This report was funded by a grant from The Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham. Points of View do not necessarily represent the official position of the Women’s Fund of Birmingham.
Report prepared by:
Allison Miller, MPH Youth and Family Services Network Consultant Author
Sara Jane Camacho Program Director of Freedom to Thrive, a program of Youth and Family Services Network Co-Author
Rachel Brzezinski, UAB Candidate for MPH Youth and Family Services Network Consultant Transcription and citations
Sherry L. Allen, MEd, NCC, LPC, GPC President/CEO of Youth and Family Services Network
Page 2
Acknowledgements:
The authors would like to acknowledge the following individuals and organizations for contributing their guidance and information to this report.
The Freedom to Thrive Youth Service Provision Work Group for providing the vision for this project from the very beginning and for making Invisibility possible. Thank you for all of the hard work that each of you do providing meaningful and important direct service to high-risk youth in our area.
Chair: Phil Cain, Assistant Director - Family Connection, Inc Members: Gayle Watts, LCSW, Executive Director, Children's Aid Society; Christie Mac Segars, LCSW, Director of Agency Development, Children's Aid Society; Rhonda Noble, Project Independence, Children’s Aid Society; Alice Westerly, Homeless Advocate, Cultural Affairs Committee; Cherie Foster, Intake Supervisor, Jefferson County Family Court; Helen Smith, Victim Witness Specialist, FBI; Debbi Land, Director, Clay House Children’s Center; Shemeca Barnes, Child Sex Abuse Unit, DHR
Freedom to Thrive Steering Committee for guidance and contacts for the project Tammy Hopper, YFSN for providing technical assistance throughout the project Isabel Gomez, YFSN for providing a report on Survey Monkey data Interviewees for their time and participation
Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Birmingham Police Department, Children’s Aid Society, Crisis Center/Rape Response, Clay House CAC, Coordinated Community Response of Jefferson county, Family Connection Inc, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Hispanic Interest Coalition, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, N-Motion Consulting, Prescott House CAC, Women’s Missionary Union, and Zonta International and other individual advocates for all your hard work in fighting for social justice in Jefferson County.
Becki Goggins, Manager for Crime Statistics and Information Division, and Carol Roberts, the Public Information Specialist, at Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center for providing Jefferson County Statistics Cherie Foster, Intake Supervisor at Family Court, for providing Family Court statistics and meeting space Allison Dearing, the Director of Coordinated Community Response, and Jennifer Killburn, the Executive Director of Children’s Policy Council, for sending out the survey invitations UAB Public Health SAGE volunteers for transcription assistance Debbi Land and Phil Cain for providing case studies The Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama (HICA) for use of office and meeting space for Freedom to Thrive operations and Invisibility project- specific meetings Dedicated volunteers Rachel Hébert and Jessica Jones for taking the time to review Invisibility Plusbob Media for formatting and branding
Page 3
Key Informant Biographies
Shemeca Barnes
Shemeca Barnes is a licensed bachelor’s level social worker who has been employed with the Jefferson County Department of Human Resources (DHR) for eight years. During her time with DHR, she has worked as a child abuse and neglect (CAN) social worker for three years and has supervised CAN investigations for five years. Her current duties consist of supervising a specialized child sexual abuse unit, which she has done for the past three years.
Phil Cain
Phil Cain is the Associate Director of Family Connection in Birmingham, Alabama. Youth residents are referred to Family Connection through juvenile court, the Department of Human Resources, self- referrals, and a result of Street Outreach services. Cain is responsible for therapeutic intervention with the residents through providing individual, group, recreational and family counseling. He is also responsible for daily administration and supervision of the multi-faceted program, which includes staff supervision, grant writing, public speaking, and representing the agency in regional networks. Cain received his Masters of Education from the University of Montevallo in 1991. He also received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Montevallo in 1985.
Dana Gillis
Special Agent Dana M. Gillis has been on duty with the FBI since 1987. He has been working with the Birmingham Field Office since 2007 as a Special Agent assigned to work White Collar Crime and Civil Rights. With the FBI, Gillis has worked or managed investigations in the areas of Foreign Counterintelligence, Special Operations, White Collar Crime, Financial Crimes, Environmental Crimes, the Inspection Division, Public Corruption, and Governmental Fraud. Gillis was responsible for the management of the Integrity Committee of the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency and was designated ASAC over Houston Division’s Cyber, Violent Crime, Drug and Crisis Management programs. Gillis completed his undergraduate studies at James Madison University in 1983, has served in the U.S. Army, received a graduate certificate in Public Administration from the University of Southern California and received a Master of Studies degree in Applied Criminology and Police Management from the University of Cambridge in 2006.
