cases a buyer has been convicted federally under a provision of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, and this needs to be developed for greater applicability at the state level. Enactment of good laws at the state and federal level are essential but just the beginning. Enforcement of these laws will be the deterrent necessary to stem demand for commercial sex acts. Therefore, the purpose of this report is to measure criminal justice outcomes. Nonetheless identifying buyers of sex acts with minors was a crucial preliminary step in the research and lent itself to a prevalence review by default. One overarching challenge encountered in studying demand is the anonymity of buyers. Similarly, the anonymity of buyers presents one of the greatest challenges to investigation and arrest. Victims often do not know or remember the buyers' real names, addresses, or other identifying information. This can be due to the trauma of the sexual exploitation or to the evasive techniques of traffickers in orchestrating the commercial encounter with the buyer. Prostitution is done on a cash basis and buyers frequently use false names, leaving law enforcement with limited evidence. Given the challenges law enforcement face in identifying and arresting buyers, the number of buyers who have come into contact with law enforcement reflects a small subsection of those who are buying sex acts with minors. Within that subset are the cases that were reported by the media with sufficient information to clearly identify the case as involving commercial sexual exploitation of a minor by a buyer, narrowing the field of cases even further. Since prosecutions of traffickers for the offense of sex trafficking of minors are more prevalent and generally carry more serious penalties than prosecutions of buyers of sex acts with minors, trafficker cases are more often identified in media articles as sex trafficking and more often reported. The conduct of traffickers is increasingly referred to as human trafficking in the media, but there is little consistency in the language used to refer to the conduct of buyers. In some instances, the offense of buying sex acts with a minor is viewed as a type of prostitution case. The desk review phase of this research identified 407 relevant cases largely through media sources; 25 of those media outlets referred to a minor victim as a prostitute, reflecting the attitudes that prevent these cases from being reported as serious offenses of commercial sexual exploitation of a child. Prevalent misunderstanding of a buyer's role in the sex trafficking of minors perpetuates another set of challenges in identifying these offenders. Lower penalties for buying sex acts with a minor discourage law enforcement from aggressively investigating the buyer as they focus efforts on traffickers who face more substantial penalties and are perceived as more culpable. Media's focus is also on these more serious offenses, promoting public perception that traffickers are the only offenders that warrant attention. While substantial penalties for traffickers have been a legislative focus for many years, a shift toward focusing on buyers as culpable parties in the sex trafficking of children has only begun to take root. Despite the trend for law to treat the purchase of sex acts with a minor as a crime of sex trafficking, public perception continues to allocate some blame to the older minor and this is reflected in state legislation that minimizes penalties when a buyer purchases or solicits sex acts with an older minor. While many states have clarified their laws in the past couple years to clearly define a sex trafficking victim as any minor under the age of 18 used for commercial sex, buyers may enjoy a lower standard of culpability when their victim is older than 14 or 15, and may avoid serious penalties entirely by claiming mistake of age. Meanwhile, offenses against younger minors are often recognized and charged as sex offenses, regardless of whether there was an exchange or offer of compensation for illegal sex acts, leading to substantial variation in the treatment of buyers depending on the age of the victim. These perceptions about buyers influenced this demand research in two primary ways. First, there is substantial lack of clarity on how to define and describe buyer cases-the same case could be treated very differently under different state laws, or very differently depending on the age of the minor victim. This impacts how the case is reported by the media, the source of a substantial number of the buyer cases identified for the desk review phase of the study. As a result, search terms used in the study had to anticipate the range of terms that may be used to describe the offense and the range of offenses that may be charged against a buyer. Despite carefully selected search terms, close inspection of the resulting articles was necessary to find cases that fit the parameters of this study, specifically, commercial sexual exploitation of a minor by a sex consumer. These perceptions about buyers also impacted the target site research, which tracked 119 cases from arrest through prosecution to sentencing, and demonstrated a strikingly diverse array of sentencing alternatives and leniency factors afforded the defendants in these cases, suggesting a reticence to enforce existing penalties to the fullest extent of the law. Details: Vancouver, WA: Shared Hope International, 2014. 134p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 20, 2014 at: http://sharedhope.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Demanding_Justice_Report_2014.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://sharedhope.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Demanding_Justice_Report_2014.pdf Shelf Number: 134177 Keywords: Child ProstitutionChild Sex TraffickingChild Sexual ExploitationHuman Trafficking (U.S.) |
Author: Kelly, Jocelyn Title: Assessment of Human Trafficking in Artisanal Mining Towns in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo Summary: Human trafficking is a fundamental violation of human rights. In conflict and post-conflict situations, people may be more vulnerable to trafficking due to high levels of exploitation and violence, weak civilian protection mechanisms, displacement, and a breakdown in social cohesion. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been embroiled in violence since 1996, when violence from the Rwandan genocide sparked conflict across the border in the eastern provinces of Congo. Dozens of armed groups with shifting allegiances, motivations, and identities have preyed upon civilian communities, perpetrating a wide array of human rights abuses. Over the decades of violence, millions of civilians have died, making Congolese conflict the deadliest since World War II. In recent years, the artisanal mining sector in eastern Congo has gained a great deal of international attention for the role it has played in fueling the conflict by providing rebel groups with a source of income. Recognition of this dynamic has raised concerns that these mining communities are also home to some of the worst human rights abuses as different powerful actors vie for control of these profitable areas. Hundreds of thousands, and possibly millions1 of artisanal miners and their families rely on mining for their livelihood. Driven by extreme poverty with limited economic alternatives, these miners accept extreme working conditions. The environment is further complicated by poor governance, poor regulatory oversight, and widespread corruption; conditions that are conducive to labor and sexual trafficking. The United Nations and a number of advocacy groups have described different forms human trafficking in these areas. The 2014 State Department Trafficking in Persons Report calls particular attention to trafficking in persons in the artisanal mining sector. Despite this recognition, systematic quantitative evidence about the type and scale of human trafficking in Congolese mines is lacking. This project attempts to provide an empirically-based understanding of the nature and scale of labor and sex trafficking of men, women and children in artisanal mining sites in South Kivu and North Katanga. It then aims to use this information to identify recommendations for the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) programmatic interventions. Fundamental to the understanding of the scope of human trafficking in this context is clearly defining who a trafficked person is. Broad categories of human trafficking include: forced labor; debt bondage; sex trafficking; forced child labor and child sex trafficking. The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) defines the most severe forms of human trafficking as: - Sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age; or - The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery. Systematic empirical evidence about the type and scale of human trafficking in DRC mines is lacking. Many of the assertions cited by domestic and international groups are based on anecdotal evidence that seek out specific instances of trafficking in persons (TIP). Despite the important body of work aimed at documenting the issues of trafficking in the artisanal mining sector, the established narrative is undermined by the absence of data on the prevalence, patterns, and causes of trafficking. It is therefore difficult to identify which types of interventions are most needed, and what the most pivotal points of entry are for programming to combat TIP. This assessment therefore seeks to fulfill the need for an empirical inquiry using quantitative research methods. The objectives of this work are to: 1) provide an empirically-based understanding of the nature and scale of labor and sex trafficking of men, women and children in eastern DRC mining communities; 2) identify recommendations for USAID programmatic interventions; and 3) recommend evaluation activities and research questions related to the recommended programmatic interventions. This initial version of the assessment addresses the first point and aims to serve as a basis for further discussion about recommendations. Details: Washington, DC: United States Agency for International Development, 2014. 131p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 7, 2015 at: http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00K5R1.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Congo, Democratic Republic URL: http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00K5R1.pdf Shelf Number: 134565 Keywords: Child LaborChild Sex TraffickingForced LaborHuman Trafficking (Democratic Republic of the CongMining CommunitiesSex TraffickingSexual Exploitation |
Author: Finklea, Kristin Title: Sex Trafficking of Children in the United States: Overview and Issues for Congress Summary: The trafficking of individuals within U.S borders is commonly referred to as domestic human trafficking, and it occurs in every state of the nation. One form of domestic human trafficking is sex trafficking. Research indicates that most victims of sex trafficking into and within the United States are women and children, and the victims include U.S. citizens and noncitizens alike. Recently, Congress has focused attention on domestic sex trafficking, including the prostitution of children, which is the focus of this report. Federal law does not define sex trafficking per se. However, the term "severe forms of trafficking in persons," as defined in the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA, P.L. 106-386) encompasses sex trafficking. "Severe forms of trafficking in persons" refers, in part, to "[s]ex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age.... " Experts generally agree that the trafficking term applies to minors whether the child's actions were forced or appear to be voluntary. The exact number of child victims of sex trafficking in the United States is unknown because comprehensive research and scientific data are lacking. Sex trafficking of children appears to be fueled by a variety of environmental and situational variables ranging from poverty or the use of prostitution by runaway and "thrown-away" children to provide for their subsistence needs to the recruitment of children by organized crime units for prostitution. The TVPA has been the primary vehicle authorizing services to victims of trafficking. Several agencies have programs or administer grants to other entities to provide specific services to trafficking victims. Despite language that authorizes services for citizen, lawful permanent resident, and noncitizen victims, appropriations for trafficking victims' services have primarily been used to serve noncitizen victims. U.S. citizen victims are also eligible for certain crime victim benefits and public benefit entitlement programs, though these services are not tailored to trafficking victims. Of note, specialized services and support for minor victims of sex trafficking are limited. Organizations specializing in support for these victims may have fewer beds than might be needed to serve all victims. Other facilities, such as runaway and homeless youth shelters and foster care homes, may not be able to adequately meet the needs of victims or keep them from pimps/traffickers and other abusers. In addition, it has been suggested that minor victims of sex trafficking-while too young to consent to sexual activity with adults-may at times be labeled as prostitutes or juvenile delinquents and treated as criminals rather than being identified and treated as trafficking victims. These children who are arrested may be placed in juvenile detention facilities instead of environments where they can receive needed social and protective services. Finally, experts widely agree that any efforts to reduce the prevalence of child sex trafficking - as well as other forms of trafficking-should address not only the supply, but also the demand. Congress may consider demand reduction strategies such as increasing public awareness and prevention as well as bolstering investigations and prosecutions of those who buy illegal commercial sex ("johns"). In addition, policy makers may deliberate enhancing services for victims of trafficking. The most recent reauthorization of the TVPA, in March 2013, reauthorized some existing provisions, created a new grant program to combat child sex trafficking, and authorized appropriations through FY2017. Details: Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 2015. