Sex Trafficking Resources & Info

Child Sex Trafficking occurs any time a child under the age of 18 exchanges any sex act for anything of value (e.g., food, shelter, money).  Today, throughout all regions of the US, young girls are bought and sold for sex. The majority of young women and girls in the sex trade are women and girls 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 40% of all child sex trafficking victims

• In LA County, two-thirds of trafficked youth are Black, though only 7.4% of the child population in LA is Black

• In Hawaii, Native Hawaiian people are only 22% of the population, but nearly 83% of all child sex trafficking victims identify as all or part Native Hawaiian

Too often, survivors of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation are criminalized for prostitution offenses, even when they’re not 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 legal system and subject to arrest and adjudication 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 71% of all youth prostitution arrests

• Black children are 5X more likely to be arrested on these charges than their white peers

Rights4Girls works to change the policies that allow survivors to be criminalized for their exploitation and advocates for approaches that provide girls and women with access to safety, healing, and support. Through our No Such Thing as a ‘Child Prostitute’ campaign, our National Judicial and Multi-Disciplinary Institutes that promote alternatives to detention for trafficked youth, and our survivor-centered advocacy efforts, we work to advance policies and efforts that offer survivors services and support instead of punishment and criminalization.

We have helped create resources to better support child trafficking survivors and child victim witnesses in the court system. Unlike most other child victims and witnesses, trafficking survivors often have different roles within the legal system, including sometimes as a defendant in a criminal case or as a victim witness. It is therefore critical that these youth understand their rights and the different court processes. This series of graphic novels are designed to support child and youth victims interacting with the justice system about issues ranging from:

• How the legal system works
• What survivors and youth victims’ rights are
• The roles of the different practitioners youth might meet
• How youth can cope with the difficult feelings they might have at each stage of the legal process

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

1-888-373-7888

or text “BEFREE” to 233733

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

CyberTipline