Judge Brian Huff
Honorable Judge Brian Huff is the Presiding Judge in Jefferson County Family Court and a national speaker on juvenile justice reform. Judge Huff presides over several “specialized dockets” including the Truancy, Juvenile Drug Court, Gun Court and Return to Aftercare Program (RAP) dockets. He oversees Reclaiming Our Youth, a multi-faceted, collaborative, juvenile justice reform effort that seeks to improve the local juvenile justice system from intake to disposition to promote positive youth development, restorative justice and family involvement by working with children in their communities. Judge Huff led the Birmingham City Schools’ Collaborative, which developed Birmingham’s School Offense Protocol to
Page 4 establish alternatives to incarceration for children who commit minor delinquent offenses within the school system, is currently active in the Alabama Juvenile Judges’ Association, the board of directors for the Alabama Department of Youth Services and the board for the Children’s First Foundation. He is the past-chair of the Family Law Section of the Alabama State Bar and the Birmingham Bar associations and a member of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. Judge Huff is a graduate of the University of Alabama and the Birmingham School of Law.
Debbi Land
Debbi Land graduated from Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, Alabama in 1974 with a BA in Sociology and from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 1993 with a Masters in Social Work. She began working at the Child Advocacy Center in 1994 as a forensic interviewer and counselor, primarily addressing child abuse cases. In 1999, she became the Clinical Director at Prescott House and also acted as the coordinator of the Jefferson County Child Death Review Team (Birmingham Division). In 2000, she became the Clinical Director of The Bessemer Cut-Off Advocacy Center and continued to conduct forensic interviews and provide counseling. In November 2003, she became the Director of the Advocacy Center. Land has been a member of the Jefferson County Department of Human Resources Quality Assurance Committee since 1997 and Child and Family Planning Team of Jefferson County since 2006.
Meg McGlamery
Meg McGlamery is the Director of Sexual Assault Support Services for the Crisis Center, Inc., which serves five counties in Central Alabama. She has been involved in victim advocacy for over ten years. She received her Masters in Higher Education Administration with a focus on counseling, arts administration and grant writing from Florida State University in 2001. While at FSU, she worked with the Victim Advocate Program, which confirmed her desire to work directly with survivors of sexual violence on a professional level. Meg also received a Bachelors of Arts degree from Samford University in 1997.
Maribeth Thomas
Maribeth is the Clinical Director for Prescott House Child Advocacy Center in Birmingham, Alabama. Prescott House provides forensic services to the largest number of abused children in the State of Alabama, specializing with children who may have been sexually abused, severely physically abused, or witnesses to a murder or other traumatic events. Maribeth has conducted more than 2,000 forensic interviews and has provided counseling for several hundred children and adults. She served as an instructor for seven years at Fort McClellan’s Military Police Academy, teaching MP’s, CID officers and other military personnel how to interview child victims. Beginning in 2002, she has served as an instructor with the National Children’s Advocacy Center, training police officers, child protective service workers, therapists, psychologists, members of the medical profession, attorneys, and judges in the foundations of forensic interviewing and forensic evaluation. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor with the state of Alabama.