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: CRS Report No. R41878: Accessed February 19, 2015 at: https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41878.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41878.pdf Shelf Number: 134660 Keywords: Child Prostitution (U.S.)Child Sex TraffickingChild Trafficking (U.S.)Human TraffickingJuvenile RunawaysSex Trafficking |
Author: Niekerk, Joan van Title: Don't Look Away! Be aware and report the sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism. Assessment on Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) related Summary: The South African tourism sector has grown significantly in the past 15 years and is now well on the way to achieving its goal of becoming one of the top 20 destinations in the world by 2020. In 2012, over 20 million people travelled in South Africa (including over nine million international visitors and 12.5 million domestic travellers). This significant volume of travel movement brings substantial benefits to South Africa; however, the intersection between children and tourism presents critical risks that must be managed effectively to ensure the safety of children. While tourism is not responsible for crimes against children, there is a clear connection between the tourism industry and the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) around the world. South Africa is not immune. All manifestations of CSEC are occurring in South Africa: child prostitution, child sex trafficking, child pornography and child sex tourism, and tourism infrastructure can often play an inadvertent or intentional role in these crimes against children. It is used as both the mechanism for gaining access to children and the venues in which sex crimes are perpetrated. Offenders use all forms of tourism services, including accommodation, transport, entertainment, travel agency and tour services to facilitate these deplorable sexual crimes against children. While magnitude is unclear, international experiences have demonstrated that the risks of CSEC escalate as tourism continues to grow. Protecting children should be a tourism imperative. But, as tourism continues to grow, the risks to children deepen. It is necessary to understand how CSEC occurs in the tourism sector in order to effectively combat these crimes against children. Equipping tourism professionals with awareness of CSEC is the first step. But awareness is not enough. The tourism industry is ideally placed to mobilise efforts to protect children, and the global experience demonstrates that small to large scale tourism businesses can take useful actions to prevent their industry from being used for the perpetration of sexual crimes against children. It is now essential that suitable reporting tools are provided to enable tourism stakeholders to act quickly when they suspect children are at risk of exploitation. This report reveals that while CSEC is already evident in the South African tourism sector, there exists a solid foundation of child protection services and systems which, with improvement, can be utilised to build an effective safety net for children. In particular, this report examines national reporting mechanisms and proposes a collaborative approach involving tourism stakeholders, NGOs and the government working together to combat these violations against children and build a responsible tourism sector for the future. Details: Freiburg: ECPAT Germany, 2013. 59p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 1, 2015 at: http://www.ecpat.net/sites/default/files/2014-02-12%20Report%20CSEC%20South%20Africa%20FINAL_0.pdf Year: 2013 Country: South Africa URL: http://www.ecpat.net/sites/default/files/2014-02-12%20Report%20CSEC%20South%20Africa%20FINAL_0.pdf Shelf Number: 135122 Keywords: Child Prostitution Child Sex Tourism (South Africa) Child Sex TraffickingChild Sexual abuse Child Sexual Exploitation Sex Tourism |
Author: Champion, Sarah, Chair Title: Report of the Parliamentary inquiry into the effectiveness of legislation for tackling child sexual exploitation and trafficking within the UK Summary: Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a form of child abuse, which can happen to boys and girls from any background or community. It can range from seemingly 'consensual' relationships, informal exchanges of sex in order to get affection, accommodation or gifts, through to exploitation by gangs involved in serious, organised crime. We are asking the UK Government to: -raise awareness to enable early identification of CSE -improve statutory responses to CSE and access to services -increase the evidence base on the prevalence and forms of CSE -improve prosecution procedures with an emphasis on victim support. Details: Ilford, Essex, UK: Barnardo's, 2014. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 22, 2015 at: http://www.barnardos.org.uk/cse_parliamentary_inquiry_report.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.barnardos.org.uk/cse_parliamentary_inquiry_report.pdf Shelf Number: 135335 Keywords: Child Abuse and NeglectChild Sex TraffickingChild Sexual Abuse (U.K.)Child Sexual ExploitationOrganized Crime |
Author: Walker, Kate Title: Ending the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: A call for multi-system collaboration in California Summary: Within the United States, California has emerged as a magnet for commercial sexual exploitation ("CSE") of children ("CSEC"). The FBI has determined that three of the nation's thirteen High Intensity Child Prostitution areas are located in California: the San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego metropolitan areas. Child sex trafficking, child pornography, and child sex tourism are all forms of CSEC. Frequently, victims are exploited through more than one form of abuse, and they cycle through the stages of exploitation many times before they are able to leave their exploitative relationships. To address this problem, California must develop a comprehensive and collaborative response to ensure CSE victims are identified and receive the services they need to overcome trauma and live healthy, productive lives. The children who fall prey to exploiters are frequently those with prior involvement with the child welfare system, such as through child abuse report investigations and placement in foster care. Other victims should have received Child Welfare services and protections but never gained access to the system, and are instead treated like criminals and funneled into the juvenile justice system. Details: Sacramento: California Child Welfare Council, 2013. 100. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 2, 2015 at: http://www.chhs.ca.gov/CWCDOC/Ending%20CSEC%20-%20A%20Call%20for%20Multi-System%20Collaboration%20in%20CA%20-%20February%202013.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.chhs.ca.gov/CWCDOC/Ending%20CSEC%20-%20A%20Call%20for%20Multi-System%20Collaboration%20in%20CA%20-%20February%202013.pdf Shelf Number: 130001 Keywords: Child PornographyChild ProstitutionChild Sex TraffickingChild Sexual AbuseChild Sexual ExploitationChild WelfareHuman Trafficking |
Author: Stopler, Lucien Title: Money Makes the World Go Down. Child Sexual Abuse and Child Sexual Exploitation in Tanzania Summary: Child sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation is widespread and growing in Tanzania. Although no nationwide statistics currently exist, certain observations strongly indicate widespread sexual exploitation. This report is based on a literature review and key informant interviews. Tanzanian police, specialized local and international NGOs and victims of abuse and exploitation were interviewed during the field work. Below is a summary of the empirical findings that are subsequently supported and discussed in the body of the report. Research conducted in six areas of Dar es Salaam revealed that 40% of children from poor families are being sexually exploited. Other commercial areas in Tanzania, including mining and fishing areas, are known locations for child prostitution. Anecdotal information confirms that a large number of children travel to these areas on payday to solicit sex. Child sexual abuse is rampant among street children; it is estimated that 30 to 40% of boys are abused by older boys and market vendors and 90% of girls are abused and generally end up in prostitution. The clients of child prostitutes' range, from tourists, business men and NGO workers for the more expensive girls, to locals and teenagers exploiting the children that charge the lowest rates - sometimes asking only for food. Child prostitutes interviewed related stories of violence from clients and big mama's (pimps) and the desperation they feel from not having any options. Child sexual abuse within the family goes mostly undiscovered because family honor prevails over the rights of individual children. Boy prostitution is a phenomenon that occurs primarily in Zanzibar. Child sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation are often linked. Child sexual abuse is defined differently than child sexual exploitation - namely that there is no commercial transaction or negotiation taking place - but in practice there is a gradient scale from abuse to exploitation. Sexual abusers often introduce an aspect of commercial transaction that further exploits the vulnerability of the victim. The police do not prioritize the investigation or prosecution of men having sex with child prostitutes, even though sex with a minor is a grave offence, carrying up to 30 years imprisonment as well as corporal punishment. The police arrest the underage prostitute, not the man who is also breaking the law by engaging in child sexual exploitation. The police are themselves accused of exploiting child prostitutes. The police officers that are committed, request more training on investigative techniques and internatioanal cooperation, as well as sufficient resources. Trafficking routes run from Tanzania and other East African countries to Europe. Information from the Tanzanian police lists the Netherlands as a likely location for victims of trafficking, even though there are few reports of women in The Netherlands trafficked from Tanzania. Two important root causes of child sexual abuse and exploitation that need to be addressed are poverty, which pushes children towards the city where there is no work, and broken homes emanating partly from social stress. Income-generation and family-support programs can improve this situation. Details: The Hague: Terre des Hommes Netherlands, 2009. 41p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 3, 2015 at: http://www.mensenhandelweb.nl/system/files/documents/14%20feb%202014/Money%20Makes%20the%20World%20Go%20Down%20%20Tanzania.pdf Year: 2009 Country: Tanzania URL: http://www.mensenhandelweb.nl/system/files/documents/14%20feb%202014/Money%20Makes%20the%20World%20Go%20Down%20%20Tanzania.pdf Shelf Number: 129774 Keywords: Child ProstitutionChild Sex TraffickingChild Sexual AbuseChild Sexual ExploitationHuman traffickingPoverty |
