Teen Girls Tell Their Stories of Sex Trafficking and Exploitation in U.S.

ABC News ^ | Feb. 9, 2006

[Sopater]

International Sex Trafficking Is a Well-Known Problem, But It Happens Here as Well Feb. 9, 2006 — - Fifteen-year-old "Debbie" is the middle child in a close-knit Air Force family from suburban Phoenix, and a straight-A student -- the last person most of us would expect to be forced into the seamy world of sex trafficking.

But Debbie, which is not her real name, is one of thousands of young American girls who authorities say have been abducted or lured from their normal lives and made into sex slaves. While many Americans have heard of human trafficking in other parts of the world -- Thailand, Cambodia, Latin America and eastern Europe, for example -- few people know it happens here in the United States.

The FBI estimates that well over 100,000 children and young women are trafficked in America today. They range in age from 9 to 19, with the average age being 11.

And many victims are no longer just runaways, or kids who've been abandoned. Many of them are from what would be considered "good" families, who are lured or coerced by clever predators, say experts. "These predators are particularly adept at reading children, at reading kids, and knowing what their vulnerabilities are," said FBI Deputy Assistant Director, Chip Burrus, who started the Lost Innocence project, which specializes in child- and teen-sex trafficking.

And, he said, these predators are going where the kids are.

"What you can see, time and time again, is that the predators will adapt their means to whatever the young people are doing -- whether it's malls, whether it's ski slopes, whether it's beaches," Burrus said. "Predators ... are going to do everything in their power to try to convince young girls, young boys, to come with them and enter this particular lifestyle."

[Ohioan from Florida]

Some of you pinged are doubters about the accuracy of numbers reported in the ABC article, and some of you aren't. In an effort to find out more about it, I took a peek at the link from Solson. I found it interesting.

According to a study by the University of Pennsylvania, a child is defined as any male or female under the age of 18, and with that, they have detailed there are approximately 300,000 youth currently at risk of becoming victims of commercial and sexual exploitation. Other organizations have estimated this number is as high as 800,000.

We do not currently have a definitive number for the serious problem of child prostitution itself, although judges, police, and outreach workers report both the increase in the numbers and a decrease in the ages of the children involved. Unfortunately, we know of no studies to date that specifically and primarily address juvenile prostitution. Accurately quantifying the existing problem of victimized children (as opposed to “at risk”) is difficult for a variety of reasons. For example, in the case of children exploited through prostitution, many of the prostituted youth are charged with some other offenses such as substance abuse; thus data that relies on crime reports masks the true prevalence of the problem.

According to the 2002 National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway and Throwaway Children (NISMART II), 1.6 million children are estimated to run away from home each year, and it is estimated that approximately 40,000 of those children will have some type of involvement in or brush with sexual trafficking. Many of these victims are abandoned or neglected children who are usually not reported as missing to law enforcement or are runaways from their homes or the foster care system. Also, when arrested, many juvenile prostitutes have fraudulent identification and social security cards and are reluctant to help authorities determine their true age and identity. In addition, sexual trafficking, particularly of children, continues to move even further underground. With the increasing use of pagers, cell phones, and the Internet, victims are even less visible today than they were in the past.

So, in my estimation, the idea that there might be 100,000 children who are trafficked in this way in 2005-2006 numbers could be reasonable. Even if the numbers aren't as high as 100,000, it is a deplorable situation, and one that we must guard against.

[Ohioan from Florida]

I didn't see your post before I started working on my last one. See 61 and Solson's post earlier for a direct link to that report. While the numbers are appalling, it doesn't seem that far-fetched to me.

[Ohioan from Florida]

Have you seen this thread?

[ClearCase_guy]

You highlighted 4 areas. Let me address each one:

1) I don’t care about “at risk”. That’s vague. And it is a classic trick that is used to inflate numbers.
2) Number of victimized children is hard to know. BINGO!
3) 40,000 will have some brush with sexual trafficking. Again, too vague to be useful. I’m reminded of the astronomical numbers of college girls who are raped each year. Rape being defined so broadly that a girl who is kissed by a boy she doesn’t like has been “raped”.
4) Again, the number is hard to know. BINGO!

At most – AT MOST! – this citation allows one to speculate about 40,000 victims. Yet you read this and conclude that the concerns about 100,00 victims may be reasonable.

IMO, it’s all crap and free-mongering. No offense meant to you.

[Little Ray]

We don't execute 'em 'cause they'd kill their victims to get rid of witnesses, evidence, etc. Same reason rape no longer carries a death penalty.

On the other hand, if you put 'em in general population and let the inmates know what they did, you might save yourself some trouble.

[romanesq]

Your distinction is valid except one can not make that case with minors.

In that regard there is no such thing as voluntary prostitution.