Page 5
Intro...... 8
Methodology ...... 8
Relevant Definitions ...... 9
Context of CSEC
Worldwide...... 11
Nationally ...... 12
Regionally ...... 16
Locally ...... 18
Who is at risk/Who profits ...... 22
Within the Home
Victims ...... 23
Pimps...... 24
Outside of the Home
Victims ...... 25
Pimps...... 26
Pornography...... 28
Demand ...... 30
Accessing the system/Recovery ...... 32
Snapshot of local CSEC cases ...... 34
Consequences of CSEC ...... 36
Local Successes and Challenges
Successes ...... 37
Challenges ...... 41
Recommendations ...... 46
Page 6
Conclusion ...... 48
Appendix A: Work Cited ...... 49
Appendix B: Glossary of terms ...... 52
Appendix C: Timeline of Human Trafficking ...... 54
Appendix D: Timeline of Human Trafficking in Jefferson County ...... 58
Appendix E: How to report /how to get involved ...... 62
Appendix F: CSEC Identification Fact Sheet ...... 64
Appendix G: Alabama Human Trafficking Law: Representative Jack Williams and Merika Coleman
Act Fact Sheet ...... 65
Page 7
Introduction
Human trafficking, or trafficking in persons has become one of the leading criminal industries in the world, trailing only the weapon and drug trades. This industry alone grosses an estimated $9.5 billion annually through the exploitation of between four million and 27 million men, women, and children. 1 Many recent reports present compelling evidence that human trafficking, while not a new phenomena, is becoming a worldwide pandemic. Indeed, numerous and varied forms of exploitation have been discovered in every part of the world. Due to increased media attention, mainly focused on international human trafficking, many Americans are more aware of the horrors of labor and sex trafficking: however, much of the American populace continues to perceive human trafficking as a scourge isolated to the far corners of the globe, rather than a national or local issue. In fact, 2010 was the first year our federal government ranked the United States according to the criteria by which it measures other countries in the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report. The TIP Report, produced by the U.S. Secretary of State, presents the results of an annual investigation of 177 different countries ranking the adequacy of their efforts to protect victims, prosecute traffickers, and prevent human trafficking in all forms. This report is in its tenth consecutive year of providing an international standard for nations to uphold, as well as producing an intercontinental score card that serves as an awareness and advocacy tool for the public.
In an address given at the unveiling of the 2010 TIP report, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton revealed that the crime of trafficking in persons crosses cultures and continents, and is even found within our own communities in the thousands of Americans that are being held in sexual slavery. 2 Secretary of State Clinton also appealed to the American people for their attention, emphasizing that human trafficking is no longer someone else’s problem, but that it is found within our very own neighborhoods.3
Since human trafficking, particularly child sex trafficking, known as Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) is virtually invisible in Jefferson County, Alabama, the first major step in eliminating this issue and alleviating the pain it causes is acknowledging its presence. Invisibility was designed as the initial step in researching, unveiling, and addressing this particular form of human trafficking. Our aim for this report is to spur the communities, governments, and organizations within Jefferson County to action, equipping them with knowledge, best practice protocols, and urgency for protection and restoration of our children.
Methodology
Invisibility is an area-specific report for Jefferson County, Alabama that seeks to address issues such as the scope of CSEC, accessibility of care for the children affected, victim identification and intake processes in both governmental and non-governmental organizations, and the accessibility of victim- based services. Invisibility also addresses inter/extra-organizational communication and collaborative
1 Hillary Clinton, "Trafficking in Persons Report," Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. 2 Hillary Clinton, "Trafficking in Persons Report," Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. 3 Hillary Clinton, "Trafficking in Persons Report," Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.
Page 8 response efforts, as well as identifies specific training needs for governmental/nongovernmental organizations. Based on the method utilized by Shared Hope International in various locations, both qualitative and quantitative data was collected through secondary and primary data collection. The following sources were consulted for this assessment: peer reviewed articles; national governmental and non-governmental data bases and registries; local data on health, social, and demographic information; court documents evidencing arrests of both juveniles and adults; seven key informant interviews; Freedom to Thrive focus groups comprised of social service and law enforcement agencies; and individual case files provided by local agencies. We also adapted surveys from Shared Hope International for social service providers and local law enforcement. Seven hundred surveys were distributed through the Child Policy Council’s listserv which includes both social service providers and law enforcement; a web based survey was distributed to 250 social service providers and law enforcement through the Coordinated Community Response listserv, and an additional 25 individuals were invited to participate through the Freedom to Thrive listserv. Fifty-six individuals representing the social service providers in Jefferson County and six local law enforcement officers responded to the survey. Due to the low response rate of the law enforcement agencies, the data could not be verified through quantitative methods and therefore have been eliminated from the study.
