Podcast Transcript Child Sex Trafficking Stephanie Roeser: Today’s law enforcement is increasingly tasked with dealing with children who are exposed to violence, crime, and abuse. Unfortunately, one of the most horrific crimes against children is sex trafficking. The child sex trafficking industry can reach beyond the borders of the United States, and it can be as close to you as next door in your neighborhood. The consequences of this high-dollar exploitation of children are far reaching and result in uncertain futures for its victims—physically, mentally, and socially. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Public Safety Partnership is pleased to host Ms. Cynthia Pappas in this podcast on child sex trafficking and available resources. Ms. Pappas is a Senior Policy Advisor for the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention [OJJDP], where she provides national leadership and coordination on issues surrounding child sexual abuse, child sex trafficking prevention and intervention, and youth and law enforcement engagement. Prior to joining OJJDP, Ms. Pappas served as a senior social science analyst with the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, where she designed and managed national-level programs to advance community policing with a focus on child abuse and neglect, the commercial sexual exploitation of children, and school safety. She has dual bachelor of arts degrees in psychology and administration of justice from The Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in forensic sciences from The George Washington University, where she served as a George Washington University police officer. Welcome, Cindy. And thank you for taking this time to share information with PSP on child sex trafficking and the resources available to law enforcement. Cindy Pappas: Thank you, Stephanie. It is my pleasure. I appreciate that kind introduction and for this opportunity to discuss the insidious nature of the commercial sex industry and its impact on our children. Child sex trafficking, as you mentioned, is one of most heinous crimes committed against children. It often includes verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. It is often overlooked due to lack of understanding and awareness, as well as the hidden nature of this vulnerable victim population. Law enforcement officers are often the first point of contact for child sex trafficking victims, yet few agencies provide adequate training to their officers on effectively identifying and responding to these complex cases. Child sex trafficking victims may not self- identify for a variety of reasons, including fear of arrest or fear of retaliation from, or trauma bonding with, their trafficker. It is important to note that these victims may have been sexually assaulted within hours or even minutes of law enforcement contact but rarely receive treatment afforded to other child abuse victims because they may be viewed as offenders or juvenile delinquents and arrested. It is my hope that by the end of this podcast, listeners will have a greater understanding of what child sex trafficking is and is not, the myths surrounding child sex trafficking victims and, of course, what resources are available to help law enforcement better identify and respond to victims of child sex trafficking. So, first we’ll start with the federal definition. The Trafficking Victims Protection Act, the TVPA, of 2000 and its subsequent reauthorizations, defines child sex trafficking as the recruitment, harboring, transporting, provision, or obtaining of a person under 18 years of age for the purpose of a commercial sex act. A commercial sex act is defined as a sex act on a child in which anything of value is given to or received by any person. This does not necessarily require an exchange of sex for money. It can include an exchange of money or drugs or an exchange for necessity, such as food, clothing, or shelter. For example, a homeless teen on the street is offered a warm place to rest or take a shower in exchange for sex—that is trafficking. The distinction between adult and child sex trafficking is centered on three words, and that’s “force,” “fraud,” or “coercion.” The federal law does not require proof of force, fraud, or coercion when a child is under the age of 18. Of course, each state has its own statute, so it is important for agencies to be familiar with them as well. Now I’ll debunk a few myths to help you in your work. The first is that child sex trafficking is not that common or it’s not that big of a deal. While the exact number of child sex trafficking victims in the United States is unknown due to the hidden nature of this crime, several independent studies with information from law enforcement task forces, advocacy groups, and service providers has painted the picture of this vulnerable population. Reports from anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 youth are at risk for sexual exploitation each year in the United States. Between 2010 and 2015, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children reported an 846 percent increase in reports of suspected child sex trafficking to their cyber tip line. The National Human Trafficking Resource Center hot line received over 5,500 reports of sex trafficking in the United States in 2016. So it is a big deal. And it is common, although much more research is needed. The second myth is that this is an international crime. When the reality is that human trafficking, including child sex trafficking, has been reported in every single state in the United States. And many victims are students in the American school system. Traffickers may target vulnerable children directly at school through social media and internet sites or using peers and classmates to groom the child for the trafficker. Also, when people think of the victim, they think that only girls fall within this crime. And the reality is that there is no single profile for a child sex trafficking victim. Girls and boys from all backgrounds are trafficked across the country in rural, suburban, tribal, and urban communities. There are, however, common vulnerabilities that are disproportionately present in child sex trafficking victims. Risk factors include having a history of childhood sexual and physical abuse; witnessing domestic violence in their homes; involvement in the child welfare system; youth involved in both the child welfare and juvenile justice system, often referred to as “crossover” or “dual system” youth; runaway and homeless youth; and youth lacking strong support networks, including family, peers, and community ties. Girls, however, are routinely arrested and disproportionately arrested for prostitution or status offenses that are directly related to their exploitation, such as truancy or running away. According to Rights for Girls, a human rights organization working to end sex trafficking and gender-based violence in the United States, approximately 73 percent of girls in the juvenile justice system report past histories of physical and sexual abuse. But there are many male victims, and