Confronting Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors in the United States (2013) / Chapter Skim
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10 Multisector and Interagency Collaboration
10 Multisector and Interagency Collaboration
Pages 337-368
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From page 337... ...
These actors work within different sectors, such as the nonprofit, health care, legal, and commercial sectors, and at different levels of government, including local, state, and federal. Individuals, groups, and organizations working within these systems can become "siloed," gaining expertise by working primarily within their individual domains or specific areas of expertise, and can have differing goals, missions, and perspectives on how commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors should be handled.
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From page 338... ...
The chapter begins with an explanation of the value of such approaches. Next, because multisector and interagency work on commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors in the United States has been underexamined, the chapter presents lessons from related fields of practice and areas of research, including child maltreatment, domestic violence, and sexual assault.
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. Other multisector and interagency efforts to address commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors have been established without direct federal funding.
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The committee learned from site visit participants, workshop presenters, and published reports that multisector and interagency collaboration benefits from having a co BOX 10-1 Components of a Multisector Response to Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors in the United States • Local law enforcement • State law enforcement • Federal law enforcement • State social service agencies • Nongovernmental social service agencies • Nongovernmental advocacy organizations • Local prosecutors • State and county prosecutors • Federal prosecutors • Defense attorneys • Judges • Victims/survivors • Media • Private sector • Researchers and academics • Child welfare • Juvenile justice • Health care providers, including mental health care providers • Faith-based groups • Public officials • Social activists • Homeless advocates • Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) advocates • Educators SOURCES: Clawson et al., 2006; Gonzales et al., 2011; Nair, 2011; OVC and BJA, 2011; Piening and Cross, 2012; Polaris Project, 2012.
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From page 341... ...
. Lessons Learned from Multisector and interagency Approaches TO Child Maltreatment, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, AND SEXUAL ASSAULT While little published research exists on multisector and interagency responses to the commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors, the literature indicates that coordinated multidisciplinary approaches have long been endorsed as an effective way to respond to the related and overlapping areas of child abuse and neglect (Alexander, 1993; Hochstadt and Harwicke, 1985; OJJDP, 1998)
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. CACs require the use of multidisciplinary teams (which include law enforcement investigators, child protection workers, prosecutors, and mental health and other health care professionals, among others)
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From page 343... ...
focused on child maltreatment may be one sensible starting point for undertaking collaboration to assist victims and survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors and to investigate and prosecute cases. Potential advantages to using existing CACs to organize improved responses to commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors include
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From page 344... ...
As noted in Chapters 6 and 7, additional professionals, agencies, and services may be required to ensure an appropriate response to victims of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors. Some of the differences noted in earlier chapters include the need for enhanced security procedures because of the possibility of exploiter/trafficker retaliation; the need for advanced training in forensic interviewing so interviewers understand how best to talk to victims of these crimes; and the need for enhanced and expanded victim and support services, such as stronger case management and specialized mental health care.
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. As described in Chapters 3 and 6, commonalities between commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking and domestic violence include similar power and control dynamics and the need for safe shelter.
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in 2000, the federal government has made significant investments in efforts to prevent and address the commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors, efforts that include multisector and interagency collaboration. Some of these efforts -- particularly those focused primarily on collaboration among federal, state, and local law enforcement -- have been described in earlier chapters.
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Task Forces Funded by the Department of Justice The Department of Justice's (DOJ's) anti-human trafficking task forces are one federally supported model of interagency and multisector collaboration to prevent and address commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors in the United States.
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From page 348... ...
. This work has involved convening groups of key leaders within DCFS to create a comprehensive blueprint for how DCFS should manage cases of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors, training DCFS staff to identify these crimes, providing technical assistance, and connecting DCFS with service providers in the community (Walts et al., 2011)
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. This work was followed by awards to law enforcement task forces, awards to agencies and organizations working with domestic minor victims and survivors, and finally awards to agencies and organizations providing comprehensive services and specialized mental health and legal services to all victims/survivors of human trafficking (OVC and BJA, 2011)
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, requires the continued functioning of a task force focused on human trafficking.3 The President's Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking is a cabinet-level task force that coordinates federal efforts to address human trafficking. Task force members include the U.S.
