Human Trafficking and the Child Welfare Population in Florida

• NCJ Number: 252056
• Journal: Children and Youth Services Review Volume: 88 Dated: May 2018 Pages: 1-10
• Author(s): Deborah A. Gibbs; Alana M. Henninger; Stephen J. Tueller; Marianne N. Kluckman
• Date Published: May 2018
• Length: 10 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2012-IJ-CX-0025
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Award: Addressing Under-Reporting of Minor Victim Sex Trafficking in Illinois

Annotation

Since human trafficking victimization is frequently associated with child abuse or neglect and out-of-home placements, this article reports on the largest study to date of human trafficking allegations within a child welfare context and one of the few to compare children with allegations of human trafficking to others in the child welfare population.

Abstract

The study used state administrative data to examine 4,413 allegations of sex and labor trafficking involving 3,420 children. The study found that these children were more than twice as likely as other children to have experienced prior maltreatment. Among children with prior child welfare experience, those with trafficking allegations were twice as likely to have experienced out-of-home placement, and just over five times as likely to have experienced congregate care, and 10 times as likely to have run away from placements. Although these data cannot be interpreted as representing the true prevalence of human trafficking within the child welfare population, they expand knowledge of known victims, along with associated implications for research, practice, and policy. (Publisher abstract modified)