Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking in Kentucky: A sample of adjudicated juvenile females

• In Event: Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors

Abstract

Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST) is defined as the “recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act” where the person is a citizen of the U.S. and under age 18 years. This project interviewed 40 adjudicated female juveniles in the state of Kentucky. The purpose of this study was to: 1)Gain a more informed understanding of the scope of the problem of DMST in KY; 2)Enhance our understanding of the pathways in and out of DMST from the victims perspective (especially rural v. urban); 3)Identify factors associated with DMST in KY; 4)Explore the concept of trauma bonds with victims of DSMT and determine how they impact the identification of DMST; and 5)Examine how victims of DMST are being labeled within the system and how that label impacts their ability to be identified and receive services. Results indicate differences between trafficked juvenile females from urban and rural areas, as well as distinct patterns amongst victims of DMST in Kentucky. Results and policy implications will be discussed.

Authors

• Elizabeth Perkins, Morehead State University

• Lynn Geurin, Morehead State University

• Rhonda Alexander, Morehead State University