they are often overlooked and underserved even though several studies note that roughly half of commercially sexually exploited youth are male. Additionally, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) and gender-nonconforming youth are also at a higher risk of exploitation of sexual violence. According to the recent and the largest study of homeless youth conducted in 2017, 26.9 percent of LGBTQ homeless youth reported experiences consistent with the U.S. federal definition of sex trafficking. Another myth, and this is the one that I find honestly the most troubling, is that this is a lifestyle choice. Let’s think about that for a moment. The average age of entry into this life is thirteen. A child is not legally, developmentally, or socially able to make the choice to become involved in the commercial sex industry. In 2013 FBI nationwide sting operations across 70 cities, 60 percent of recovered child sex trafficking victims were from a foster or group home. These are vulnerable children who are often preyed upon by traffickers and buyers to exchange sexual acts for money, drugs or, simply, to survive. In its simplest form, it is child sexual abuse and exploitation that dehumanizes the child to a commodity to be bought and sold. An important myth to debunk for law enforcement and service providers is that these victims will self-identify. Fear, trauma, drug addiction, threats against the victims’ families, guilt, a lack of options due to poverty and homelessness can all prevent victims from naming their abuser. Not to mention that they may be trafficked by a family member. Victims may be manipulated or believe they are in love with their trafficker, which can make them resistant to seeking help. Yet, there are rarely mandates for law enforcement or juvenile justice agencies to screen children upon intake for possible sex trafficking victimization. The final myth is that traffickers and buyers are always caught and appropriately punished. And the reality is that it is easy to buy a human being, even children, for sex. Especially with social networks and online classified ads that are used to market, recruit, buy, and sell children for sex, fueling a billion-dollar industry. Purchasers of sex acts of children are sexual predators yet are often considered less serious and less problematic offenders. Based on a report from sharedhope.org, sex buyers continue to be classified as low-level offenders under many states’ solicitation laws. So, what can law enforcement do to develop effective evidence-based trauma-responsive approaches that can help child sex trafficking victims reclaim their lives? A critical first step is developing training and protocol to view youth as potential victims rather than offenders. Several jurisdictions have implemented first responder protocols that mandate law enforcement refer identified victims to child welfare or community services rather than arrest them. One example is the Los Angeles County Law Enforcement First Responder Protocol for Commercially Sexually Exploited Children. Training should also include the physical and behavioral indicators of child sex trafficking and how law enforcement can be better prepared to ask relevant questions. One example is the Interdiction for the Protection of Children Training developed by the Texas Department of Public Safety and currently funded through the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services with the U.S. Department of Justice. In addition to ongoing training, it is essential to update policies and protocols that dictate what an officer should do if they encounter a possible victim or trafficker. The International Association of Chiefs of Police provide several resources available on their website. Specialized training focused on investigating and prosecuting technology-facilitated crimes against children must be made available to law enforcement investigators and prosecutors. At OJJDP, through the Internet Crimes Against Children Program, we are dedicated in training law enforcement officers and prosecutors, as well as educating parents and youth about the potential dangers of online activity. This website and these resources provide updated information and research on internet safety and internet safety education that can assist law enforcement in providing education to communities across the U.S. It is also important for law enforcement agencies to reach out to their local FBI Child Exploitation Task Force for joint operations, training, and case collaboration. Also, to be effective, it is absolutely vital to engage other stakeholders, including community-based organizations, health care providers, survivor leaders, anti-trafficking experts, advocates, families, and guardians, to develop interagency protocols and the continuum of care that addresses the specific needs of each survivor. To assist you in your efforts, OJJDP’s National Mentor Resource Center utilizes evidence-based mentoring practices in support of services through response and needs of child victims of commercial sexual exploitation and child sex trafficking or children at risk. Also, ODDJP’s National Training and Technical Assistance Center supports the juvenile justice field through webinars and the dissemination of information on various topics related to child sex trafficking and child exploitation. The Office for Victims of Crime has developed a fantastic public awareness campaign, titled “Faces of Human Trafficking,” that is intended to be used for outreach and education efforts of service providers, law enforcement, prosecutors, and others in the community. This series includes videos, posters, and discussion guides with information about sex and labor trafficking, multidisciplinary approaches to serving victims of human trafficking, effective victim services, victims’ legal needs, and the voices of survivors. For more information and to report suspected human trafficking, you can visit the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, which includes a national toll-free hotline available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year. Through the PSP network, links and additional information on these and all of our resources will be made available to accompany this podcast. In closing, thank you for your dedication to working together to protect our nation’s children from all forms of exploitation and to support child sex trafficking survivors as they rebuild their lives. Thank you again for your time. And, Stephanie, back to you. Stephanie: Thank you, Cindy. That’s a lot of information—a lot of good information. And thank you for listening to this podcast. We can all play a role in exposing child sex trafficking by being vigilant in the awareness of our environment. If you see something out of the ordinary and that just doesn’t seem right, it may not be. Say something. For more information and resources pertaining to child sex trafficking, visit the Public Safety Partnership website at www.nationalpublicsafetypartnership.org or the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention at ojjdp.gov. Thank you.