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State and Local Efforts State and local efforts to effect multisector and interagency collaboration to address commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of 4 t A the time this report was written, the Federal Strategic Action Plan was open for public comments. The final plan may be revised to reflect input from the public comment period.
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In addition to its focus on prosecution, the H.E.A.T. Watch program uses a multisector approach to coordinate the delivery of support services to minors who are at risk or who are victims/survivors of commercial sexual exploitation or sex trafficking (Alameda County District Attorney's Office, 2012)
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From page 353... ...
This approach enables members of the multidisciplinary team to share confidential information with agencies that can assist youth in need of services and support. County-Based Efforts Multnomah County, Oregon In 2008, Multnomah County, Oregon, initiated a coordinated multisector response to commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors.
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The SEEN Coalition's goals are "to provide effective coordinated interventions for young people involved with CSEC [commercial sexual exploitation of children] and to enhance
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. To facilitate collaboration and communication among coalition members, SEEN established formal relationships and protocols, including a steering committee and advisory group, multidisciplinary teams of professionals, and a case coordinator who serves as the central point of contact for all reported victims of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking.
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The Washington State protocol encourages multisector collaboration through state, regional, and local efforts to address the commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors. For example, the protocol calls for the use of multidisciplinary teams to provide immediate consultation on cases of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors as they arise and to participate in meetings to share information and collaborate in the management of each ongoing case.
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Its purpose is to serve as "a central hub" for victims/survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking and for professionals (e.g., law enforcement personnel, school personnel, child welfare professionals, health care providers) seeking assistance for them (GCCO, 2013)
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However, more work is needed to bring these efforts to scale and to ensure that training is evaluated and informed by evidence. Lack of Shared Frameworks, Data Systems, and Incentives Another barrier to multisector and interagency collaboration is the lack of a shared understanding of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors, particularly with respect to victims and survivors.
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Conversely, in the absence of sustained funding, multisector efforts may be unable to continue. One strategy described in this chapter for working with the limited funds available to support multisector approaches to commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors in the United States is to adapt or expand models used to address related and overlapping
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From page 360... ...
For example, sharing information about cases of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors across sectors and among agencies and systems requires communication and a shared understanding of the problem and solutions (Alameda County District Attorney's Office, 2012; Baker and Nelson, 2012; Goldblatt, 2012; Littrell, 2012)
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While lessons can be drawn from this research and efforts in Suffolk County and Alameda County, among others, additional research is needed to advance understanding of communication strategies for multisector collaboration. Limited Resources for Rural and Tribal Communities Commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors do not occur exclusively in urban areas.
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From page 362... ...
One example of a multisector approach to addressing commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of Native Americans is the Phoenix Project in Minnesota, a collaboration between the Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center and the Division of Indian Work, the Minneapolis Police Department, and Hennepin County Juvenile Probation. Through this effort, these organizations have developed a formal process for referring Native girls who are suspected of being commercially sexually exploited or trafficked for sex to culturally based, gender-focused services (Pierce, 2012)
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From page 363... ...
While direct access to these systems is limited to law enforcement, they have the potential to serve as models for information-sharing platforms across sectors dealing with domestic commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors. A movement is occurring toward building technological systems and platforms that enable real-time data collection and analysis to facilitate rapid response to vulnerable and at-risk minors (Latonero, 2011)
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From page 364... ...
In addition, the committee formulated the following findings and conclusions: 10-1 Multisector and interagency collaboration is necessary to re spond adequately to the multifaceted nature of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors. 10-2 Existing multisector and interagency approaches to child mal treatment, sexual assault, and domestic violence can serve as models for approaches to address commercial sexual exploita tion and sex trafficking of minors.
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From page 365... ...
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.
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2012. Multnomah County: Community response to Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC)
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2012. From "the life" to my life: Sexually exploited children reclaim ing their futures Suffolk County Massachusetts' response to Commercial Sexual Exploita tion of Children (CSEC)
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2012. Fact sheet: The Obama Administration announces efforts to combat human trafficking at home and abroad.
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