Child Trafficking 101

1. Child Trafficking 101 NRCOI Webinar February 9, 2011

2. US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Anti-Trafficking Services: 1-866-504-9966 Shared Hope International: 1-866-HER-LIFE

3. Training Outline • Introductions • Child trafficking – definition, scope, nature • Intersection with child welfare • Overview of victim and trafficker profiles • Victim identification • Combating trafficking in the US • National and local resources

4. What is Human Trafficking? • Modern day form of slavery • Human rights violation • The ultimate exploitation • A federal and state (some places) crime in the U.S. • Followed by drugs and arms, the fastest growing source of profit

5. Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) Defines “Severe Forms” of 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 purposes of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.

6. Common trafficking types Sex trafficking • Prostitution • Street prostitution • Brothels • Residential homes • Massage Parlors • Spas • Strip Clubs • Pornography • Sex Tourism Labortrafficking Agricultural Work Domestic Service Sweatshops/factories Hotel housekeeping Construction Restaurant Work Nail Salons Peddling Informal labor sectors

7. Simply • Those under 18 involved in commercial sex • Those 18 or over involved in commercial sex through force, fraud, or coercion • Those forced to perform labor and/or services in involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage or slavery through force, fraud, or coercion

9. Smuggling vs. Trafficking SMUGGLING TRAFFICKING • Not consensual • Crime against a person • No movement required • Does not require payment • Relationship with trafficker/smuggler is ongoing • Typically consensual • Crime against a country • Movement across an international border • Fee for service • Relationship ends when smuggling • is completed

10. Key Statistics • 12.3 million children and adults are victims of human trafficking (The 2010 U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report). • 1.2 million children under the age of 18 are estimated to be victims (The International Labour Organization and United Nation’s Children's Fund). • More than 244, 000 children in the United States are estimated to be at risk of commercial sexual exploitation each year (Estes and Weiner, 2001)

11. Intersection with child welfare • Children are exploited and abused by traffickers (in and out of their home) • Many child trafficking victims have at some point been in contact with or in the care of the child welfare system • Many have history of abuse, running away, are homeless or throwaways • Victims lack the protection of family or have no family to protect them

12. Traffickers are Diverse • Organized criminal groups • Family members • Business owners • Labor contractors • Recruiting companies • Neighbors, friends, family members, boyfriends, acquaintances • Government officials

13. Recruitment tactics used by traffickers False promises of… • A good job • A better life • Love • Marriage • An opportunity to provide for their family • Educational opportunities

14. Traffickers methods and tactics Recruitment methods • Word of mouth • Newspaper ads • Internet • Fake employment agencies • Family or acquaintances • Force (abduction) Control tactics • Physical and sexual abuse • Threats against victim and or victim’s family • Garnish income/wages • Restrict contact with outside world • Seize or destroy travel documents

15. Victims are Varied • Children, women and men • Individuals, families or groups • Educated or illiterate • U.S. citizen or foreign born • Documented or undocumented • Diverse in age, race, class, gender, religion and culture with multiple needs

16. Recent cases in the news A mother in Florida accused of child trafficking and abuse. The mother allegedly forced her 4 daughters, ages 9 to 15, to buy prescription drugs and beat them with cords and hangers. The oldest told officials she was forced to prostitute herself to earn drug money for the mother. Source: News Press

17. Recent cases in the news A North Carolina woman was indicated on charges of forcing an undocumented teenager into slavery. She was charged with forced labor and document servitude. She is accused of forcing the teen to sell goods including alcohol; starvation and making him clean her yard and sleep on the floor of her mobile home. If convicted, she faces 20 years in prison and fine of up to $500, 000. Source: Charlotte Observer

18. Victim Identification

19. ChildTrafficking Indicators Compiled from the work of USCCB through the Anti-Trafficking Services Program and the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime: • Evidence of sexual, physical, mental or emotional abuse • Engagement in work unsuitable for children • Identification/documents confiscated by employer or someone else • No access to family members or friends • Not in school or significant gaps in schooling • Work long hours, have no access to their wages or have few if any time off • Living in workplace or with employer • Have tattoos or other marks indicating ownership by their exploiter –“branding” • Owing large sum of money • Appear unusually fearful or anxious for themselves or family members

20. Who may encounter victims • Social service agencies including child welfare • Runaway, throwaway and homeless shelters • Federal, state and local law enforcement officers • Medical personnel • Community organizations • Neighbors

21. General Challenges to Identification • Hidden nature of the crime • Lack of understanding and awareness about human trafficking • Perception that victims are criminals • Trafficking victims rarely self-identify • If arrested, trafficking victims may not disclose their situation out of fear/trauma • Some are mistakenly identified as adults

22. Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking

23. Federal law relating to child sex trafficking • Any youth under the age of 18 involved in a commercial sex act = trafficking victim • “Commercial” means anything of value given to or received by any person in exchange for a sex act (money, food, shelter) • Victims should not be held responsible for crimes committed during the course of their exploitation

24. The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Shared Hope International received a grant from the Department of Justice to assess Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking in eleven areas in the United States, which culminated in the National Report, released in July 2009. The findings: • At least 100,000 children are used in prostitution every year in the United States (NCMEC) • The average age of entry into prostitution is 13 years old • American children are easy targets

25. Who are the Victims? • Homeless and/or runaway youth As many as 2.8 million children live on the streets • Youth with history of abuse • Youth with low self esteem, depression • Youth with one parent in jail • Age is the greatest vulnerability factor

