“I feel like they don’t do their jobs”: Perspectives on CPS from Trafficked Youth

• In Event: Global Victimization

Abstract

Domestic minor sex trafficking is occurring in every part of the United States so it is critical to learn more about missed opportunities to prevent children from being pulled into commercial sexual exploitation. A federally funded research team has been given the opportunity to ask the experts – commercially sexually exploited youth – how systems and helping professionals failed to identify and intervene on their behalf. Forty-one in-depth interviews were conducted with survivors aging out of services (18 to 24 year olds). Interviews typically lasted an hour and covered several topics. Analyses of these qualitative interviews have revealed a number of different challenge areas but one of the most prevalent themes has been that the child welfare system failed to protect these children. Many of the survivors said that they were a part of the child welfare system but found the system more harmful than helpful. The child welfare system should be the first line of defense for children at risk of becoming sexually exploited. Concrete suggestions will be presented to improve identification of these children. Survivor’s suggestions for programming and interventions will also be presented.

Authors

• Kelly R. Stout, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

• M. Alexis Kennedy, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

• Andrea N. Cimino, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

• Michele R. Decker, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health