6.3 Protecting Homeless Youth from Sexual Trafficking

Protecting Homeless Youth from Sexual Trafficking Leslie Briner, MSW Kkkk kkk

THE MYTH…Prostitution and the sex industry promote themyth that male sexuality must be satisfied by asupply of women and children who can bebought. This demands the creation of a group ofwomen who are legitimate targets for rape andsexual exploitation.The Links between Prostitution and Sex Trafficking: A Briefing HandbookCoalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW)

WHO IS THIS “LEGITIMATE TARGET GROUP”? Child Sexual Commercial Sexual Abuse/Neglect/ Runaway/ Exploitation of Homeless YouthDomestic Violence Youth

NATIONAL PREVALENCE 326,000 “at-risk for commercial sexual exploitation” (Estes & Weiner, 2001; University of Pennsylvania) 100,000 to 293,000 children are sexually exploited per year National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) 1 out of 3 teens will be lured toward prostitution within 48 hours of leaving home (Lois Lee, Children of the Night)

LOCAL PREVALENCE: SEATTLE, WA• 238 non-duplicated CSEC youth were identified in the Seattle Area in 2007.• 300-500 per year is the prevalence estimate for Seattle Who Pays the Price: Assessment of Youth Involvement in Prostitution in Seattle (Boyer, 2007)

PATHWAYS… Correlation between early childhood sexual abuse and prostitution. • 90% of youth in prostitution have history of sexual abuse, rape or trauma • This increases vulnerability in multiple facets The average age for a youth entering prostitution in the US is 13-14 years

WHAT ARE THE “RED FLAGS” Chronic runaway/homeless youth Excess or unexplained amounts of cash Unexplained cell phone(s) Hotel room keys Signs of branding (tattoo, jewelry) Lying about age/false identification Inconsistencies in story Lack of knowledge of a given community or whereabouts

MORE RED FLAGS… Behaviors • Fear, anxiety, depression, submission, tension, hyper- vigilance or paranoia Controlling or dominating relationships • Repeated phone calls from a “boyfriend” and/or excessive concern about displeasing a partner Not in control of their own money • Even if they report they are “making money” Has sexually explicit online profile • Back page, Craigslist, T&A

Bridge Continuum •Paid Employment/service Residential LearningCommunity •Safety •Mental Health and planning •Case planning Recovery Case •Assessment Shelter •Stabilization Program substance abuse •Trauma focusedManagement therapy •Subculture deprogram •Specialized School Community Systems Training Advisory and Regional Response Committees

Service Model Stability • Paid Internships and• Identification Employment Services• Case • Residential Recovery • Case Management Management Program • Aftercare• Emergency • Counseling • Access to YouthCare Shelter • Specialized Continuum Education • Paid Service Learning Safety Reintegration

Number of Youth Served in Bridge Continuum Referrals: 185 (total all programs unduplicated) *Enrolled: 119 Community Advocacy: 104 Emergency Shelter: 27 Residential Recovery Program: 18* Unduplicated Count

ENGAGEMENT…IN A NUTSHELL Dispel Judgment- • Youth involved in prostitution are isolated in the way society perceives them, if they sense judgment they will shut down Build Rapport! • This is a LONG PROCESS Respond to youth as SURVIVORS • Youth have learned tremendous resiliency and coping strategies amidst trauma and violence.

Best Practices Evidenced Based Practice: • Program Model based on Stages of Change Theory • Program staff trained on and using Motivational Interviewing and incentive based programming Built relationship with key systems for referrals Addressing juvenile justice issues Training and public awareness** There is currently no evidenced based model for intervention with sexually exploited youth. While the Bridge program aligns with best practices for trauma and substance abuse the goal is to design, implement and test our model for effectiveness in order to contribute to practice and literature.

Residential Recovery Program 60 55• 6 bed confidential milieu in a caring, home environment 50 with 12 staff• Trauma focused therapy 40• Substance abuse services 30• Education 18• Employment 20• Legal support 10• Positive Youth Development approach 0 Referred Placed Youth work together and with experienced staff to resolve issues of trauma and exposure to prostitution sub-culture.

ChallengesAnticipated increased demand for services due to visibility and targeted outreachServices for young adults ages 18-24Serving youth with acute Mental Health © Tim Matsui / www.timmatsui.com needs

Training for Services Providers and Community Members Since April, 2010 the Bridge Program has provided 165 hours of training and education to over 600 individuals across the State of Washington including:• Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS)• Community Based Youth Service Providers• Juvenile Probation• Public Defenders Association• Law Enforcement• Sexual Assault Providers• Seattle Public School Personnel• Public Health Providers• Faith-based groups and concerned community members• Students from schools of Law, Social Work and Public Administration

Emerging Best Practices Comprehensive service model Transforming “girl competition” to “girl support” • Creating daily and weekly opportunities for youth to work together as a community as a way to re-frame the sense of competition developed in the prostitution sub-culture The importance of “earning” • Paid employment and service learning opportunities allow youth to re-frame the concept of prostitution as an economic strategy Working across systems • Sexually exploited youth have connections to diverse systems many of whom lack awareness of their needs and sensitivity to their experiences

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES• WARN- Washington Anti-Trafficking Response Network http://www.warn-trafficking.org/• ECPAT- End Child Prostitution Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes http://www.ecpat.net/EI/index.asp• Shared Hope International http://www.sharedhope.org/• A Future Not a Past, Angela’s House, Atlanta, GA http://afuturenotapast.org/• GEMS- Girls Empowerment and Mentoring Services, New York, NY http://www.gems-girls.org/ GEMS Documentary: Very Young Girls• SAGE- Standing Against Global Exploitation, San Francisco, CA http://www.sagesf.org/• Coalition Against Trafficking of Women• http://www.catwinternational.org/• Children of the Night, Los Angeles, CA http://www.childrenofthenight.org/• Polaris Project http://www.polarisproject.org/

6.3 Protecting Homeless Youth from Sexual Trafficking

by National Alliance to End Homelessness

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6.3 Protecting Homeless Youth from Sexual Trafficking Presentation Transcript