The aim of this initial study is threefold: 1) to better understand how CSEC manifests itself within Jefferson County, 2) determine how victims access care; and 3) to identify what types of services are currently available for them. Due to a lack of uniform tracking, coding, and reporting mechanisms, major gaps in information concerning CSEC in the United States, especially for the Jefferson County area, have been identified. Most of the ‘hard U.S. data’ are estimates based on a series of risk factors and percentages. Unfortunately, due to the hidden nature of this crime, it is nearly impossible to accurately report the number of children that are being enslaved and sexually exploited in Jefferson County. For this reason national and regional data were assessed for this report. Thankfully, due to the extraordinary efforts and commitment by the FBI, U.S. Attorney’s Office, District Attorney Association, Freedom to Thrive, and many other individuals and organizations, local cases are being unveiled.
Relevant Definitions
According to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), passed into federal law in 2000, the commercial sexual exploitation of children, or CSEC, is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act when such an act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform has not attained 18 years of age.”4
It is important to note that not all of the parameters of the law, including movement, recruitment, or coercion of the child, have to be met in order to prove a CSEC case because the age of the victim. Primarily, CSEC consists of criminal practices that demean, degrade and threaten the physical and psychological integrity of children through prostitution, pornography (defined as any visual depiction of
4 National Human Trafficking Resource Center, "Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 Fact Sheet," ed. Department of Health and Human Services (Department of Health and Human Services, 2000).
Page 9 sexually explicit conduct involving a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct), 5 and trafficking for sexual purposes. 6 If a sex act is performed with remuneration of any kind (including, but not limited to: drugs, money, transportation, shelter, food, clothing, etc) given to the child or pimp/trafficker, then the crime of CSEC has occurred. There are three types of child sex trafficking: pimp controlled prostitution, familial prostitution, and survival sex. Current research suggests that victims of pimp-controlled prostitution consider their pimps or traffickers as lovers, confidants, father figures, or dream sellers. To the john or buyer, a pimp/trafficker serves as a middle man, broker, and facilitator. The common preconceived notion of "the pimp" as solely a male that is involved with organized crime is not an accurate portrayal of the modern day perpetrator or pimp. In reality, perpetrators are often known to the victim and are: relatives, friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, employers, coaches, or school teachers who lure the child into CSEC and ultimately enslave the child, whether physically or psychologically, for sexual purposes.
Because of the conniving nature of a pimp or trafficker, children may often appear to be willing participants in these criminal acts; however, because of their status as minors (defined as a person under 18), they are not legally able to choose to participate in these activities and are still considered victims. Also, runaway/throwaway youth engaging in survival sex (a sex act performed in exchange for shelter, food, money, or drugs given directly to the child) is still considered a victim of CSEC. Due to the 13th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, which outlaws slavery, a person cannot consent to enslavement or forced labor of any kind, including an individual selling him or herself into bondage or sexual slavery. 7
For clarification purposes, the authors would like to point out that the terms domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) and CSEC are used interchangeably to define this specific form of sexual exploitation of children within the larger crime of human trafficking/trafficking in persons. Human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons by threat or use of force or coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or position of vulnerability, or giving or receiving of payments of benefits in order to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person for the purpose of exploitation, either through forced labor, sex trafficking, bonded labor, debt bondage, involuntary domestic servitude, forced child labor, child soldiers, and child sex trafficking. 8,9 Basically, human trafficking or trafficking in persons is modern day slavery.
For the purpose of this study, we primarily focus on assessing the current status of CSEC within Jefferson County, Alabama to investigate the societal, community, and individual risk factors for becoming a
5 National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, "What Is Child Pornography?," National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 6 Sara Ann Friedman, "Who Is There to Help Us? How the System Fails Sexually Exploited Girls in the United States," (Brooklyn, NY2005). 7 AO. Richard, International Trafficking in Women to the United States: A Contemporary Manifestation of Slavery and Organized Crime. (US: Center for the Study of Intelligence, 1999).
8 Social Injustice and Public Health, ed. Barry S. Levy and Victor W. Sidel (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2006). 9 Clinton, "Trafficking in Persons Report."
Page 10 victim of CSEC and the associated legal and social service responses to these victims once identified. We will refer to these exploited persons as “children”, “youth”, “minors”, or “victims”; however, these terms are not meant to deprive these survivors of strength or resilience. We will also use the terms “prostituted” or “sexually exploited” instead of “prostitutes” which implies choice or a willingness to participate.