Author: Massachusetts Interagency Human Trafficking Policy Task Force Title: Findings and Recommendations Summary: It is estimated that across the United States nearly 300,000 children are trafficked for sex every year. The U.S. Justice Department has identified the average age of entry into prostitution is 13.7 These cases involve tremendous violence, are complex and expensive to prosecute. Victims are brutalized in the worst ways imaginable. In Massachusetts, there is currently no systematic way to quantify the problem much less identify and meet the needs of victims. Trafficking victims are individuals lured into this country and Massachusetts with false promises of legitimate work, only often to be forced into the sex or labor industry upon arrival. They are also domestic and Massachusetts born runaways being taken in by traffickers and forced to trade sex for a place to sleep, or girls being baited into "the life" by a presumed boyfriend who later reveals himself as a pimp. Much like a victim of domestic violence, human trafficking victims are trapped by fear, isolation, and brutality at the hands of their traffickers. The Task Force recognizes that frequently one victim is subjected to both sex and labor trafficking. However, because these two types of trafficking are often addressed differently, a separate and in-depth discussion of each is provided below to best understand their specific aspects. Sex Trafficking Sex trafficking of U.S. citizens and foreign nationals occurs across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. For example, in 2011, The E.V.A. Center, a Boston-based program that works with adult women involved in the sex trade, reported that the program served 225 adult women since the program began in 2006.8 Of these women, 20 were identified as foreign nationals and 145 were between the ages of 17 and 25. The E.V.A. Center reports that over half of the women were court involved with an over half of the women were court involved with an over representation of young women aging out of government systems, such as the custody of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families ("DCF") and the Department of Youth Services ("DYS"). The majority of women were referred at a point of crisis, largely from law enforcement ("LE"), community clinics, hospitals, the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance, the Probation Department, and SafeLink, the Massachusetts domestic violence hotline. Similarly, the commercial sexual exploitation of youth occurs across the Commonwealth. Although state-wide statistics are not available, in a 2012 report the Children's Advocacy Center ("CAC") of Suffolk County noted that, "[i]n recent years, hundreds of girls in the Boston area have been drawn into 'the life' of commercial sexual exploitation; countless others remain at risk." The report documented more than 480 child victims of sexual exploitation received services in Suffolk County between 2005 and 2012. Of these children, 98% were girls, and 65% of the girls were girls of color. Moreover, the majority were runaways and/or victims of child abuse. The CAC report also acknowledges that "[b]oys and transgendered youth are also involved in commercial sexual exploitation of children ("CSEC"), but less visible." There is a lack of understanding of the nature and extent of trafficking of men and boys. Furthermore, there is a dearth of information regarding children being trafficked in other regions of the Commonwealth, and the identification of child victims outside of Boston remains a challenge. There is also a connection between homelessness and trafficking in Massachusetts, irrespective of age. According to a 2005 report from the Massachusetts Department of Education ("DOE"), approximately 12,000 Massachusetts high school students are homeless with 5,000 unaccompanied or without a guardian. Of these youth, 47% experienced mental illness, 21% of homeless youth have substance abuse issues (compared to 2% of housed youth), and 20% of youth are involved in the criminal justice system. According to Steven Procopio, staff member at Boston GLASS Surviving Our Struggle and subcommittee member, homeless men and boys are more vulnerable to become commercially exploited. Procopio reports that sexually exploited youth are often former runaways due to family violence, sexual abuse, and sexual identity issues. Many turn to the sex industry as a survival mechanism to obtain food or shelter. Survivors report high rates of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, and they are often exploited sexually by men and/or women with economic means. Labor Trafficking Labor trafficking takes a variety of forms in Massachusetts, including forced labor, domestic servitude, or debt bondage in workplaces such as restaurants, bars, nail salons, and factories. Throughout Massachusetts, many individuals work in industries where they are increasingly vulnerable to exploitation, and this is compounded by fact that many of these industries function in the underground economy. In 2011, Governor Deval Patrick recognized the hazards of these jobs, noting that the underground economy "exploits vulnerable workers and deprives them of legal benefits and protections." While trafficking involves both U.S. citizen and foreign nationals, undocumented workers are often particularly vulnerable to abuse due to their lack of immigration status and fear of deportation. According to a 2012 study by The Immigrant Learning Center, large industries in Massachusetts thrive off of immigrant workers, including accommodations and food services (10.5%), health care and social assistance (15.6%), manufacturing (13.6%), and retail (9.6%).17 Furthermore, the report states, "immigrants are much more highly concentrated in occupations that require little education such as building and grounds cleaning and maintenance (3.13%), production (2.24%), health care support (1.74%), food preparation and serving (1.67%) and farming, fishing, and forestry (1.43%)" - industries where workers are more prone to abuse and exploitation. While labor statistics are not available, Lutheran Social Services of New England, an organization that provides case management and legal services to labor trafficking survivors, confirmed recent cases of labor trafficking in Massachusetts. Cases included: - Workers living in restaurants and subject to poor working conditions and nonpayment of wages; - Domestic workers from Brazil, Bolivia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda, employed to provide housekeeping or child care services; - Dancers in strip clubs throughout Massachusetts; - Employees of diplomats brought to the United States to work; - Women working in massage parlors or apartments providing sexual and massage services (mixed sex/labor cases); - Factories employing workers using threats of deportation and poor working conditions; - Agricultural and seasonal workers; - H-2B workers employed by companies providing substandard working conditions and housing to workers; - Women lured by promises to marry or of romance who are then coerced to work; and - Children coerced to beg for money on the street. Workers in certain sectors were more prone to abuse. For example, temporary workers in Massachusetts have been particularly vulnerable to exploitation. According to a 2011 report by the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, more than 941 temporary agencies employed 65,720 workers each day, working in industries such as construction, manufacturing, warehousing, and landscaping. Mirna Montano, Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health ("MassCOSH") Worker Center organizer, reports "We had so many frustrated and upset workers coming to us for help with unpaid wages, injuries, illegal fees," and "bad employers [knew] that they could get away with leaving workers in the dark regarding almost everything: pay rate, who was covering workers' compensation insurance, [and] how much transportation would cost." In July 2012, the Massachusetts legislature passed a statute aimed at extending greater protection to temporary workers. However, little is yet known about the legislation's impact on exploitation and trafficking. Details: Boston: The Task Force, 2013. 98p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 31, 2015 at: http://www.mass.gov/ago/docs/ihttf/ihttf-findings.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.mass.gov/ago/docs/ihttf/ihttf-findings.pdf Shelf Number: 136647 Keywords: Child Sex TraffickingChild Sexual ExploitationDebt BondageForced LaborHuman TraffickingProstitutionRunawaysSex TraffickingSexual Exploitation |
Author: ECPAT International Title: The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the Commonwealth of Independent States: Developments, progress, challenges and recommended strategies for civil society Summary: The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a loose association of nine states formed after the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991. The resulting political, economic and social upheaval led to progress in some areas, such as poverty reduction. But not all children benefit equally: rural-urban disparities have resulted in the marginalisation of - and often discrimination against - some groups of children, such as Roma and other ethnic minorities, left-behind children of migrant workers and the internally displaced. Combined with consumerism, the rapid expansion of cyber-technology, increased tourism and migration and persistent gender discrimination, these inequalities create a favourable environment for Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) in the region. Throughout the region poverty leads parents to push their children to earn money; criminals take advantage by recruiting and exploiting children in the sex trade. Offenders run minimal risk of punishment due to widespread lack of awareness of CSEC and easily corrupted officials. Other push factors for CSEC include sexualisation of children in the media, pervasive child abuse in homes and low levels of education. HIV infection rates are rising rapidly in the CIS, especially among young people. Despite increasing concern over CSEC, governments in CIS countries have generally made only limited efforts to address this serious violation of children's rights. Civil society groups such as ECPAT often fill the void, taking responsibility for prevention and protection efforts. In this context, a "Regional Consultation on Action to Stop the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in CIS & Eastern Europe" was held in Sofia, Bulgaria on 25-27 May, 2014, bringing together child rights experts, representatives of regional organisations, young people and leaders of ECPAT member organisations. Participants formulated and agreed upon the list of priority actions to advance child protection from sexual exploitation in Eastern Europe and CIS countries elaborated in this Overview. Details: Bangkok, Thailand: ECPAT International, 2014. 76p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 24, 2015 at: http://www.ecpat.net/sites/default/files/Regional%20CSEC%20Overview_CIS%20(English).pdf Year: 2014 Country: International URL: http://www.ecpat.net/sites/default/files/Regional%20CSEC%20Overview_CIS%20(English).pdf Shelf Number: 137323 Keywords: Child PornographyChild ProstitutionChild Sex TourismChild Sex TraffickingChild Sexual Exploitation |
