Evaluation of Services for Domestic Minor Victims of Human Trafficking

• NCJ Number: 248578
• Author(s): Deborah Gibbs; Jennifer L. Hardison Walters; Alexandra Lutnick; Shari Miller; Marianne Kluckman
• Date Published: August 2014
• Length: 115 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2009-VF-GX-0206
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Evaluation

Annotation

This evaluation examined three programs funded by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) that identify and provide services to victims of sex and labor trafficking of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents under the age of 18.

Abstract

The evaluation was funded by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) National Institute of Justice (NIJ) with the primary goals of documenting program implementation of the three Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) funded programs, identify promising practices for service delivery programs, and informing delivery of current and future efforts to serve victims of sex and labor trafficking of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents under the age of 18. Specifically, the evaluation described young people served by these programs, their service needs, the services delivered by the programs, the experiences of young people serviced and the staff of the programs, and the programs' efforts to strengthen community response to trafficked youth. The three OVC funded programs examined were: 1) the Standing Against Global Exploitation Everywhere (SAGE) Project, located in San Francisco and serving adults and youth affected by sexual exploitation through life skills programs, advocacy, counseling and case management for girls, including those in the juvenile justices system; 2) the Salvation Army Trafficking Outreach Program and Intervention Techniques (STOP-IT) program, located in Chicago and serving foreign trafficking victims and domestic youth engaged in the sex trade; and 3) the Streetwork Project at Safe Horizon, located in New York City and serving homeless and street-involved youth with drop in centers, a residential program, counseling, health care, legal advocacy and other services. The three programs collectively served 201 young people during the study period (January 2011 through June 2013). Young people served by the programs ranged in age from 12 to 18, with a median age of 17. The largest race/ethnicity group was African American, with sizeable numbers of whites and Hispanics. Three-quarters of young people served were female although all programs served male, female, and transgender young people.