[sasafras]

"We don't execute 'em 'cause they'd kill their victims to get rid of witnesses, evidence, etc. "

Yeah right (sarcasm) - hmmm maybe if there was a deterrent to their behavior they might not do it . Execute the bast^%ds - this f'n sick behavior - I would also like to know how many of the perps are black and the victims white. ABC or any other news org wont tell you that.

[Ohioan from Florida]

No offense taken. I'm just saying that one number presented (from 2002) suggests 40,000. Earlier on in the report they make an estimate at 300,000-800,000. I'm just suggesting that because of the "invisiblity" due to the internet and cell phones, etc, the number could be reasonably estimated at 100,000 in today's terms. It's an estimation in any case.

Believe me, I understand that you can make numbers/statistics say anything you want them to. Whatever the real numbers are on the situation, I think this must be prevalent *enough* to be a concern to parents and children. We live in a sick society. This is just another reminder of the weirdos and perverts out there, at least to me. It is a reminder to go over safety *rules* with my kids. Nothing more. I take it like it's a public service announcement. I'm not panicking, just trying to be aware and prepare the best I can.

[ThinkDifferent]

It said of the estimated 100,000 9-19 year olds who are involved in sex trafficking the average age is 11.

Which is also odd, because in order for that to be true the distribution must be heavily skewed toward 9 and 10 year olds. And they wouldn't be the ones working as escorts or on phone sex lines.

I have no doubt these predators exist, and they should be killed slowly and painfully, but I'm not buying the article's numbers.

[Sarastro]

1.6 million children are estimated to run away from home each year....

There are between 4 and 4.5 million births in the U.S. each year. If 1.6 million children run away each year, that works out to more than one child in three running away. Does that strike you as credible? Does it make you wonder about the definition of "running away"? Does it make you wonder how many come back home? There are lies, damned lies, and statistics, and we need to be skeptical of statistical claims, especially when they originate from someone with an agenda.

[Ace of Spades]

Thank you. Yes people, bad stuff happens in this country too, whether you see it or not (or choose to believe it).

[utahagen]

I agree completely. There are sickos out there who target kids and teens, for sure, and if even one child is grabbed, that's one too many. But middle classish American teens systematically being grabbed and sold into sex slavery? Preposterous.

[LWalk18]

Children remain children for 18 years- so if they are 4 to 4.5 million births each year, then that means there are 72-81 million children in U.S. (not even counting those both elsewhere who immigrate to the U.S. as children). So about 2.2% of children run away (which could include anything from children leaving home for a few hours after arguing with parents to living on the streets for years). That isn't unreasonable.

[Truthsearcher]

Still doesn't work though, because as you said, kids are kids for 18 years.

So if 2.2% of kids runs away in any given years, then 2.2*18=37.6% of them runs away at some point before they turn 18.

[Heyworth]

If 1.6 million children run away each year, that works out to more than one child in three running away. Does that strike you as credible?

Not arguing with your overall suspiciousness of the numbers, but your math is off and would only make sense if 1.6 million children of each age ran away. Think of it this way. 4 million kids of each age between 10 and 16 (the running-away years) makes 28 million kids. 1.4 million kids is only about 6% of that total

[Ohioan from Florida]

Look, I understand about lying with statistics just fine. You're doing it, too. The statistics aren't saying that there are 1.6 million babies running away, it says children. Not the same. (You should probably multiply the 4-4.5 million births each year by the number of years there are children available to run away. Let's say that kids that could conceivably *run away* would be from ages, say for example, six or seven to age 18. That's 11 or 12 years times the 4-4.5 million babies born each year. What's that, roughly 500 million children of running away age? If my math is right, and I know it could be wrong, that's more like one in 300 or more kids run away, a more credible number). In other words, anyone can make the *statistic* say whatever they want it to, including you and me.

I understand your point. There are lies, damned lies, and statistics, and we don't have all the *definitions* the officials use for running away. They don't explain how many come back home. The point I'm making is that despite the numbers that are really involved, it would be wise for parents to go over the safety rules with their children. It is a good thing to be aware that this happens.

[Solson]

To offer you some more information which makes the 100,000 reasonable is the following link.

It says the following:

Human Trafficking: Available Statistics

Due to the “hidden” nature of trafficking activities, gathering statistics on the magnitude of the problem is a complex and difficult task. The following statistics are the most accurate available, given these complexities, but may represent an underestimation of trafficking on a global and national scale.

Each year, an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 men, women, and children are trafficked across international borders (some international and non-governmental organizations place the number far higher), and the trade is growing. (U.S. Department of State. 2004. Trafficking in Persons Report. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of State.)

Of the 600,000-800,000 people trafficked across international borders each year, 70 percent are female and 50 percent are children. The majority of these victims are forced into the commercial sex trade. (Ibid.)