Author: Roe-Sepowitz, Dominique Title: Report on the Incidence of Sex Trafficking in Arizona's Juvenile Probation Departments Summary: The identification of minor sex trafficking victims in the United States is complicated by a number of factors including: victims being fearful of self-identifying to those who can offer assistance due to shame, stigma of being labeled a prostitute, fear of the consequences from their offender and to their offender, mistrust of the criminal justice system, as well as having limited knowledge and awareness of how their commercial sexual exploitation falls into the category and definitions of sex trafficking. Systems that serve minors in the United States including the child welfare and juvenile justice systems currently have limited capacity to identify sex trafficking victims. This limitation is due to the fact that few states are participating in the development and use of a valid screening tool and/or have not implemented flags within the system to both establish an ongoing count of sex trafficking victims and report information to those who serve the youth. The purpose of this study is to capture the rate of occurrence of sex trafficking among juveniles involved in Arizona's juvenile justice system. Also, recommendations were collected from juvenile probation officers and staff on how the Arizona juvenile probation system can best serve the sex trafficked juveniles on their caseloads. Once the incidence rate of sex trafficking victims among juveniles involved in the Arizona Juvenile Probation System (adjudicated and non-adjudicated) in Arizona was collected, recommendations for targeted services and systems changes were developed in partnership with the Arizona Administrative Office of the Court, which administers the Arizona Juvenile Probation system. Arizona's Juvenile Probation Department has around 236 juvenile probation officers and in 2015 has served an average of 3,849 juveniles per month through standard and intensive probation. Juveniles being served by Arizona's Juvenile Probation system can be living at home, group homes, foster homes, residential treatment programs, transitional housing or in a detention center. To obtain the rate or incidence of sex trafficking victims among juvenile probationers in Arizona, all juvenile probation officers were mandated to attend a sex trafficking-specific training. A total of 567 juvenile probation officers, juvenile probation supervisors, other probation staff (surveillance officers, detention officers, treatment supervisors) and community partners were provided with a three-and-a-half hour in-person sex trafficking 101 training. This training included expert trainers, researchers, survivor speakers, sex trafficking specific social service agency providers, and a review of actual cases of sex trafficking of a minor in Arizona. After the training, the attendees were surveyed about the incidence of having sex trafficked victims on their current caseloads. The intent of the survey was to establish the incidence rate of sex trafficking victims among juvenile probationers in Arizona, as well as to establish details about the sex trafficking victims. This included: the sex trafficking experience of identified victims, specifically their age when they were first sex trafficked, who is/was the sex trafficker and whether they are still being trafficked, and if they are also involved with the child welfare system, history of mental health diagnosis, substance abuse problems, family challenges, such as absent or incarcerated parents, and how the sex trafficking victimization was discovered by the juvenile probation officers. Details: Tempe: Arizona State University, School of Social Work, Office of Sex Trafficking Intervention Research, 2015. 17p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 10, 2016 at: https://socialwork.asu.edu/sites/default/files/%5Bterm%3Aname%5D/%5Bnode%3Acreate%3Acustom%3AYm%5D/asu_juvenile_probation_study_dec15.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: https://socialwork.asu.edu/sites/default/files/%5Bterm%3Aname%5D/%5Bnode%3Acreate%3Acustom%3AYm%5D/asu_juvenile_probation_study_dec15.pdf Shelf Number: 137833 Keywords: Child Sex TraffickingChild Sexual ExploitationHuman TraffickingJuvenile ProbationJuvenile Probation OfficersJuvenile ProstitutionProbation Officer TrainingSex Trafficking |
Author: Cheon, Hyunjung Title: Police Estimates of Sex Trafficking: Venues, Trends, and Data Sources Summary: Over the past two decades, United States policymakers and the public have become increasingly aware of and concerned about the trafficking of persons for commercial sex. In 2000, the federal government passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA). Since then, law enforcement agencies at all levels have engaged in identifying and responding to sex trafficking problems. Estimates of the prevalence of U.S. sex trafficking vary, depending on the data sources used. Most estimates of the magnitude of sex trafficking in this country are made by federal entities. Relatively little is known, however, about the sources of information actually used by local police agencies to assess and understand sex trafficking problems in their own communities. To help fill that gap, the Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety at Arizona State University, with the support of the McCain Institute, surveyed a sample of local police agencies across the country, seeking to understand (a) their estimation of the magnitude of sex trafficking problems in their jurisdictions in 2014, (b) their perceptions of the nature of the local problems, (c) the sources of information relied upon to assess and form perceptions of those problems, and (d) their experience in addressing sex trafficking issues. Seventy-two of the largest municipal police agencies in the U.S. completed the survey. The following are the key findings from their responses: - The majority of respondents indicated that the magnitude of the sex trafficking problem in the various venues in their communities (i.e., massage parlors, escort agencies, adult clubs, brothels, non-licensed cantinas) was relatively unchanged over time. More than 80 percent reported, however, that the rate of online sex advertising was increasing. - For sex trafficking of juveniles, online sex advertising was the most prevalent venue. - Sex trafficking victims were most likely to be female and aged 18 to 24 years; the United States was most commonly their country of origin. Details: Phoenix, AZ: Center for Violence Prevention & Community Safety, Arizona State University, 2015. 59p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 12, 2016 at: http://cvpcs.asu.edu/sites/default/files/content/products/CVPCS-PoliceEstimatesOfSexTrafficking.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://cvpcs.asu.edu/sites/default/files/content/products/CVPCS-PoliceEstimatesOfSexTrafficking.pdf Shelf Number: 138192 Keywords: Child ProstitutionChild Sex TraffickingChild Sexual ExploitationHuman TraffickingProstitutionSex TraffickingSexual ExploitationSocial Media |
Author: Shared Hope International Title: Justice for Juveniles: Exploring Non-Criminal Response Mechanisms for Child Sex Trafficking Summary: The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) clearly defines anyone under the age of 18 induced to perform a commercial sex act as a victim of human trafficking. Since its passage in 2000, 14 states and the District of Columbia have aligned with federal policy by ensuring that their prostitution laws criminalizing the sale of sex do not apply to minors. In states that still have the ability to charge children for the crime of selling sex under their prostitution statutes or for other crimes committed while being trafficked, some local jurisdictions have adopted policies prohibiting application of these laws when a minor is the subject. The Uniform Act on the Prevention of and Remedies for Human Trafficking (Uniform Act), which was approved for adoption by the states by the Uniform Law Commission in 2013, also eliminates criminal liability for minors for prostitution and related offenses. This shift in policy, and in some locations, practice, has led to a widely accepted understanding that commercially sexually exploited children are victims, not perpetrators, of prostitution and trafficking related crimes. This in turn has created a shift in child serving agency responses to identified victims - from directing exploited youth into delinquency proceedings to directing them into trauma-informed services. However, shifting toward a non-criminal response to child sex trafficking victims remains fraught with complicated questions regarding how to protect exploited youth and connect them to services. Because of the challenges associated with providing services, the field is rushing to find solutions that protect, empower and support youth who have been trafficked. This field guidance will explore implementation of non-criminalization policies and statutes, looking to identify promising trends and avenues to overcome current system challenges and safety concerns. We are grateful to the JuST Response Council members who contributed to this paper and hope it will serve as a resource to those in the field seeking a more robust system that will help juvenile sex trafficking victims avoid the re-traumatization of a misguided system response and connect them instead to a continuum of care that will empower them to achieve a life free from exploitation. Details: Vancouver, WA: Shared Hope International, 2016. 19p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 14, 2016 at: http://sharedhope.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/NonCriminal-Response-Mechanisms-Field-Guidance.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://sharedhope.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/NonCriminal-Response-Mechanisms-Field-Guidance.pdf Shelf Number: 138675 Keywords: Child ProstitutionChild Sex TraffickingChild Sexual ExploitationJuvenile Sex Trafficking |
Author: Davy, Deanna Title: Transnational Advocacy Networks in Campaigning: The Campaign against Child Sex Trafficking in the Mekong Subregion Summary: The rapidly expanding market in enslaved children bought and sold for sex is one of the worst transnational crimes that appear to have been facilitated by globalisation and its many effects, such as growing disparity in wealth between North and South. Child sex trafficking has become one of the most highly publicised social issues of our time and, due to its global nature, transnational anti-trafficking advocacy networks are well placed and central to lead campaigns against it. Transnational advocacy networks (TANs) in the GMS have been integrally involved in the formation of child sex trafficking policy agendas through their involvement in transnational networks and transnational campaigns and in working with governments and the private sector. Cosmopolitan anti-trafficking advocacy in these countries has led to significant progress in the Mekong Subregion by bringing the child trafficking issue onto the global social policy agenda, resulting in new child protection legislation and improved inter-agency collaboration in the region. This PhD research focuses on the politics, processes and effectiveness of transnational anti-trafficking advocacy networks in Thailand and Cambodia. Central questions in this study are addressed. For example, how and why do anti-trafficking advocacy networks evolve? What is the 'glue' that binds network partners and sustains network connections over time? How do networks measure the perceived 'effectiveness' of the networks' advocacy on the problem of child trafficking in the Southeast Asia region? How does North-South collaboration, and contention, and other aspects of network politics contribute to TAN effectiveness? Research into this area is important for improving our understanding of the internal processes, mechanisms and politics and TANs, and the sustainability and effectiveness of anti-trafficking advocacy networks in combating transnational crime and promoting social justice. This research addresses the above questions through an analysis of the politics and typologies of transnational anti child trafficking advocacy networks operating in Thailand and Cambodia. Using a cosmopolitan framework the research analyses data from twenty-two semi-structured interviews with experts from anti-trafficking advocacy networks in the GMS. Details: Sydney: University of Sydney, 2012. 359p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed May 3, 2016 at: http://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/bitstream/2123/8939/1/DAVY%20DEANNA%20PHD%20THESIS.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Asia URL: http://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/bitstream/2123/8939/1/DAVY%20DEANNA%20PHD%20THESIS.pdf Shelf Number: 138900 Keywords: Child Human TraffickingChild ProstitutionChild Sex TraffickingChild Sexual ExploitationHuman Trafficking |
