Mandated reporters’ perceptions of and encounters with domestic minor sex trafficking of adolescent females in the United States.

Abstract

This is the first study to explore whether mandated reporters who work with adolescent females, ages 10 to 17, recognize domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) and associated risk factors. Because mandated reporters are required by law to report child abuse, neglect, and child exploitation, lack of specific DMST training or not believing DMST exists in communities continues to place young females at risk for revictimization. Results indicate that 60% of mandated reporters in the sample (N = 577) had no specific training on DMST. Furthermore, almost 25% of respondents did not believe DMST existed in their communities. Implications for practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Child Sex Trafficking: Strategies for Identification, Counseling, and Advocacy

“…Professional counselors must understand how multiple factors may increase the likelihood that youth may become victims of child sex trafficking. The existing body of literature has identified risk factors such as sexual and gender minority statuses (Martinez & Kelle, 2013 ; NHTH, 2016 ; Tyler et al, 2004 ), homelessness or history of running away from home (Choi, 2015 ; Fedina et al, 2019; Greenbaum, 2014 ; Varma et al, 2015 ), low socioeconomic status (Greenbaum, 2014 ; McRae & Browne-James, 2017 ), presence of mental health issues (Andretta et al, 2016 ; Fedina et al, 2019), substance abuse (Varma et al, 2015 ), history of physical and sexual abuse (Ahrens et al, 2012 ; Choi, 2015 ; Greenbaum, 2014 ), and experience within youth judicial systems (Greenbaum, 2014 ; Varma et al, 2015 ) as factors which increase entry into child sex trafficking (Hartinger-Saunders et al, 2016 ). Counselors must consider the complex ways each of these factors represent intersectional identities and experiences that may compound to increase the probability of becoming trafficked.…”

“…Human trafficking myths are false beliefs that deny or justify the sale or trade of human beings, denigrate victims, excuse traffickers, and obfuscate the true nature of human trafficking (Cunningham & Cromer, 2016 ). Examples of human trafficking myths include false beliefs that sex trafficking is only an international problem (Houston-Kolnick et al, 2017 ), people who engage in sex work are immoral or dirty (Litam, 2019 ), sex trafficking is always a violent crime (Gerassi, 2015), and that victims are helpless and want to be rescued (Hartinger-Saunders et al, 2016 ; Jordan et al, 2013 ; Litam, 2017 ; Litam & Lam, 2020 ; Reid & Jones, 2011 ). Human trafficking myths have been identified in professional counselors (Litam & Lam, 2020 ), and negative attitudes about trafficked survivors have been linked to lower levels of empathy and higher rates of rape myth acceptance (Litam, 2019 ).…”

Inequalities in US Child Protection: The Case of Sex Trafficked Youth

“…Media outlets often present stories of trafficking as episodic and frequently fail to connect the trafficking to larger social forces (Johnston et al 2014). In a national study of mandated reporters, 21% thought that most "prostituted children" came from other countries, and 25% thought that sex trafficking of minors did not occur in their communities (Hartinger-Saunders et al 2017). This represents a concerning pattern of misinformation-even among those in a position to identify and support victims.…”

“…The sexual acts that youth are coerced to perform in both of these situations may be similar, however, the extent of the abuse and its context can draw attention to some critical differences. The perpetrator's relationship to the youth is usually distinctive, the number of different partners/perpetrators is usually higher with DMST, the trauma may be more extreme, and, confusingly, in DMST the victim may not perceive him/herself as a victim but as a willing participant who has chosen to engage in these acts (Hartinger-Saunders et al 2017;Marcus et al 2014;National Human Trafficking Resource Center 2017). In child sexual abuse cases to which a child protective service agency generally responds, the perpetrator usually has to be someone who is responsible for the care or supervision of the child or youth (Hartinger-Saunders et al 2017).…”

“…The perpetrator's relationship to the youth is usually distinctive, the number of different partners/perpetrators is usually higher with DMST, the trauma may be more extreme, and, confusingly, in DMST the victim may not perceive him/herself as a victim but as a willing participant who has chosen to engage in these acts (Hartinger-Saunders et al 2017;Marcus et al 2014;National Human Trafficking Resource Center 2017). In child sexual abuse cases to which a child protective service agency generally responds, the perpetrator usually has to be someone who is responsible for the care or supervision of the child or youth (Hartinger-Saunders et al 2017). Sex trafficking often, although not always, involves additional layers of trauma and victimization related to the victim's situation, such as extended abuse, relocation, entrapment and other experiences that may result in complex trauma (Hardy et al 2013).…”