26. Juvenile Delinquent run away child trafficking victim Ho promiscuoushomeless Child Prostitute victim child sexual abuse Prostitute Commercially sexually exploited child Labeldeterminesaccess to services

27. Who are the Traffickers? Trafficker = Pimp • Anyone exerting control over a minor, even a peer (Boyfriend, father, mother, brother, uncle, coach, teacher) • Men or women; any age or race • Street pimp to organized crime • Anyone who benefits from or facilitates the commercial sexual exploitation of a minor

28. Pimp Control: Creating the Trauma Bond • Calculated targeting and recruitment • Learn and exploit the child’s specific vulnerabilities • Break down personal agency and autonomy • Use physical and psychological torture • Couple attachment to authority figure with fear, punishment, and abandonment Captor becomes savior

29. DMST Power & Control Wheel* Coercion and Threats Threatening family members and friends Making her do illegal acts Harming another girl for victim’s disobedience Isolation Unfamiliar or unaware of geographic location Sever ties with all family and friends Forbidden interaction with any person outside of prostitution life Emotional Violence Isolating victim from social supports Cycles of affection followed by violence Shaming and humiliating Power and Control Economic Dependence Refusing to allow victim to go to school Taking all money and property from a victim Refusing to allow victim to be employed Physical Violence Torture/constant threat of death Branding/tattooing Locking victim in small spaces Starvation Forced drug use Manipulation Exploiting a victim’s insecurities Acting the role of missing mentor/parental Sexual Violence Making victim prostitute Gang rapes Withholding sexual intimacy Bestiality, fringe sexual acts, sodomy *INTERVENE-Practioner Guide & Intake Tool by Leitch and Snow

30. Pimp Control “You'll start to dress her, think for her, own her. If you and your victim are sexually active, slow it down. After sex, take her shopping for one item. Hair and/or nails is fine. She'll develop a feeling of accomplishment. The shopping after a month will be replaced with cash. The love making turns into raw sex. She'll start to crave the intimacy and be willing to get back into your good graces. After you have broken her spirit, she has no sense of self value. Now pimp, put a price tag on the item you have manufactured.” The Pimp Game; An Instructional Manual (Royal, 1998)

31. The Buyer • Predominantly male • Any age, socioeconomic status, race, IQ, or marital status • Often motivated by pornography • Further motivated by social acceptance

32. Quantifying DMST Trauma 5 rapes/day x 7 days a week for 1 year = 1,800+ rapes per year Life expectancy of a child entering the life at 13 is seven years* *Sergeant Byron Fassett, Dallas Police High Risk Victims’ Unit, CAC Conf 2008

33. Characteristics: Memory difficulty Lying Depression Anxiety Hostility Suicidal ideation Affect dysregulation* Somatization* Disassociation* Aggression* Character pathology* Indicators Observations: • Branding • Wounds, bruises • Drug addiction • Hostility • Language of “the life” • Unfamiliarity with surroundings • Unable to provide name of school • False or no identification • Prepaid credit card or cell phone • Scripted/inconsistent story • No eye contact * Disorders of Extreme Stress symptomology

34. Challenges to Rehabilitation • Reluctance to self-identify • Loyalty to trafficker/pimp • Running away/relapse • Adhering to rules and structure • Resistance • Lack of trust • Sexual confusion • Glamorizing the exploitation • Availability of appropriate shelter/services

35. Treatment ApproachPreventing Revictimization • Trauma-informed • Strengths-based • Survivor-informed Starting with the intake experience, goal is to help flag a potential victim, empower the survivor, and minimize retraumatization caused by invasive questioning

36. Combating Trafficking in the United States

37. Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) Reauthorized as TVPRA in 2003, 2005 and 2008 Purpose of the law: • Prevention • Protection • Prosecution

38. Federal Agencies • Dept. of Health and Human Services – Rescue and Restore Campaign, Per Capita Program, issues certification letters Website www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/ • Dept. of Homeland Security – investigates cases, adjudicates continued presence status, awards the T visa Website www.dhs.gov/humantrafficking • Dept. of Justice – investigates cases, prosecutes traffickers, funds task forces/services, complaint line • Dept. of Labor – investigates labor complaints • Dept. of State – international anti-trafficking efforts

39. State Initiative – Shared Hope’s Protected Innocence Initiative Evaluation of current state law for: Protection of children Services for survivors Penalties for traffickers and buyers Output Grade for efficacy of current law Roadmap for future legislation Training recommendations

40. Local Anti-Trafficking Coalitions and Task Forces • Purpose • Identify Trafficking Victims • Collaborate with law enforcement who investigates cases • Coordination of community response to Trafficking • Coordinate training to the community • Coalition Members • law enforcement, social service providers, advocacy groups, legal providers, medical providers, local government offices, faith based organizations, emergency personnel • Training & Resources

41. Questions

42. Estes, Richard and Neil Weiner. The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The University of Pennsylvania School of Social (2001). [http://www.sp2.upenn.edu/restes/CSEC_Files/Complete_CSEC_020220.pdf] The 2010 U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report: http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2010/ United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime: http://www.unodc.org/pdf/HT_indicators_E_LOWRES.pdf News-Press-Mother accused of abuse, trafficking: http://www.news-press.com/article/20101106/SS08/101105071/1075/Lee-County-mother-accused-in-abuse--trafficking-case-wants-girls-back Charlotte Observer-Woman held teenage as slave: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/01/24/2004591/charge-women-held-boy-as-slave.html References