Doors Wide Shut: Barriers to the Successful Delivery of Victim Services for Domestically Trafficked Minors in a Southern U.S. Metropolitan Area

• NCJ Number: 230968
• Journal: Women & Criminal Justice Volume: 20 Issue: 1-2 Dated: January-June 2010 Pages: 147-166
• Author(s): Joan A. Reid
• Date Published: January 2010
• Length: 20 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2006-DD-BX-K294
• Sponsoring Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) is the commercial sexual exploitation of U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident children. This study explored the identification of DMST victims and their access to crime victim services.

Abstract

Findings suggest an acute lack of awareness or understanding of DMST among professionals likely to come into contact with victims, resulting in failure to identify DMST victims. Because of their misidentification, few DMST victims were accessing victim services. Victim-centered protocols for child sex trafficking criminal cases were lacking, leading to a failure in prosecution of sex traffickers. Professionals reported encountering complex issues, such as DMST victims' incapacity to break away from traffickers, denial of victimization, high likelihood of flight and revictimization, and reluctance to cooperate with trafficking investigations. Notes and references (Published Abstract)