Context of CSEC
Worldwide
Human trafficking is an inhumane act that completely deprives victims of personal liberty, dignity, and rights. It plagues every country, crossing cultures and socio economic statuses, with the exploitation of fellow humans. Of the approximately 27 million people trafficked annually for labor and sexual exploitation, eighty percent (80%) are female and fifty percent (50%) are children. 10 Seventy percent (70%) of the females are trafficked for sexual purposes. 11 An estimated one million children are forced into prostitution each year, totaling approximately ten million children who are currently being sexually exploited for financial gain. 12 Not only do these children suffer from sexual victimization, but an estimated annual occurrence of violence worldwide is 2.5 million physical assaults, 2.5 million rapes, and 6,900 homicides. 13 These children also endure psychological trauma and physical illnesses, as well as hunger, homelessness, drug addiction, and neglect. Traffickers are recruiting younger and younger children, some as young as seven, because of fear of HIV transmission, longer profit potential, and an increased demand for this age group. 14
Each victim of human trafficking has a different story as to how she/he was introduced, coerced, manipulated, or forced into the lifestyle. Some are lured in by the prospect of a well paying job, fame, or enticing false advertisements promising to move victims abroad or across town for a better life. Others are mesmerized by the love and attention that a doting “boyfriend” lavishes upon them, rendering them unable to recognize the truth of the situation: that he is actually a pimp. Unfortunately, many children are sold by their parents directly to a john or pimp, or kicked out of their home, becoming easy prey for a manipulating pimp. Traffickers understand the economic motivations and psychological exploitation that will entice a person to leave her family for monetary gain, offer complete trust and devotion to a stranger, and do whatever it takes to survive.
No matter how these children are found initially, generally these victims are recruited, sold, bought, traded, beaten, coerced, abducted, threatened, subjected to cruel mental and physical abuse, starved,
10 Social Injustice and Public Health, ed. Barry S. Levy and Victor W. Sidel (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2006). 11 Social Injustice and Public Health, ed. Barry S. Levy and Victor W. Sidel (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2006). 12 BM Willis and BS Levy, "Child Prostitution: Global Health Burden, Research Needs, and Interventions.," Lancet 359(2002). 13 Social Injustice and Public Health.
14 Clinton, "Trafficking in Persons Report."
Page 11 forced to use drugs, raped, molested, and oftentimes eventually murdered for the sexual gratification of buyers and the financial gain of traffickers. The children are prevented from seeking much needed medical attention and continuously forced to have unprotected sex with large numbers of clients. Often these prostituted children work excruciatingly long hours, spending countless nights outside in extreme temperatures without proper clothing, waiting for the next trick or date to pick them up. 15 If an unexpected pregnancy occurs, victims are often forced to have “back alley” or unsanitary abortions, leading to increased infection and sometimes death. In most cases, traffickers prevent children from leaving by using physical brutality, psychological manipulation, debt bondage, retention of their travel documents, isolation, constant movement from one city to another, and threats of violence against themselves or their families.16 Those who do attempt to escape often live on the streets, many resorting back to survival sex, or are discovered by their pimps and tortured or even killed.
Like most criminal entrepreneurs, traffickers target those suffering from poverty, crisis, ignorance, despair, war, and hopelessness. Trafficked women and children feed a high worldwide demand for sex slaves, pornography, and prostitution. Traffickers are encouraged by the endless supply of victims, large tax-free profits, and low risk.17 These traffickers consider people, especially children, to be commodities or renewable resources that can be exploited again and again, unlike guns or drugs that can only be sold once and at high risk of penalty. 18 With the combination of low risk, high demand, and enormous profit potential it is easy to see why the trafficking in persons industry is soaring, and why something needs to be done to stop it.
Even though all forms of trafficking, especially those involving the commercial sexual exploitation of children, are prohibited under various international and domestic law, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Convention on the Rights of the Child, Palermo Protocol, Beijing and Cairo Conferences, United States federal law and state laws, this crime continues to infect the world like a metastasizing cancer.19
Nationally
According to the TIP report, the United States is not only a destination and transit country with an estimated 600,000-800,000 trafficking victims forced through US borders annually, but also a source country for the trafficking of men, women, and children. 20 In other words, American citizens are being forced into both involuntary labor and sex slavery within our own borders. The United States is also a leading producer, distributor, and consumer of child pornography. 21 According to the TIP Report, more US citizens, both adults and children, are subject to sex trafficking rather than labor trafficking; however,
15 Social Injustice and Public Health. 16 Susan Tiefenbrun, "Sex Sells but Drugs Don't Talk:Trafficking of Women Sex Workers and an Economic Solution," Jefferson Law Review 24(2001). 17 Clinton, "Trafficking in Persons Report." 18 Social Injustice and Public Health.
