Sex Trafficking Resources & Info

Background

Domestic Child Sex Trafficking (DCST) occurs any time a child under the age of 18 exchanges sex for anything of value (e.g., food, shelter, money).  Today, throughout urban, rural, and tribal regions of the country, young girls are being bought and sold for sex. The vast majority of young women and youth in the sex trade are women and girls of color, including LGBTQ and gender non-conforming youth of color.  By contrast, the majority of sex buyers are white men:

• In King County, Washington, Black girls are less than 1% of the population but are more than 50% of all child sex trafficking victims

• In Louisiana, Black girls comprise only 19% of Louisiana’s youth population but are 49% of child sex trafficking victims

• In South Dakota, Indigenous people are only 8% of the population, but Native women represent 40% of sex trafficking victims

Too often, survivors of sex trafficking are criminalized for “prostitution,” despite not even being old enough to consent. In fact, each year hundreds of American children are arrested for prostitution offenses, leaving them vulnerable to further trauma in the justice system and subject to arrest and juvenile records that hinder their ability to access future jobs, housing, or education opportunities. By contrast, in many jurisdictions, sex buyers face little to no consequences for their role in exploiting vulnerable women and girls.

• In Pennsylvania, 70% of prostitution arrests are for selling sex, while only 30% of arrests are for purchasing sex

• Girls account for approximately 61% of juvenile prostitution arrests

• Black children account for nearly 53% of all juvenile prostitution arrests—more than any other racial group

Rights4Girls works to change the policies that allow trafficked and exploited girls to be criminalized and advocates for approaches that provide girls and young women with safety, healing, and support. Through our national No Such Thing as a ‘Child Prostitute’ campaign and our survivor advocacy trainings we work to advance laws and policies that decriminalize survivors while promoting increased funding for services and housing.

Survivor Services & Support

The following are key survivor and/or BIPOC-led programs offering comprehensive services to sex trafficking survivors:

If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free:

1-888-373-7888

To report an instance of online child sexual exploitation, please contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children via their

CyberTipline