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6 Victim and Support Services
Pages 235-270

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From page 235...
... ; and • programs that are aware of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors but believe that serving these victims is beyond their scope of practice. By the very definition of their work, all victim and support service professionals are working with vulnerable and victimized youth.
From page 236...
... These include • curriculum development and education for at-risk children and adolescents, victims and survivors, and service providers; • training for victim and support service professionals; • direct care and support services for victims and survivors; • outreach and public awareness initiatives; • programs designed to prevent commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors; and • hotlines (or help lines)
From page 237...
... Finally, it should be noted that most of these activities have not been empirically evaluated; as a result, the committee does not intend to imply that it is endorsing any specific approach. Child Welfare Victims and survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors may come to the attention of child welfare professionals.
From page 238...
... Failure to do so increases the likelihood that these youth will remain vulnerable to further exploitation and abuse. The committee learned about several noteworthy models for intervention by the child welfare system: creating a specific "allegation of harm" for commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors to improve case management, requiring reporting to child protective services, raising awareness and building capacity in child welfare, and developing state guidelines and tools for child welfare professionals.
From page 239...
... (See Chapter 10 for a detailed discussion of the role of child protective services in a multisector response to commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors in Suffolk County, Massachusetts.) Raising Awareness and Building Capacity in Child Welfare Although the committee learned about a handful of examples of antitrafficking work that involve child welfare, child welfare overwhelmingly is perceived as underrepresented or absent in such efforts (Brittle, 2008; Fong 2  bused A and Neglected Child Reporting Act.
From page 240...
... . This handbook was developed in partnership with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services to help child welfare agencies meet their responsibility of identifying and serving trafficking victims as required by the Illinois Safe Children Act.4 Developing State Guidelines and Tools for Child Welfare Professionals Some states have taken additional steps to strengthen the capacity of child welfare and child protection professionals to respond to the commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors.
From page 241...
... Examples of each are described below. The primary focus of this section is on the efforts of federal and state agencies whose work on human trafficking relates directly to the provision of victim and support services to victims/survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking who are U.S.
From page 242...
... . This small number of grantees and programs may not be surprising given that work on commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors in the United States is in the early stages, but it does suggest how 5  s A of this writing, this plan was open to public comment.
From page 243...
... Using a Statewide Coordinated Care Approach to the Provision of Victim and Support Services Georgia Care Connection was established by Georgia's Governor's Office for Children and Families to serve as a central, statewide hub for victims and survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors and for professionals (e.g., law enforcement personnel, school personnel, child welfare professionals, health care providers) seeking to help them (Georgia Care Connection Office, 2013)
From page 244...
... Thus, the goals of the curriculum include preventing commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking among at-risk adolescents and preventing revictimization among those previously exploited. The MLMC curriculum was designed to alter participants' behavior by changing their attitudes, knowledge, and skills (i.e., improving attitudes regarding sexual health and self-esteem, increasing knowledge of the relationship between substance use and commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking, and developing skills to access resources and recognize potential exploiters)
From page 245...
... The first, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Community Intervention Project (CCIP) Train-the-Trainer curriculum, is designed to provide an overview of issues related to commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors for victim and support service providers, law enforcement personnel, health care professionals, child welfare professionals, legal professionals (e.g., prosecutors, legal aid/public defenders, family court officials)
From page 246...
... As noted in Chapter 3, boys/adolescent males and LGBT youth often are overlooked as populations at risk for commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking. As a result, victim and support services for these populations are especially scarce.
From page 247...
... Shared Hope International, a nonprofit organization that works to eliminate sex trafficking, has conducted a number of campaigns to educate and inform service providers and the public about commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking that occur domestically. To that end, Shared Hope International has released a series of reports focused on demand (Shared Hope International, 2006)
From page 248...
... Like Shared Hope International and Polaris Project, ECPAT-USA engages in a range of activities designed to raise public awareness of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors in the United States. In addition to providing resources on its website, ECPAT-USA organizes a youth-led educational outreach program, the Youth Committee, that engages high school students in efforts to address commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors (ECPAT-USA, 2013b)
From page 249...
... However, these early efforts focused on preventing commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors can inform future approaches for victim and support services and can help move the field beyond raising awareness to additional prevention strategies. Hotlines A number of hotlines (or help lines)
From page 250...