Author: International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala Title: Human trafficking for sexual exploitation purposes in Guatemala Summary: Human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation is a human and social drama, a human rights violation and a criminal offense. It is an illegal practice that affects particularly girls, boys and adolescents, robbing them of their innocence and dignity. It is an unacceptable offense that violates basic rights, while perpetrators benefit, profit, torture and truncate the lives of persons by inflicting suffering on those who are more vulnerable. Trafficking in persons is a form of contemporary slavery that should compel society at large, and authorities, particularly, to reject and decisively eradicate it. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), present the report Sexual Trafficking in Persons in Guatemala within the framework of their mandates, sharing common goals in the area of human rights protection and the fight against impunity, which documents the significance and the consequences of this criminal phenomenon in the country. The objective of this effort is to provide guidance for public policy, budget and investigation strategies in order to identify and dismantle criminal structures, as well as to promote other efforts that ultimately help to prevent and fight the scourge, provide assistance to victims and impart justice to prevent offenses from remaining unpunished. The report includes extensive theoretical and field investigation that identifies Guatemala as a country of origin, transit and reception of trafficking victims. Universal consensus rates this crime as a grave human rights violation, made more serious by the ability of criminal structures to operate transnationally, which makes the problem more complex and imposes difficulties on States to identify, prosecute and dismantle criminal groups. According to the analysis and findings of the report, there are an estimated 48,500 direct victims of trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation in Guatemala, and the illegal profits produced by this offense amount to 12.3 billion quetzales, equivalent to 2.7% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), that is, more than the total budget to educate children and adolescents, estimated at 1.44% of the GDP in 2014. Details: Guatemala City: CICIG, 2016. 145p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 10, 2016 at: http://www.cicig.org/uploads/documents/2016/Trata_Ing_978_9929_40_829_6.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Guatemala URL: http://www.cicig.org/uploads/documents/2016/Trata_Ing_978_9929_40_829_6.pdf Shelf Number: 139363 Keywords: Child Sex TraffickingChild Sexual ExploitationHuman TraffickingProstitutionSex TraffickingSexual Exploitation |
Author: Florida. Legislature. Office of Program Policy Analysis & Government Accountability Title: Placement Challenges Persist for Child Victims of Commercial Sexual Exploitation; Questions Regarding Effective Interventions and Outcomes Remain, Summary: A total of 264 verified commercial sexual exploitation child victims (CSE children) were identified in calendar year 2015, more than the 170 identified from July 2013 through December 2014. CSE children are to be placed and served in specialized residential programs, such as safe houses and safe foster homes. However, there are a limited number of these beds and provider criteria exclude some children. Providers report that they deliver consistent statutorily-required services to children, and the Department of Children and Families (DCF) is conducting a review of literature to identify effective interventions for CSE children. Many CSE children we identified in our previous report had since been re-victimized, involved with the criminal justice system, or only attended school intermittently. State agencies, including DCF and the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), continue working to better identify CSE children through community awareness, training, better information system tracking, and a new screening tool. The Human Trafficking Screening Tool has been released for use but concerns exist; DCF and DJJ should prioritize getting feedback on the screening tool and validating it. Details: Tallahassee: OPPAGA, 2016. 35p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 25, 2016 at: http://www.oppaga.state.fl.us/MonitorDocs/Reports/pdf/1604rpt.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.oppaga.state.fl.us/MonitorDocs/Reports/pdf/1604rpt.pdf Shelf Number: 139841 Keywords: Child ProstitutionChild Sex TraffickingChild Sexual AbuseChild Sexual ExploitationHuman Trafficking |
Author: Corona, Samantha Title: Students Together Reducing Exploitation and Trafficking Team: success and challenges Summary: This program evaluation study aimed to highlight the growth, accomplishments and challenges of Students Together Reducing Exploitation and Trafficking (S.T.R.E.A.T.) Team, a human sex trafficking program in the Sacramento City Unified School District from 2012 to 2015. The program was analyzed based on existing service records, S.T.R.E.A.T. Team workshops surveys, and three key informant interviews. Three major findings were identified (1) the importance of creating a team with a survivor and ally led perspective; (2) school systems have been identified as areas of opportunity to engage with youth on this topic; and (3) evaluation of program outcomes to facilitate the team's ability to spread awareness of sex trafficking to youth. Sex trafficking of youth has infringed on basic human rights, an implication for the profession of social work. Details: Sacramento: California State University, 2016. 118p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed August 1, 2016 at: http://csus-dspace.calstate.edu/handle/10211.3/173390 Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://csus-dspace.calstate.edu/handle/10211.3/173390 Shelf Number: 139909 Keywords: Child Sex TraffickingChild Sexual ExploitationHuman TraffickingSexual Exploitation |
Author: Lopez Guevara, Estefania Title: Introduction to Trafficking and Laundering of Children Summary: Trafficking in human beings is generally referred to as the 21st century's slavery, and it has been asserted that human trafficking is more common now than at any time in history (Snyman, 2005). The Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, published by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in November 2014, found victims from 152 nationalities in 124 countries. Additionally, in some regions child trafficking is a major concern; for instance, in Africa and the Middle East children constitute 62 per cent of detected trafficked victims (UNODC, 2014). Currently, children are trafficked for prostitution, forced labor and early marriage: "In African countries, the poverty existing in households, the absence of social protection, the high profits earned by traffickers, and the low conviction rates for offences against the traffic, have caused child trafficking to persist" (Mbakogu, 2014). In 2006, the Trafficking in Persons Report published by the U.S. Department of State revealed that human trafficking is the third market generating profits for organized crime, behind only drugs and guns trafficking. It is estimated that an amount close to USD $9.5 billion is generated annually through trafficking. Bearing in mind the relevance of this criminal market, this document is an introduction to the humans trafficking market, providing an overview of this contemporary trafficking. Additionally, attention is focused on the specific trafficking of children happening in the African countries of Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon and Ethiopia. Details: Bogota, Colombia: Vortex Foundation, 2017. 18p. Source: Internet Resource: The Global Observatory of Transnational Criminal Networks Research Paper No. 6. VORTEX Working Papers No. 20: Accessed February 28, 2017 at: http://media.wix.com/ugd/522e46_f3c830fccdbe49409089792bd2299f18.pdf Year: 2017 Country: International URL: http://media.wix.com/ugd/522e46_f3c830fccdbe49409089792bd2299f18.pdf Shelf Number: 141252 Keywords: Child ProstitutionChild Sex TraffickingChild TraffickingHuman Trafficking |
Author: Busch-Armendariz, Noel Title: Human Trafficking by the Numbers: The Initial Benchmark of Prevalence and Economic Impact for Texas Summary: Report from the Statewide Human Trafficking Mapping Project of Texas, a collaboration among the Institute on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault (IDVSA) and the Bureau of Business Research at The University of Texas at Austin as well as Allies Against Slavery. The study found that there are more than 300,000 victims of human trafficking in Texas, including almost 79,000 minors and youth victims of sex trafficking and nearly 234,000 adult victims of labor trafficking. Minor and youth sex trafficking costs the state of Texas approximately $6.6 billion annually, and traffickers exploit approximately $600 million from victims of labor trafficking in Texas. Details: Austin: University of Texas at Austin, School of Social Work, Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault , 2016. 110p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 6, 2017 at: https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/handle/2152/44597/idvsa-2016-human-trafficking-by-the-numbers.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/handle/2152/44597/idvsa-2016-human-trafficking-by-the-numbers.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y Shelf Number: 141349 Keywords: Child Sex TraffickingCosts of CrimeForced LaborHuman TraffickingModern SlaveryProstitutionSex Trafficking |
Author: Martin, Lauren Title: Early Intervention to Avoid Sex Trading and Trafficking of Minnesota's Female Youth: A Benefit-Cost Analysis: Full Report Summary: We provide analysis of an innovative policy to reduce social harms from sex trading among female youth, including adolescents (e.g. survival sex, prostitution, sex trafficking). The policy consists of early intervention efforts with adolescent females to prevent and dissuade them from sex trading. Our framework treats the program as an investment project and calculates its net present value, where the benefits are understood to be harms avoided by successfully reducing the extent of sex trading. We approach the analysis from the narrow perspective of the public budget. That is, both the cost of the program and the specific harms from sex trading are evaluated in terms of the burden they impose on a community's government expenditures. We do not examine the full social costs of sex trading. Our valuation of harms is a conservative estimate based on available social science data. We conduct sensitivity analysis with respect to key model parameters such as program effectiveness, discount rate and other model parameters. The program returns positive Net Present Value in all but the most pessimistic scenarios, which we believe are highly unlikely to prevail. In our best estimate it returns $34 in benefit for each $1 in cost. Details: Minneapolis: Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center, 2012. 90p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 9, 2017 at: http://mnhttf.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Benefit-Cost-Study-Full.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://mnhttf.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Benefit-Cost-Study-Full.pdf Shelf Number: 145360 Keywords: Child ProstitutionChild Sex TraffickingCost-Benefit AnalysisHuman traffickingProstitutionSex Trafficking |