Each year, an estimated 14,500 to 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked into the United States. The number of U.S. citizens trafficked within the country each year is even higher, with an estimated 200,000 American children at risk for trafficking into the sex industry. (U.S. Department of Justice. 2004. Report to Congress from Attorney General John Ashcroft on U.S. Government Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Persons in Fiscal Year 2003. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice.)

The largest number of people trafficked into the United States come from East Asia and the Pacific (5,000 to 7,000 victims). The next highest numbers come from Latin America and from Europe and Eurasia, with between 3,500 and 5,500 victims from each. (U.S. Departments of Justice, Health & Human Services, State, Labor, Homeland Security, Agriculture, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. 2004. Assessment of U.S. Government Activities to Combat Trafficking in Persons. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice.)

========================================================== Needless to say, human trafficking is a real problem and one that is growing by leaps and bounds. Thus, raising awareness about the issue is the right thing to do.

Furthermore, I'm sure ABC has some supporting documentation for their number. To dismiss their report out of hand without having evidence to the contrary and frankly, cutting off the nose to spite the face is silly at best and criminal at its worst.

No one on this thread or in the show is calling for, or even acting in a panic. This is a real thing. Go look at the numbers of missing and exploited kids in the United States.

From http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=242#0 it says the following:

How many missing children are there?

Answer: The problem of missing children is complex and multifaceted. There are different types of missing children including family abductions; endangered runaways; nonfamily abductions; and lost, injured, or otherwise missing children. The best national estimates for the number of missing children are from incidence studies conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

To date two such studies have been completed. The first National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children (NISMART-1) was released in 1990, and the second, known as NISMART-2, was released in October 2002. According to NISMART-2 research, which studied the year 1999, an estimated 797,500 children were reported missing; 58,200 children were abducted by nonfamily members; 115 children were the victims of the most serious, long-term nonfamily abductions called "stereotypical kidnappings"; and 203,900 children were the victims of family abductions.

======================================================== Sorry, I have a hard time with folks dismissing the WHOLE story out of hand because it was provided by ABC and because the numbers "feel" exaggerated.

IMO, folks don't like discussing this because they don't want to feel like we have that big of a problem in this country. Moreover, they don't want to acknowledge we have a whole segment of society that has no problem violating children, any children, as long as it meets their primal urges.

Just because one doesn't like it or doesn't want to see the problem doesn't mean one should dismiss every story that comes along because it doesn't "feel" like the right numbers.

I'm done with my rant.

[Ohioan from Florida]

My math was wrong. I forgot to put the decimal point back in, Should have been one in 30. The point is still the same. You can make the statistics say whatever you want.

[Sopater]

At most – AT MOST! – this citation allows one to speculate about 40,000 victims. Yet you read this and conclude that the concerns about 100,00 victims may be reasonable. IMO, it’s all crap and free-mongering. No offense meant to you.



And... only 40,000 would be OK with you???? Just how big does the number of victims have to be before you would become concerned? We're talking about children here. People who want to bury their heads in the sand and only care to do anything when an issue affects them personally troubles me almost as much as these creeps who do these things to children.

Not caring about "at risk" children tells me that you don't want to do anything to prevent this problem. The entire society is at risk when we are raising a generation of youth with deteriorating moral and ethical values only to pile on sexual and physical abuse. This country is following the rest of the world right down the proverbial toilet because of people who think that this is OK. No offense meant to you.

[Sarastro]

To LWalk18 -- Truthsearcher pointed out your error and came back to my number: more than one in three.

To Heyworth -- You tell me "your math is off," but my math is correct. You say that only 6% of those in the running-away years run away -- i.e., 1.6M/(7*4M). However, that's 6% each year for 7 years, which results in 42% of them (using your numbers) running away at some time during those years. Still more than one in three.

To Ohioan from Florida: You call me a liar (specifically, "Look, I understand about lying with statistics just fine. You're doing it, too"). I will overlook the insult. However, I'm neither lying nor mathematically challenged. You make the same error as Heyworth. Even after your correction to one in thirty each year, you have to multiply by the number of years -- 11 -- which gives you 11 in 30, or more than one in three, as I said.

Although Truthsearcher said it well, let me try twice more:

If the number of babies born each year (ignoring immigrants) is between 4 and 4.5 million (say 4.25 million for convenience), then, assuming (correctly) a low mortality rate, the number of 1-year-olds is about 4.25 million, etc., up to 18-year-olds. That's 76.5 million. Each year 1.6 million (allegedly) run away, so over the 18-year period, that's 28.8 million. 28.8M/76.5M = 37.6%, or more than one in three.

Another way to look at it: the numerator of the fraction is a rate: "1.6 million per year", and the denominator is also a rate: "4.25 million per year." Dividing both the numerator and denominator by "1M per year" leaves the pure number (not a rate, but a pure number) of .376 = more than one in three.