... One example is a hotline operated by Courtney's House, also discussed earlier. This hotline, which connects victims with local resources, is answered by survivors of commercial sexual exploitation.
From page 251...
... A number of private foundations and philanthropic organizations have made sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of minors a significant part of their work. The committee learned about several recently implemented foundation-led strategies: using big data to understand and disrupt human trafficking, providing direct support to state and local organizations, and using challenge grants to promote and scale innovative approaches.
From page 252...
... (For suggested strategies for foundations, see Box 11-1 in Chapter 11.) Current Research on Victim and Support Services As in many domains of victim and support services, providing direct services for victims and survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and
From page 253...
... However, the committee learned about a handful of recent and forthcoming efforts to evaluate victim and support services for victims and survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking in the United States. For example, the National Institute of Justice funded an independent evaluation of LIFESKILLS, an intervention program for victims/survivors of and individuals at risk of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking (under age 18)
From page 254...
... . Conducting research on victim and support services can help build a much-needed evidence base for understanding promising and best practices for providing such services to victims and survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors in the United States to inform future work.
From page 255...
... Trauma-Informed Care, Trauma-Specific Treatment, and Trauma-Focused Services Advocates, victim and support services providers, governmental and nongovernmental entities, and other groups that deal with commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors in the United States increasingly are calling for the use of trauma-informed care for victims and survivors of these crimes. For example, a recent Department of Justice report on children exposed to violence cites trauma-informed care, trauma-specific treatment, and trauma-focused services as central to the department's strategies for assisting and supporting victims and survivors of violence and abuse (DOJ, 2012)
From page 256...
... . In addition, a randomized controlled study of the impact of a trauma intervention program for adjudicated and at-risk youth found statistically significant reductions in trauma symptoms among adjudicated adolescents in residential treatment, including reductions in depression, anxiety, and rule-breaking behaviors and improvements in emotional regulation (Raider et al., 2008)
From page 257...
... . The committee learned from a variety of sources -- most notably from testimony during its site visits and public workshops -- that many victim and support services for victims/survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking use and/or support the use of case management (Adams, 2012; Baker, 2012; Knowles-Wirsing, 2012; Nelson, 2012; O'Malley, 2012; Ring, 2012)
From page 258...
... Understanding that this is a field of research in its early stages, the committee urges additional evaluation of the effectiveness of case management for victims/survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking. Survivor-Led and Survivor-Informed Models The committee likewise learned from a variety of sources -- most notably from testimony during its site visits and public workshops -- that many victim and support services for victims/survivors of commercial sexual
From page 259...
... In addition, the committee recognizes the potential to expand existing related services to address commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors. The Mount Sinai Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention (SAVI)
From page 260...
... . Challenges and Opportunities Despite the number of efforts currently under way to provide victim and support services, broad consensus exists among professionals in each sector that serves victims/survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking that too few services are available to meet current needs.
From page 261...
... . Few Victim and Support Services for Boys As noted earlier in the chapter, few victim and support service providers work with male victims and survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking.
From page 262...
... . Lack of Information Sharing and Communication Among Victim and Support Service Providers As noted earlier in this chapter, victims and survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking may require a range of victim and support services (e.g., mental health and substance abuse services, housing/ shelter)
From page 263...
... Finally, it should be noted that the delivery of comprehensive services cannot be accomplished through victim and support services alone. The need for a multisector response to commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors is discussed in detail in Chapter 10.
From page 264...
... 6-7 Few victim and support service providers work with male vic tims and survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking. More work is needed to ensure that gender-specific services are available to meet the needs of these youth.
From page 265...
... Broad dissemination of the findings of this research through publication in the peer-reviewed literature is needed so that this evidence base will be critically reviewed. 6-10 With few exceptions, current victim and support services for victims and survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors lack plans and mechanisms for evaluation and outcome measurement.
From page 266...
... Report, cur riculum, and recommended resources. Chicago, IL: Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation.
From page 267...
... 2012. Site visit presentation to the Committee on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors in the United States, on My Life, My Choice, March 23, 2012, Boston, MA.
From page 268...
... 2012. Presentation to the Committee on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors in the United States, on Polaris Project, February 29, 2012, Washington, DC.
From page 269...
... 2012. Presentation to the Committee on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors in the United States.
From page 270...
... 2012b. Site visit presentation to the Committee on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors in the United States, Safe Horizon, September 12, 2012, New York.


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