Session: Understanding the Needs of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Victims in the U.S.: Characteristics, Consequences, and Help-Seeking Experiences (Society for Social Work and Research 21st Annual Conference - Ensure Healthy Development for all Youth)

Background and Purpose: Domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) in the U.S. has garnered growing attention in recent years. All 50 states have enacted anti-trafficking legislation and 31 states have passed “Safe Harbor” laws, which are aimed at protection, rather than criminalization, of DMST victims. Despite the gains made through these policy initiatives, little empirical research is available on DMST, which is needed to inform prevention and intervention strategies with this population. Specifically, the runaway youth population is at substantial risk for DMST, but the unique experiences and risk factors among runaway youth prior to entering the commercial sex industry are not clearly understood. Additionally, no empirical studies have assessed the post-trafficking experiences or consequences of DMST, which is important to inform aftercare services with this population. Finally, the help-seeking experiences, including factors associated with help-seeking, is largely unknown among DMST victims. This symposium aims to address these understudied areas and build empirical knowledge on DMST to guide future anti-trafficking practice and policy efforts.

Symposium Theme: This symposium includes three papers, reporting on findings from a cross-sectional, retrospective study conducted in one Midwestern state. Respondent-driven sampling methods were used in five cities to recruit individuals ages 16 and older currently involved in the commercial sex industry (N = 328). Respondents were predominately female (70.7%), African-American (55.5%) or white non-Hispanic (33.8%), with annual household incomes less than $10,000 (69.5%), and a mean age of 36.63. The first paper will report on the characteristics of current or former DMST victims with runaway experiences and compare risk factors between runaways and non-runaways to assess the unique needs of this sub-population at risk for DMST. The second paper will report on consequences of DMST and compare experiences between current/former DMST victims and individuals who entered over the age of 18 to determine what, if any, differences exist between groups in post-entry experiences. Finally, the third paper will provide a descriptive portrait of help-seeking experiences and assess the factors associated with help-seeking among current/former DMST victims. 

Implications: Results can inform intervention and prevention strategies targeting the needs of DMST victims in the U.S. Findings emphasize the importance for anti-trafficking practice and policy efforts in creating services and resources to the runaway youth population. Results also indicate that the consequences of involvement in the commercial sex industry do not differ between those who were trafficked as youth and those who entered the commercial sex industry as adults. The highly impoverished sample (nearly 70% with incomes less than $10,000) underscores the need to provide aftercare services (e.g., substance abuse treatment, housing) and treatment for all individuals engaged in the commercial sex industry, regardless of age of entry. Finally, a significant proportion of current/former DMST victims reported asking for help and wanting to leave prostitution, but were unable to for a variety of reasons. Overall, these results highlight important barriers for exiting the commercial sex industry among current/former DMST victims, which should be addressed in anti-trafficking policy as well as individual and community-based intervention settings.