Author: Martin, Lauren Title: Mapping the Market for Sex with Trafficked Minor Girls in Minneapolis: Structures, Functions, and Patterns Summary: The trafficking of girls under age 18 into the sex trade (also known as domestic minor sex trafficking) has received increased attention from policy makers, law enforcement, service providers, advocates, and funders in Minnesota over the past several years. In July 2011, the Minnesota State Legislature passed Safe Harbor for Youth legislation, which had a sunrise clause for implementation by August 2014. The Minnesota Departments of Health and Public Safety worked with the State Human Trafficking Task Force to develop No Wrong Door, a plan for coordinated and comprehensive services for trafficking victims. Implementation has begun with the hiring of the Safe Harbor/No Wrong Door Director in the Minnesota Department of Health's Injury and Violence Prevention unit, and the selection of Regional Navigators responsible for ensuring that all victims receive appropriate assistance and trauma-centered services. No Wrong Door is a critical step for early intervention to reduce the harms of domestic minor sex trafficking on Minnesota youth. But, what is the larger system that exploits juveniles through sex trafficking? Who is involved? Where does it happen? And, how does it work? Empirical knowledge of the broader market forces through which youth are exploited is critical to providing a solid basis for Minnesota's efforts toward intervention and prevention of exploitation of youth in commercial sex and sex trafficking. We conducted this study to answer these questions. The project received funding from the Women's Foundation of Minnesota, internal University of Minnesota funding, and the support of a broad coalition of agencies and individuals. We began with the understanding that the sex trade is an industry, and as such, it operates on market principles. Like other markets, the market for sex with juveniles is structured by demand, supply, and a process through which the supply (or "product") is developed, managed, and delivered. Sex buyers (the "demand") enter the market with money and power. Pimps, traffickers, and others that assist them (transporters, watchers, enforcers, etc.) profit by linking sex buyers to juvenile victims (the "product") for sale. Because of the multiple roles involved in this activity, we refer to these individuals as facilitators. Facilitators recruit a "supply" of juveniles through systematic exploitation of specific needs and vulnerabilities of youth, sometimes described as "push/pull factors." This study sought to understand the "who, where, and how" aspects of market operations. Who are the people involved in the market (victims, facilitators, and sex buyers)? Where does the market happen? Where are victims recruited? Where do sexual transactions take place? What are the residential locations of facilitators, victims, and sex buyers? "Where" also includes categories of places where sex trafficking activities occur such as hotels, schools, private residences, clubs, etc. Most importantly, we wanted to understand how the market functions. How do the operational structures and mechanisms derive profit from the commercial sexual exploitation of juveniles? Our data collection and analysis produced a great deal of information, which we are continuing to review and analyze. This report provides an overview of our findings and it is a first step in sharing the rich and detailed information we have collected. We expect to produce additional reports and articles. Some of what we learned confirms what we already knew about sex trafficking, particularly characteristics of victims. However, our market framework yielded new insights about the forces behind commercial sexual exploitation of youth and domestic minor sex trafficking. Therefore, much of what we learned and describe in this report is new. Details: Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Urban Research Outreach/Engagement Center, 2014. 118p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 9, 2017 at: http://uroc.umn.edu/sites/default/files/Res_SexTraf_Report.compressed.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://uroc.umn.edu/sites/default/files/Res_SexTraf_Report.compressed.pdf Shelf Number: 145361 Keywords: Child ProstitutionChild Sex TraffickingChild Sexual ExploitationProstitutionSex MarketsSex TraffickingSexual Exploitation |
Author: ECPAT USA Title: National Colloquium 2012 Final Report: An Inventory and Evaluation of the Current Shelter and Services Response to Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Summary: Shelter and services for identified victims and survivors of domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) are critical for their recovery and success. What has not been immediately available is insight into the actual experience of the individuals and organizations that are attempting to respond to the need, and their insight about possible ways to navigate the obstacles. While a few excellent scholarly articles and manuals on how to implement service provision have recently been published, the noticeable missing ingredient is documentation of lessons learned, success factors and gaps by those on the ground doing the work. To that end, the National Colloquium: Shelter and Services Evaluation for Action was conceived and executed by Shared Hope International, ECPAT-USA and The Protection Project at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, a triumvirate that has in the past cooperated on related research, notably the 2006 Mid-Term Review on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) in America in preparation for the World Congress Against CSEC. Three surveys were designed to capture information that will serve as the foundation for the continuing research, site assessments, and discussions among stakeholders to develop and formalize the shelter and services response for DMST victims. Through these surveys and the subsequent colloquium, knowledge from a growing body of experts with first-hand experience was gathered and shared about the actual provision of restorative services to domestic trafficking victims, with all of its successes and setbacks. In July 2012 an Advisory Board and a Practitioners Working Group were convened to review project goals for the National Colloquium and vet the survey that would solicit a response from providers across the nation during the upcoming three months. At the same time, survivor leaders developed and administered their own survey instrument to capture the unique experiences and perspectives of individuals who have survived sex trafficking. On November 30, 2012, the National Colloquium: Shelter and Services Evaluation for Action was held, representing a first-ever opportunity for service providers and survivors to hold a structured conversation about the extraordinarily complex and challenging work of DMST victim and survivor care. Acting Assistant Secretary George Sheldon of the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, delivered the keynote address that framed the panel discussions that took place. Based on their experiences in the field, participants addressed emerging trends and barriers in three areas: placement for identified youth, licensing and maintaining residential facilities and programmatic and therapeutic approaches. A range of promising practices along with barriers to success were examined through panel discussion and observer interaction. In addition, in coordination with the Congressional Caucus for Victims' Rights and the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues, a congressional briefing called "Identifying Sustainable Solutions for Shelter and Restorative Care for Victims of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking" was held to discuss funding for shelter and services for DMST victims, a priority concern noted by advocacy and funding experts that responded to a third survey designed for this group of stakeholders. The panel for this briefing consisted of human trafficking experts from government, philanthropy, survivor leadership and non-governmental organizations who brought visibility to the critical importance of the funding issue. Approximately 185 participants filled the U.S. Capitol hearing room and over 500 more attended via a live webcast in order to be part of this unique event. While information exchange was the stated purpose, a collateral benefit for many was the opportunity for providers and survivors to meet and network with others doing similar work in this limited field. Details: Brooklyn, NY: ECPAT USA, 2016.244p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 9, 2017 at: http://www.ecpatusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/National-Colloquium-2012-Final-Report-An-Inventory-and-Evaluation-of-the-Current-Shelter-and-Services-Response-to-Domestic-Minor-Sex-Trafficking.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.ecpatusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/National-Colloquium-2012-Final-Report-An-Inventory-and-Evaluation-of-the-Current-Shelter-and-Services-Response-to-Domestic-Minor-Sex-Trafficking.pdf Shelf Number: 145367 Keywords: Child ProstitutionChild Sex TraffickingChild Sexual ExploitationDomestic Minor Sex TraffickingSex TraffickingVictim Services |
Author: Hart, Roger Title: Placing Children's Voices at the Heart of Organizations That Serve Them: Lessons from governance with children who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation Summary: The purpose of this publication is to synthesise current thinking on how to best enable the voices of children who have been the subject of exploitation to have roles in the decisionmaking and governance of organisations that are designed to support and advocate for them. It focuses in particular on the child survivors of commercial sexual exploitation, but also draws from the experiences of organisations working with other vulnerable children. One of the most profound and transformative dimensions of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is its recognition that all children should know that they are citizens, that they have rights, and that they should have opportunities to speak out about and be involved in decisions about the conditions that affect them according to the maximum of their capacities. This includes the right to have a voice in the running of programs and services that are intended for them, and the right to be heard in administrative proceedings affecting them. These goals are a challenge to any organisation working directly with children because they greatly increase the degree to which children need to be heard and taken into account beyond that which is typical for any society. But the right to be listened to, have one's opinions taken into account is particularly important for children who are having, or have had, their rights severely violated. It has strong implications not only for enabling their perspectives to be heard in order to improve conditions for children like themselves, but also for their own protection and recovery from such violations. In practice, exercising the rights of children to have their voices heard raises questions about when and how best to account for the views of a child of CSE to ensure that the process remains authentic and does not lead to further traumatization. In addressing these questions, we take a multi-level approach that includes all organisational scales from the local to the global. This is based on an observation that we, and other scholars and practitioners have made, that while there is a great deal of high profile involvement of children in global events, it is first and foremost at the local level where we need to establish the conditions for children to be free to voice their feelings and concerns. This is important for two reasons. First, all affected children need to be able to be heard, not just a select few. Second, authentic participation in local groups is foundational to any kind of representative voices of children and youth at national, regional and international levels. Details: Bangkok, Thailand: ECPAT, 2016. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 7, 2017 at: http://www.ecpat.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/PLACING-THE-PERSPECTIVES-OF-CHILDREN-at-the-HEART_Thematic-Report.pdf Year: 2016 Country: International URL: http://www.ecpat.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/PLACING-THE-PERSPECTIVES-OF-CHILDREN-at-the-HEART_Thematic-Report.pdf Shelf Number: 148760 Keywords: Child Pornography Child Prostitution Child Sex TraffickingChild Sexual Exploitation |
Author: National Conference of State Legislatures Title: Safe Harbor: State Efforts to Combat Child Trafficking Summary: Child trafficking crimes - actions that facilitate the commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor of youth - present difficult criminal justice and human services challenges for government officials. State legislators, through the deliberation and enactment of policy, are at the forefront of the current intergovernmental effort to identify and implement effective procedures to combat child traffickers and pursue justice for survivors. A recent trend in state child trafficking policy focuses on treating trafficked youth as survivors of trauma who should be provided rehabilitative services rather than as perpetrators of crimes they were forced to commit. Policies created for this purpose are a subset of child trafficking measures often referred to as safe harbor laws. This report identifies six themes in state safe harbor laws and provides policy alternatives within each theme. The six themes are: Collaboration and coordination of state entities and resources. Decriminalization and/or diversion for actions of trafficked youth. Funds for anti-trafficking efforts and survivor services. Provision of services for youth survivors. Increased penalties for traffickers of children. Training to recognize and respond to trafficking crimes and its victims Details: Washington, DC: NCSL, 2017. 13p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 19, 2018 at: http://www.ncsl.org/Portals/1/Documents/cj/SafeHarbor_v06.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 149504 Keywords: Child ProstitutionChild ProtectionChild Sex TraffickingChild Sexual ExploitationChild TraffickingForced LaborHuman Trafficking |
