The Long Term Effects on Children Forced Into Sex Trafficking

Erika Streett
INT 360 Dr. Arroyo
Norfolk State University

Research Problem
The research problem guiding this study is the lack of knowledge regarding the potential long
term effects on children forced into the sex trafficking business.

Research Question
What are the potential long term effects on children forced into the sex trafficking business?

Purpose of the Study

The purpose guiding this study is to provide new knowledge regarding the potential long term
effects on children forced into the sex trafficking business.

Part Two:
Literary Review
A new report from the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council states that
commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors are serious problems in the
United States with long-term adverse consequences for children and society as a
whole(National Academy of Sciences, 2013, para. 1). In this literature review process, I will
be reviewing child sex trafficking topics addressed in five different works to assist in
understanding how and why children are exposed and introduced to the sex trafficking trade,
how child pornography plays a role in the exploitation process, why many of those forced into
the business resort to drug use and suicide, what the legal system is doing to assist victims of
this horrible crime and why it is so difficult to save our children once they have been introduced
to trafficking. A staggering statistic that I found was, In the United States, 80% of women in
prostitution enter into the prostitution market before they are 18 years old (Mattar, 2007, p.
31).

Commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors refer to a range of crimes,
including recruiting or transporting minors for the purpose of sexual exploitation, exploiting
them through prostitution, or exploiting them through survival sex (exchanging sexual acts for
something of value, such as shelter or food), among other offenses (National Academy of
Sciences, 2013, para. 3). For the most part, children are made vulnerable to and prayed upon
for sexual exploitation due to being runaways, homeless, in foster care, kicked out of the
house by their parents, being gay/bisexual/transgendered, or simply because they were
neglected and abused.

An estimated range of 1,400-2.4 million children are being

prostituted throughout the United States today (National Academy of Sciences, 2013, para. 4).
Yet these crimes are considered low-risk and tend to go under the radar because the solicitors
and traffickers are not held accountable for their actions due to the fact that most trafficking
occurs in low-income area slums or behind closed doors where victims are conditioned to the
point where they do not even recognize themselves as victims of abuse. This trade, which
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called an outrage and a worldwide plague, is conducted
throughout the world with near impunity, in many cases carrying penalties far less severe than
drug trafficking (Phinney, 2001, p. 1). What goes unnoticed and/or unmentioned is that this
atrocity is being fueled by the high demand of the solicitors, not the traffickers. The majority of
the trafficking clientele are men who most times have an interest in child pornography.
In my attempts to locate scholarly works regarding my topic, I continuously found that
child pornography and child sex trafficking go hand in-hand. It has been found that people
who show a strong interest in pornography are more likely to become predators themselves,
which further feeds the cycle. These individuals tend to be driven to more extreme acts of
seeking out young children or becoming violent (Smith, 2007, p. 24). It is also noted in the
Hearing before the Commissioner that pornographic images of children actually creates a high
demand for direct sexual contact with minors therefore, not only do we have to create and

enforce stiffer laws and penalties for the traffickers of children, but also the men and women
who are the cause for such demand.
Unfortunately efforts to support the sexually exploited and trafficked children are inefficient
and almost non-existent. Although there have been efforts to respond to these dire issues,
they are found to be in their infancy stages, insufficient, unorganized and underrepresented
(National Academy of Sciences 2013, para.5). There is a major break down and disconnect
regarding the major state and federal jurisdiction issues. There have been 12 new state laws
passed recently on child trafficking and prostitution, but no convictions under them. The main
disconnect is that when children are picked up for prostitution, they are charged and treated as
criminals instead of the victims they are. In addition, the local Child Protection Services
agencies are not being trained on identifying the signs of child trafficking victims, nor the
process of referring them to the appropriate help lines and other helpful resources. This plays
a major role in the lack of trafficker convictions and those paying for the elicit services. Legal
authorities are also not being provided the training and resources needed to deal with such
situations. A lot of times in these cases the children are put in detention homes or sent to
unsecured shelters where they in turn leave at the first opportunity presented and return to
their pimps. Instead, they should be turned over to a health care worker or given the care
needed to realize that they are, in fact, victims. Law enforcement officials ultimately need to
focus on the 3 Ps- prosecution, protection and prevention (Baker, 2013, p. 40). The issues
that law enforcement usually faces are the fact that the victims of child trafficking do not see
themselves as victims and the lack of funding for prevention services.
Anti-trafficking initiatives are usually met with resistance by the victims they are trying their
best to rescue. This is widely because the children are told by their traffickers that law
enforcement and other similar agencies will lock them up for what they are doing and that no
one else cares about them. They also get them strung out and dependent on drugs, tell them

that if they run away, they will harm their family members or that they will be killed once
caught. These forms of deception, dependency and fear are instilled in the victim to keep
them tied to or indebted to their aggressor(s). If a child happens to be rescued or escapes,
they are most likely to suffer from long term depression, drug abuse and thoughts of suicide.
This is why immediate measures need to be taken to ensure our children feel safe, have a safe
haven, get rehabilitation, and seek a professional counseling. There also needs to be an
initiative in place to provide physical health assistance in addition to mental health assistance
to our victimized children. Many of the victims who are lucky enough to get out of the sex
trade have been infected with AIDS/HIV/STIs, have cuts and tears to their vaginal and/or anal
tissue due to rape or rough sex, and other wombs or injuries due to physical abuse (Phinney,
2013, p. 5). Other long-term effects include issues with low self esteem, problems with future
intimacy, trust issues, and issues having productive and lasting relationships.
As indicated, there is a very serious need for better response and preventative measures
when it comes to saving our children from sex trafficking and exploitation (Campagna,
Poffenberger 1988, p121). We can continue in our feeble attempts to save young victims
however, I have found that first and foremost, changes need to be made in the system itself to
eradicate trafficking altogether. Our children are our future!

References
Anderson, Charles & Johnson (2003). The impressive psychology paper. Chicago: Lucerne Publishing.
National Academy of Sciences.com
Smith, M. (2001). Writing a successful paper. The Trey Research Monthly, 53, 149-150.