U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo wrote in the introduction of the 2019 Trafficking in Persons Report “Human trafficking is one of the most heinous crimes on Earth. Right now traffickers are robbing a staggering 24.9 million people of their freedom and basic human dignity—that’s roughly three times the population of New York City. We must band together and build momentum to defeat human trafficking. We must hold the perpetrators of this heinous crime accountable. We must achieve justice for survivors as they rebuild their lives. We must reinvigorate our shared commitment to extinguish human trafficking wherever it exists. There is no time to waste.”
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention of the U. S. Department of Justice defines Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) as follows:
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) refers to a range of crimes and activities involving the sexual abuse or exploitation of a child for the financial benefit of any person or in exchange for anything of value (including monetary and non-monetary benefits) given or received by any person. Examples of crimes and acts that constitute CSEC:
- child sex trafficking/the prostitution of children
- child sex tourism involving commercial sexual activity.
- commercial production of child pornography
- online transmission of live video of a child engaged in sexual activity in exchange for anything of value.
CSEC also includes situations where a child, whether or not at the direction of any other person, engages in sexual activity in exchange for anything of value, which includes non-monetary things such as food, shelter, drugs, or protection from any person.
Note: CSEC is not legally defined by federal statute or case law. However, several federal criminal provisions can be applied to conduct that falls within this definition of CSEC, including 18 U.S.C. §§ 1591, 2251, and 2423(c).
Recruitment for Sex Trafficking
Most people in the United States think sex trafficking involves the abduction of foreign girls who are sold to high class brothels to work as sex slaves. The truth is that it is estimated three quarters of the underage sex workers in the United States are American children, recruited or coerced into the industry. The United States is reported to be the number one consumer of sex worldwide.
Geoff Rogers, co-founder of the United States Institute Against Human Trafficking (USIAHT), said in an interview with Fox News. “The United States is the No. 1 consumer of sex worldwide. So, we are driving the demand as a society.”
“We’re also driving the demand with our own people, with our own kids,” Rogers said. “There are tremendous numbers of kids, a multitude of kids that are being sold as sex slaves today in America. These are American kids, American-born, 50 percent to 60 percent of them coming out of the foster care industry.”
This assertion is confirmed by the State Department’s report, which found that children in foster care, homeless youth, undocumented immigrant children and those with substance abuse problems were especially at risk to fall into the human trafficking trap.
Although abduction is a factor in many human trafficking cases, investigations tend to bear out the fact that in the United States the majority of sex workers were recruited into their situation. Once they are in the situation many reported staying in submission due to coercion or extortion, threats of violence, violent acts, and blackmail.
Coercion or extortion can be a factor such as one person obtaining private photos or information on the victim and threatening to expose the victim or post the pictures on social media for their friends to see, if they do not cooperate. This can be a result of sexting pictures forwarded to other persons, unknown to the victim. Victims who are undocumented immigrants are often threatened with being exposed to law enforcement of their status or that of their families.
Potential victims who are homeless, drug dependent or in other means destitute are often recruited in exchange for food, shelter and drugs.
Recruitment Forms
Personal Social Networks
Personal social networks and relationships are a powerful recruitment tool. Traffickers commonly recruit friends of family members, friends of other persons they have trafficked, and others in their neighborhood. Sometimes, they will throw “turnout parties” within their social network to recruit. They recruit in many places such as malls, transit stations, beaches, gas stations, campuses, clubs, and restaurants. Schools, malls, and transit locations in particular are associated with minors. Young traffickers who are often gang-involved traffickers use their networks in their school and in their community, often recruiting their classmates.
Romantic Relationships
Many traffickers engage in romantic or physical relationships with the recruits to appeal to their victims’ emotional and economic needs. They use a sort of bait and switch tactic, building a relationship with the victim, then asking the victim to engage in commercial sex to help the two of them accomplish their dreams of being together.
Wendy L. Patrick, JD, Ph.D. wrote an article for Psychology Today entitled “Invisible Chains: Psychology of Recruitment’, which notes that the manipulation of an exploiter who professes false love and attention may pervert the victim’s sense of decency and morality—leading to his/her decision to prostitute for him/her. In what she refers to as the “Pretty Woman” Syndrome showing in the movie the glamorous side of prostitution. Selling sex as glamorous is not just promoted by Hollywood movies. The music industry causes its fair share of undue influence by promoting songs, music videos, and live performances showcasing famous rap music stars and their large harems of women, attempting to make the life of pimps and prostitutes appear alluring.
Online ads
Ads for recruitment often pose as a legitimate employment opportunity, calling for “models” or “actresses” and presenting the opportunity for a photo shoot. Traffickers also search existing online advertisements on sites like Craigslist and Backpage for women/men and girls/boys who might be working independently.
The Lure of Wealth
Former traffickers said that pointing out to victims that they were “already doing it for free” was particularly influential with those who were economically disadvantaged. The traffickers offer the victim economic security. For traffickers, prominently displaying their wealth was key to recruiting with many citing their outward displays of wealth as a primary means of attraction for victims.
Current Victims
Victims already involved with the trafficker are often made to help with recruiting, especially from train stations, bus stops, bus stations, clubs, detention facilities, group homes, continuation schools, homeless shelters, and from social media.
Possible Signs of Human Trafficking
Many minors rarely identify as victims. They typically describe their trafficker as someone who cares for them more than anyone else ever has. Below are some red flags that may indicate a trafficking victim. The presence of these red flags does not always mean the child is a trafficking victim, but they do serve as clues.
Red Flags:
- Has a controlling “boyfriend” or “girlfriend” who is noticeably older.
- Inability to speak to the individual alone.
- Individual cannot freely move about
- Individual avoids eye contact when addressed.
- Doesn’t respond to questions or responses appear coached and rehearsed.
- Signs of physical abuse, hunger, sleep deprivation or drug addiction
- Bruises in various states of healing. May attempt to conceal injuries.
- Makes references to frequent travel to other cities.
- Acts uncharacteristically promiscuous and/or makes references to sexual situations.
- Signs of depression, anxiety & nervousness; fearful and withdrawn
- Name tattoos or other branding marks
- Hotel keys and keycards in their possession
- Prepaid cell phone
- Lies about age or possesses fake ID.
- Unable or unwilling to give information about parents/guardian.
- Changes in school performance, attendance, hygiene habits, personality, friendships, or possessions
Being aware of signs, symptoms and recruiting techniques allows school personnel to intercede on behalf of the students and potentially even their co-workers to get help get them out of a potentially deadly situation.
Reporting Resources