Identifying and Supporting Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth
You are listening to a news program and the announcer describes an upcoming clip. You hear the reporter say, “A story about teen prostitution”. Brainstorm 5-10 things you would think about given that brief introduction. Consider the following questions:
Who is this story about?
What happened?
Why did this happen?
Who is at fault?
Teen/Child Prostitution:
Now, pretend that you are listening to the same news report EXCEPT that this time the reporter describes, “A story about a victim of commercial sexual exploitation or, sex-trafficking”.
Brainstorm 5- 10 things you would think about given that brief introduction. Consider the following questions:
Who is this story about?
What happened?
Why did this happen?
Who is at fault?
Victim of Commercial Sexual Exploitation/Trafficking:
Federal Law - Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act: Public Law 113–183
Find out more here: http://www.childrensdefense.org/library/data/implementing-the-preventing.pdf
· States must …identify, document, and determine appropriate services for children or youth in the placement, care or supervision of the state who are victims of sex trafficking or at risk of becoming a sex trafficking victim.
States must report immediately (within 24 hours) to law enforcement after receiving information on a child or youth who was identified as being a sex trafficking victim.
Federal Law - Human Trafficking and Sex Trafficking of Children
Human Trafficking: 18 U.S.C. § 1591 makes it illegal to recruit, harbor, transport, provision, obtain, patronize, or solicit a person or to benefit from such activities knowing that the person will be caused to engage in commercial sex acts where the person is under 18 or where force, fraud or coercion exists.
Commercial sex act means any sex act on account of which anything of value is given to or received by any person. This includes:
Prostitution Pornography Internet based
Exotic dancing/stripping “Survival sex” Erotic/nude massage
Phone sex lines Sex tourism Gang based prostitution
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1591
Washington State Laws
Commercial Sexual Abuse of a Minor (CSAM): RCW 9.68A.100
1) A person is guilty of commercial sexual abuse of a minor if:
(a) He or she provides anything of value to a minor or a third person as compensation for a minor having engaged in sexual conduct with him or her;
(b) He or she provides or agrees to provide anything of value to a minor or a third person pursuant to an understanding that in return therefore such minor will engage in sexual conduct with him or her; or
(c) He or she solicits, offers, or requests to engage in sexual conduct with a minor in return for anything of value.
…(4)Consent of a minor to the sexual conduct does not constitute a defense to any offense listed in this section.
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=9.68A.100
Promoting CSAM: RCW 9.68A.101
(1) A person is guilty of promoting commercial sexual abuse of a minor if he or she knowingly advances commercial sexual abuse or a sexually explicit act of a minor or profits from a minor engaged in sexual conduct or a sexually explicit act.
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=9.68A.101
Identify the CSE Youth
Use the handout on federal and state laws related to CSEC to identify whether the following children/youth meet the definition of CSEC.
1. Connor is 11 and his sister Sammy is 15. They live mostly in a car with their mother. Their mother recently allowed several different buyers to have “access” to their children in exchange for cash. The children are to perform agreed upon sex acts with these buyers.
2. Markie is 17. She and several other girls are moved from town to town by a pimp. She performs sex acts for money every night, and her pimp keeps the money. In exchange, she is provided “protection” and clothing, food, and personal care services (hair, nails, etc).
3. MoNique is 17. She lives in a pre-adoptive placement with her aunt, and attends school. She uses a profile online to connect her to “dates” who pay for specific sex acts with her.
4. Tien is 13. He is having sex with an 18-year-old, who he considers his boyfriend. His boyfriend sometimes wants to do sex acts that Tien is uncomfortable with, and his boyfriend gives Tien nice jeans and sneakers in exchange for these acts.
5. Linae is 15. Her parents videotape and photograph others engaging in sex acts with her and sell these tapes/pictures on the internet.
6. Sarah is 14 and has been living with a friend’s family since she was 12. When she turned 13, she was asked to help the family out by providing services at their massage parlor. This involves massaging people while she is naked, and selling some sex acts.
7. Viktor is 17. He discloses at a health and safety visit that his girlfriend is pregnant and he is the father. She is 20 years old, and he has occasionally stayed with her in her apartment on weekends when he told his foster mother that he was at a friend’s house.
8. Rob is 16. He frequently runs away from foster care and typically lives “on the street” with a group of other youth. He sometimes trades sex acts for food or shelter for himself or for his “street family.”
9. Alivia is 13. She recently ran away from placement in a group home with a peer. She is staying with the boyfriend of this peer. In exchange she is expected to have sex with his friends.
10. Angela is 11. Her soccer coach pays her 75$ to text him a naked picture.
11. Rene is 17. A friend from school showed her how to make money doing “webcam shows” where people pay for her to get partially or fully naked. She did this for the first time last week.
12. Tyler is 12. When an older boy at school offers to pay him 40$ for oral sex he agrees.
13. Aurora is 14. She has been “dating” an older boy, 19, who she considers her boyfriend. He has at times given her gifts, and taken her out to dinner. They have a sexual relationship.