Author: rights4girls Title: Survivor Protection: Reducing the Risk of Trauma to Child Sexual trafficking Victims Summary: Domestic child sex trafficking is a persistent problem in the United States. Under federal law, child sex trafficking occurs any time a minor under the age of eighteen is induced to perform a commercial sex act. Historically, domestic victims have received gravely insufficient protection and support due to a lack of awareness about domestic trafficking and the hidden nature of this crime. When information about human trafficking first gained traction in the United States, it was commonly believed that sex trafficking victims in the U.S. were primarily foreign nationals. However, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, from January 2008 to June 2010, eighty-three percent of confirmed sex trafficking victims identified in the United States were U.S. citizens, and approximately fifty-four percent were minors under the age of eighteen. Despite these children being subjected to violence, manipulation, and torture, the public still viewed victims of domestic child sex trafficking as criminals willingly engaged in prostitution, rather than as victims of violence and exploitation. In recent years, advocates have been working to shift both the law and public perception to ensure that survivors of domestic child sex trafficking are understood to be victims of gender-based violence5 and child abuse, rather than seen as "child prostitutes." Congress has played a significant role in working to advance greater protections for victims of domestic sex trafficking and increasing public awareness about the plight of American victims, and particularly, U.S. born children. Between 2013 and 2015, Congress passed a number of federal laws aimed at protecting domestic victims and assisting them in accessing many of the services and resources available to other victims of trafficking and sexual violence. Although the federal law has long been clear that child sex trafficking should be viewed as a severe form of trafficking in persons, victims of child sex trafficking are still denied the full scope of protections afforded to other victims of violence, and specifically child abuse, including protections that prevent re-traumatizing children who cooperate as victim witnesses in criminal prosecutions. This paper will provide an overview of the legal justifications for extending existing protections for child abuse victim witnesses to domestic child sex trafficking victim witnesses, and highlight various states that have passed legislation to this effect. Although this paper focuses on the use of Closed Circuit Television as a protection mechanism, we also identify other methods that can and should be utilized to protect child victim witnesses in human trafficking cases. The scope and landscape of protections for survivors of child sex trafficking is broad, but ensuring protections during human trafficking prosecutions is an area that has received little attention outside of victim advocacy spaces. The goal of this paper is to describe the legal framework that justifies extending courtroom protections that are offered to other victim witnesses to survivors of child sex trafficking testifying in criminal prosecutions. We encourage all systems officials working with this population, including judges, legislators, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and victim advocates to use the information provided to ensure that victims of child sex trafficking are afforded necessary protections, services, and support during trial. In doing so, the strength and success of prosecutions may improve. Most importantly, prioritizing the psychological, emotional, and physical protection of victim witnesses will bring us one step closer to achieving justice on behalf of survivors. Details: Washington, DC: rights4girls, 2018. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 7, 2018 at: http://rights4girls.org/wp-content/uploads/r4g/2018/01/Survivor-Protection.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: http://rights4girls.org/wp-content/uploads/r4g/2018/01/Survivor-Protection.pdf Shelf Number: 150071 Keywords: Child ProtectionsChild Sex TraffickingChild Sexual AbuseChild WitnessesVictims of Trafficking |
Author: Roe-Sepowitz, Dominique Title: Incidence of Identified Sex Trafficking Victims in Arizona: 2015 and 2016 Summary: A prevalence estimate is the proportion of sex trafficking cases in a population at a specific time whereas an incidence is the number of confirmed sex trafficking cases in a population during a given time period. This report is about the development of a static (fixed) incidence number not an incidence rate which would require knowing the size of the population that isnt impacted by sex trafficking. The purpose of this study is to create a community driven incidence number of sex trafficking victims upon which the Arizona anti-sex trafficking community can build response services. This incidence number was developed by active participation from 36 Arizona-based organization to be used as a benchmark to track changes over time in Arizona. The purpose of this report is to establish a number of minor and adult sex trafficking victims served in Arizona during 2015 and 2016. The number of identified sex trafficked minors (under age 18) in Arizona for 2015 and 2016 was 560. The number of identified sex trafficked adults (over age 18) in Arizona for 2015 and 2016 was 1,777. To spread these numbers over time, a child sex trafficking victim is identified in Arizona nearly every single day, and two adult victims of sex trafficking are identified each day in Arizona. Details: Phoenix: Arizona State University, Office of Sex Trafficking Intervention Research, 2017. 8p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 10, 2018 at: https://ncjtc-static.fvtc.edu/Resources/RS00005663.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://ncjtc-static.fvtc.edu/Resources/RS00005663.pdf Shelf Number: 150148 Keywords: Child Sex TraffickingHuman Trafficking Prostitution Sex Trafficking Sexual Exploitation |
Author: Guelbart, Michelle Title: No Vacancy for Child Sex Traffickers Impact Report Summary: Child sex trafficking is a problem across the United States. Children as young as 12 and 13 are integrated into the sex industry and are bought and sold alongside adults. While the hospitality industry is not responsible for the exploitation, it does have an important role to play in helping to stop it. Thirteen years ago ECPAT-USA set out to engage the United States travel and tourism industry in protecting children from sex trafficking. This report shows the results of that effort. An evaluation study conducted by the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service has collected data demonstrating the results of this work. We now know that half of all hotels in the U.S. have training about how to prevent and disrupt child sex trafficking and at least 35% of those have ECPAT-USA training. Additionally, most hotel properties received training from their parent companies, which reinforces the efficacy of partnering with hospitality brands to reach properties on the ground level. This impact report described has four sections. The first is a discussion about why and how ECPATUSA works with the hospitality industry. The second section is a description of the resources and tools that are now available to the hospitality industry throughout the United States. These have been made possible because of the industry's willingness to invest resources into creating and disseminating them. The third section is a description of the extent and impact of training now available to the hospitality industry in the U.S. The fourth and final section contains recommendations for how to continue and expand the success that has been achieved. Details: Brooklyn, NY: ECPAT-USA, 2017. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 5, 2018 at: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/594970e91b631b3571be12e2/t/59c9b6bfb07869cc5d792b8c/1506391761747/NoVacany_Report.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/594970e91b631b3571be12e2/t/59c9b6bfb07869cc5d792b8c/1506391761747/NoVacany_Report.pdf Shelf Number: 150474 Keywords: Child ProstitutionChild Sex TraffickingChild Sexual ExploitationChild TraffickingHotel SecurityHotels and CrimeSex Tourism |
Author: Wlodarczyk, Joanna Title: Commercial Sexual Exploitation of children and Youth: Problem Approach Summary: The report presents results of the Nobody's Children Foundation research project on commercial sexual exploitation of children and youth. The research was conducted in Poland and Ukraine in the period from May till August 2011, in the framework of information and education campaign on commercial sexual exploitation of children and youth (including prostitution and child trafficking). Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is defined as well as child prostitution or prostitution of children, The campaign is organized on the occasion of the European Football Championship (Poland, Ukraine 2012). The main aim of the campaign is protecting children and youth from risky behaviours and reducing crime rate by enhancing social awareness. Details: Warsaw: Nobody's Children Foundation, 2011. 26p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 18, 2018 at: https://fdds.pl/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Raport_EN.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Poland URL: https://fdds.pl/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Raport_EN.pdf Shelf Number: 132606 Keywords: Child Prostitution Child Sex TraffickingChild Sexual Abuse Child Sexual Exploitation |
Author: Menanteau, Beatriz Title: Safe Harbor: Fulfilling Minnesota's Promise to Protect Sexually Exploited Youth Summary: In 2011, Minnesota passed the Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Youth Act (Safe Harbor 2011), laying the groundwork for a victim-centered response to sexually exploited children and those at risk of sexual exploitation. Safe Harbor 2011 defined prostituted children as the victims of sexual exploitation, ended reliance on delinquency proceedings as the sole systems response to meeting the needs of these crime victims, and called for the creation of a framework for implementation of the changes to the delinquency definition, which become effective on August 1, 2014. Safe Harbor 2011 reflects a sea change in how sexually exploited youth are treated in Minnesota. In addition to identifying these children as victims, initial training efforts, followed by increasing and innovative law enforcement, are beginning to result in arrest, prosecution, and conviction of sex traffickers. The public campaign by the Women's Foundation of Minnesota, which reminds Minnesotans that "Minnesota Girls Are Not For Sale," increases the publics understanding that sex trafficking is not something that only happens in other countries, but is a crime and a human rights abuse suffered by girls (as well as boys, women, and men) in our own communities. Safe Harbor 2011 mandated a stakeholder engagement process to envision a model for ensuring that Minnesota has an effective, systematic response to sexually exploited youth. That process has proven to be critical in propelling Minnesota's response to child sex trafficking forward, not only developing a comprehensive framework but also creating momentum for making the proposed changes a reality. In spite of the strong protections enshrined in the law, Safe Harbor 2011 is limited. Its provisions apply only to children age 15 and under; sex trafficking victims ages 16 and 17 are not protected. Moreover, Safe Harbor 2011 does not provide the mechanisms or the funding to implement the changes to Minnesota's delinquency code when Safe Harbor goes into effect in 2014. Comprehensive supportive services and housing must be funded and implemented immediately so that they are available when Safe Harbor's changes to Minnesota's delinquency definition go into effect in 2014. This report analyzes Safe Harbor 2011, including the Safe Harbor Working Group process and the comprehensive approach to Safe Harbor which it developed, entitled No Wrong Door: A Comprehensive Approach to Safe Harbor for Minnesotas Sexually Exploited Youth. In addition, this report examines Safe Harbor 2011 against international standards, federal laws, and emerging state practice related to the sexual exploitation of children to identify gaps that remain. Details: Minneapolis: Advocates for Human Rights, 2013. 72p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 8, 2019 at: https://www.theadvocatesforhumanrights.org/uploads/sh_2013_final_full_rept.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: https://www.theadvocatesforhumanrights.org/uploads/sh_2013_final_full_rept.pdf Shelf Number: 155694 Keywords: Child Prostitution Child Protection Child Sex TraffickingChild Sexual Abuse Child Sexual Exploitation Sex Trafficking |
Author: Maguire, Edward Title: Baseline Assessment for Project Lantern Summary: This report presents the findings from a study conducted in October 2006 to examine sexual trafficking in minors in Cebu, Philippines. The study was conducted by Crime and Justice Analysts, Inc. (CJA), an independent research and evaluation firm specializing in criminology and criminal justice. The International Justice Mission (IJM) retained CJA to support its work in reducing the number of sex trafficking victims by conducting a formal, scientific study collecting quantitative data that will help measure the impact of a new initiative, Project Lantern. The project is designed to reduce the incidence of sex trafficking in the target area by strengthening local capacity to successfully locate, arrest, and prosecute perpetrators, thereby leading to increased expectations of criminal sanctions for violating trafficking laws. The baseline study described here is the first of three waves of data collection designed to measure the availability of sex-trafficking victims in Cebu. Together, these three waves will be used by IJM and its contractors to evaluate the effectiveness of Project Lantern. IJM provided CJA with a list of eight indicators or proxies intended to measure the availability of child sex trafficking victims. CJA then deployed a team of 10 people (including eight investigators, one data collection expert, and one security expert) to the Philippines for training and data collection. The eight investigators each spent seven (and in some cases eight) nights visiting bars, brothels, massage parlors, malls, a red light district, and other locations where people seeking sex go to find prostituted or commercially exploited women and girls. The eight investigators posed as sex tourists and sought out prostituted or commercially exploited minors. They engaged in training on age estimation and used a number of age-confirmation processes to determine whether someone was in fact a minor. While conducting their covert observations, the investigators systematically collected data on a number of variables having to do with the people they were meeting and the places they were visiting. As they gathered the necessary data, they submitted it regularly to a centralized command center using cellular telephones (either by voice or by text). The data were entered into a series of databases by a data coordinator at the command center. Those databases, as well as the qualitative field notes written by the investigators at the end of their shifts, constitute the primary data sources for the findings presented in this report. During the course of the study, the investigators made 84 visits to bars, 12 visits to brothels, 19 visits to massage parlors, 16 visits (walk-throughs) to malls, and four visits to a busy red-light district. Out of the 94 bars, brothels, and massage parlors visited by the investigators (some were visited multiple times), commercially exploited minors were located in 35. Altogether, the investigators observed approximately 1,550 prostituted or commercially exploited women and girls. Of these, 103 (6.6%) were confirmed as minors. Across all attempts to locate minors, it took our investigative teams, on average, 113 minutes to locate a minor. The report presents a more detailed look at the study's findings. The results of the baseline study confirm the presence of prostituted or commercially exploited minors in Cebu. Although our investigators routinely encountered token resistance to their efforts to find minors, the fact that they were able to find them so quickly and so easily suggests that there are many to be found. The investigators were unable, despite their best efforts, to locate prostituted or commercially exploited preteens; most of the minors we discovered were 16 or 17 years old. Our findings also suggest that minors come to be employed in the sex trade through different routes, although all of them are considered "trafficking victims" under Philippine law. Some appear to seek the work out of economic necessity; several minors told us they forged their paperwork to get the job. Others fit the more conventional image of a sex trafficking victim in the sense that they were taken involuntarily from their homes, they are moved around to work in different cities depending on customer demand, and they show visible signs of maltreatment and poor living conditions. Over the past decade, there has been an increase in the extent to which criminological interventions like Project Lantern have been subjected to independent, external evaluation to assess their effectiveness. The new emphasis on evaluation research is part of a larger movement in several disciplines toward "evidence-based" policymaking. We applaud IJM and the Gates Foundation for their willingness to evaluate the effectiveness of Project Lantern. The result will be an increased understanding of sexual trafficking in minors and hopefully an enhanced capacity to implement effective solutions. Details: Fairfax, VA: Crime and Justice Analysts, 2007. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 21, 2019 at: Rutgers Criminal Justice Library. Year: 2007 Country: Philippines URL: http://www.edmaguire.net/Reports Shelf Number: 155953 Keywords: BrothelsChild Sex TraffickingCommercially Exploited MinorsHuman TraffickingProstitutionRed Light DistrictSex TouristsSex Trafficking |
Author: Maguire, Edward Title: Wave 3 Assessment for Project Lantern Summary: This report presents the findings from a study conducted in May 2010 to examine sexual trafficking of minors in Cebu, Philippines. The study was conducted by Crime and Justice Analysts, Inc. (CJA), an independent research and evaluation firm specializing in crime and criminal justice issues. International Justice Mission (IJM) retained CJA to support its work in reducing the number of child sex trafficking victims by conducting a formal, scientific study collecting quantitative data to help measure the impact of its Project Lantern initiative. The project is designed to reduce the incidence of child sex trafficking in the target area by strengthening local capacity to successfully locate, arrest, and prosecute perpetrators, thereby leading to increased expectations of criminal sanctions for violating trafficking laws. The wave 3 study described in this report is the final of three waves of data collection designed to measure the availability of child sex-trafficking victims in Cebu. Wave 1 of this study was conducted in October of 2006 and wave 2 was conducted in August 2008. We also present findings here comparing data across the three waves of data collection. Together these three waves of data will be used by IJM and its contractors to evaluate the effectiveness of Project Lantern. IJM provided CJA with a list of eight indicators or proxies intended to measure the availability of child sex trafficking victims. During wave 3, CJA deployed a team of 11 people (including eight investigators, two data collection staff, and one security director) to the Philippines for training and data collection. The eight investigators each spent seven nights visiting bars, brothels, massage parlors, malls, red light districts, and other locations where people seeking sex go to find prostituted or commercially exploited women and girls. The eight investigators engaged in training on age estimation and used a number of age-confirmation processes to determine whether someone was in fact a minor. They then posed as sex tourists and sought out prostituted or commercially exploited minors. While conducting their covert observations, the investigators systematically collected data on a number of variables having to do with the people they were meeting and the places they were visiting. As they gathered the necessary data, they submitted it regularly to a centralized command center using cellular telephones (either by voice or text). The data were entered into a master database by two data coordinators at the command center. This database, the qualitative field notes written by the investigators at the end of their shifts, and photographs and audio/visual footage taken of suspected and confirmed minors, constitute the primary data sources for the findings presented in this report. During the course of the wave 3 study, the investigators undertook 114 visits to bars, 7 visits to brothels, 8 visits to massage parlors, 12 visits to malls, 13 street encounters, 8 pimp encounters, and 6 dates. Out of the 68 bars, 5 brothels, and 8 massage parlors visited by the investigators (some were visited multiple times), commercially exploited minors were located in 10. Altogether, the investigators observed approximately 1,369 prostituted or commercially exploited women and girls. Of these, 21 (1.5%) were confirmed as minors. Across all attempts to locate minors, it took our investigative teams, on average, 7 hours and 29 minutes to locate a minor. This report presents detailed findings from wave 3, while also providing an overview of findings from all waves of the study. Results from the wave 1 and 2 studies confirmed the presence of prostituted or commercially exploited minors in Cebu. Wave 3 also confirmed the presence of prostituted or commercially exploited minors in Cebu, though in reduced numbers: 21 (1.5%) in wave 3 compared to 29 (2.2%) in wave 2, and 103 (6.6%) in wave 1. Our investigators routinely encountered token resistance to their efforts to find minors in wave 1. It took longer for our investigators to locate minors during wave 2. During wave 3, investigators found locating minors to be even more difficult than in the two previous waves, suggesting that the prevalence of minors in the sex trade has decreased over time. As in waves 1 and 2, the investigators were unable, despite their best efforts, to locate prostituted or commercially exploited preteens. The majority of minors discovered across all three waves of this study were 16 or 17 years old. Based on our interviews with minors, we know that many enter the sex trade through different routes, although all of them are considered "trafficking victims" under Philippine law. Some appear to seek out the work out of economic necessity; several minors told us they forged their paperwork to get the job. Others fit the more conventional image of a sex trafficking victim in the sense that they were taken involuntarily from their homes, they are moved around to work in different cities depending on customer demand, and they show visible signs of maltreatment and poor living conditions. Over the past decade there has been an increase in the extent to which criminological interventions like Project Lantern have been subjected to independent, external evaluation to assess their effectiveness. The new emphasis on evaluation research is part of a larger movement in several disciplines toward "evidence-based" policymaking. We applaud IJM and the Gates Foundation for their willingness to evaluate the effectiveness of Project Lantern. This investment in quantitative research is sorely needed to shed light on human trafficking, a topic about which much has been written but little is known. Even relatively straightforward questions like whether prosecuting traffickers will reduce trafficking have still not been settled. For instance, one commentator noted "there is little evidence that prosecutions have any significant impact on aggregate levels of trafficking." The culmination of the Project Lantern evaluation will help improve knowledge about sexual trafficking in minors, and contribute to an enhanced capacity to implement effective solutions. Details: Fairfax, VA: Crime and Justice Analysts, 2010. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 21, 2019 at: Rutgers Criminal Justice Library. Year: 2010 Country: Philippines URL: http://www.edmaguire.net/Reports Shelf Number: 155954 Keywords: Brothels Child Sex Trafficking Commercially Exploited Minors Human TraffickingPhilippines Prostitution Red Light District Sex Tourists Sex Trafficking |