14. Zaria is 15 and has sometimes exchanged sex acts for food, shelter, or personal care items.
Impacts on Commercially Sexually Exploited Children
Violence and Abuse are endemic in this experience.[1]
• 71-95% physically assaulted in prostitution• 63-75% raped in prostitution
• 75% homeless at some point in life
• 65-95% sexually abused as children / • 68% met criteria for PTSD
• 88% verbal abuse, social contempt
• 89% wanted to escape but did not have other options for survival
Verbal Abuse is incessant from 3rd party traffickers, buyers, and the public at large
Over time it destroys their self-esteem and self-worth, and connects what they do to who they are.
Physical Health Impacts:
Lack of care to vision, dental, physical and mental health
Cognitive issues from trauma, drug use or injury
Pregnancy, STI’s, chronic gynecological health issues
Somatic issues (numbing, desensitization)
Malnutrition
Physical injuries, often left untreated
Mental Health Impacts:
Decreased self-esteem/self-efficacy
Guilt and Shame
Aggression and Anti-Social Behaviors
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (hyper-arousal and Hypo-arousal)
Risky Sexual Behavior
Disturbances of self or identity
Trauma Bond
Substance Use
Drug and alcohol use is common, however the drugs often come after the exploitation, not the other way around
Drug and alcohol use are part of a numbing/dissociation
In situations where there is 3rd party control drugs are often given in limited amount to increase control
“Working” without using is difficult for many youth. They may need to work towards quitting both simultaneously.
Completing the CSEC Screen
Complete the CSEC screen (15-476) using the information provided in your assigned scenario.
Angel
Angel is a 16-year-old girl who has been in care for 2 ½ years. She has two younger siblings who reside with their father and the department is not involved. She rarely gets the opportunity to see them. She has had five different placements and has lived at her current home for only a few weeks. Her previous placement asked for her to be removed after she would repeatedly leave the home in the evening and return very early in the morning. She would occasionally be gone all weekend, and then return on Sunday or Monday looking tired and disheveled. They felt they could not keep her safe and were concerned about the impact on their younger children. They were also puzzled at the amount of nice things she often had (expensive clothing, nails done, nice phones) and were concerned that she may be stealing. She reported to the new foster mother that she was sort of glad to be in a new home because her boyfriend was “getting too aggressive.” When asked more about that, she said that he sometimes “made her do things” but he also “took care of her.” She had an intake with a mental health provider last week, who asked her whether she’d ever “had to do sexual stuff to survive while on the run.” She responded “if you’re asking if I’m a ‘ho’ I’m not.”
Nevaeh
Nevaeh is 17 years old and has been in care since she was 7. She has spent most of the last 4 years “on the run” but has occasionally been arrested; affording CA staff an opportunity to connect with her and verify that she’s alive and safe. Her most recent arrest was for shoplifting. You pick her up from detention when she’s released and she immediately returns to being on the run.
Chris
Chris is a 15-year-old boy. A CPS report was called in by a local hospital where Chris arrived last week with multiple injuries. Chris reported that he mostly stays with friends but occasionally stays with his father. He reported that his dad assaulted him, causing the injuries. When the CA worker interviewed Chris’ father, he reported that he found sexual pictures of Chris and a profile on “some sort of gay sex site” on Chris’ phone. He acknowledges that he “physically disciplined” him and stated that Chris is a delinquent and does what he wants, and that he hasn’t regularly lived with him at any point in his life. He states that Chris is not welcome back in his house, and when asked if there were any family members where Chis might live, says “No one wants a perverted teenager around their kids.”
Carleigh
Carleigh is 14 years old and has just entered care. She had been living with someone she identified as her “older sister” but this woman was arrested at the home and Carleigh was placed when law enforcement could not identify a parent or other safe placement for her. She reported that her mom is “a junkie” and did not provide other relative information. She asked to be placed with a “friend” who is known to police for gang activity so the police denied this request and placed her into protective custody. Her foster parent reported that she arrived to the placement with 2 cell phones. FP asked Carleigh who pays for all those phones and plans and she said “I take care of my business.” After a few days of looking, you are able to connect with a paternal aunt who tells you that Carleigh “whores herself out” and that she and the rest of the family want nothing to do with her. You explain to Carleigh that your job is to ensure that she’s safe and that she gets a say in where she lives and the things that happen in her life. You later mention that you’ve worked before with young people who ‘sometimes had to trade sex for money or other things they needed to survive’, and that you would be open to talking about any kind of experiences she’s had in the past or is having right now that might make it hard for her to be safe. She says that she knows that sometimes girls have to do “that kind of stuff”, but that she’s not “in that kind of lifestyle.”
Jade
Jade is a 13-year-old girl who entered care a few months ago. She and her sibling Alondra (11) were placed due to severe physical abuse of Alondra by their mother’s boyfriend. A new intake is received from law enforcement who reports that the boyfriend and the mother have just been arrested for distributing sexual images of young women, including Jade and her sister. Neither girl is willing to discuss concerns related to this or to provide information about what may have happened. However, the report from law enforcement includes sufficient information to make the new intake founded as to sexual exploitation of both girls.
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[1] Prostitution and Trafficking in Nine Countries: An Update on Violence and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder http://www.prostitutionresearch.com/pdf/Prostitutionin9Countries.pdf