19 Tiefenbrun, "Sex Sells but Drugs Don't Talk:Trafficking of Women Sex Workers and an Economic Solution." 20 Clinton, "Trafficking in Persons Report." 21 Friedman, "Who Is There to Help Us? How the System Fails Sexually Exploited Girls in the United States."
Page 12 the population at the greatest risk is runaway and homeless youth.22 In fact, it is estimated that 600,000 children are forced to work as prostitutes in the US and Canada, with an additional 300,000 children currently at risk for becoming victims of CSEC within the United States. 23 According to the Department of Justice, the average age of entry into this form of exploitation for girls is 12-14 years old; for boys it is 11-13 years old.24 Even though the United States regards freedom as an unalienable right, historically less emphasis has been placed on the eradication of commercial sexual exploitation of children within the US than internationally. 25 With each passing year, though, more arrests, convictions and prosecutions for domestic child sex trafficking have been made. 26
For CSEC, there is no typical victim profile; it can affect any race, gender, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status. Contradictory to the common understanding of CSEC, it is more likely for a child to be sexually exploited for monetary gain by a family member or family friend than by a stranger. 27 Dr. Richard Estes, a professor at the School of Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania and one of the leading researchers of CSEC within the US, separates victims and potential victims into two categories: children living in their own homes and children not living in their own homes. The residence of the children determines their risk factors and the characteristics of the perpetrators. Children living outside of their homes are at an exponentially greater risk of becoming a victim of CSEC than children living at home; however, the number of children living at home is greater than the number of children on the streets, thus explaining the following findings. According to the National Institute of Justice, 75% of child pornography victims are living at home while being exploited, suggesting that a significant portion of CSEC begins within the home. 28
It is important to understand that CSEC can take on many different forms of exploitation including survival sex, pornography, prostitution, or any other sexual behavior, such as stripping. Due to these complexities, CSEC presents different faces of victims and pimps, as well as different motivations behind the crime. Unfortunately, there is no clear cut case or profile of a victim or a trafficker. Here are some cases from a six month period (March to August) in 2010 outlining CSEC within the United States:
March 25, 2010: A 45 year old Michigan woman was charged for allowing a 67 year old man to have sex with her 10 year old granddaughter in exchange for cocaine. 29
22 Clinton, "Trafficking in Persons Report." 23 Rachel Hagues, Allison McWilliams, and Melinda Moore, The Business of Human Trafficking: In Our Own Backyard (Child and Family Policy Initiative, University of Georgia, 2008). 24 Clinton, "Trafficking in Persons Report." 25 Hagues, McWilliams, and Moore, The Business of Human Trafficking: In Our Own Backyard. 26 Clinton, "Trafficking in Persons Report." 27 R.J. Estes and N.A. Weiner, "The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the U.S., Canada and Mexico," (Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania, School of Social Work, 2001).
28 U.S. Department of Justice, "Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children:What Do We Know and What Do We Do About It?," in Issues in International Crime (Washington, DC2007). 29 KTLA News, "Woman Trades 10-Year-Old Granddaughter for Cocaine, Cops Say," KTLA.Com 2010.
Page 13
March 29, 2010: 35 year old Colorado man was charged with enticing teen runaways with drugs and alcohol in exchange for sex. In 2008 he met a 16 year old Alabaman runaway, took her to Colorado, and married her. 30
June 18, 2010: Police arrested and charged a woman in Ohio with compelling prostitution of a minor when reports surfaced that she has been letting men have sex with her 14 year old daughter in exchange for money and crack cocaine. This began when her daughter was 10 years old. 31
August 13, 2010: A 14 year old girl’s mother and grandmother were arrested and charged with forcing the girl into prostitution for heroin. 32
According to the national research, CSEC takes place at four levels: half of pimps operate strictly on a local level, managing around one to three girls at a time; twenty-five percent (25%) of pimps work in city wide crime rings that include drugs as well as prostitution and are constantly looking for new recruits; fifteen percent (15%) of pimps are tied to regional or national crime networks that are well organized and financed, providing support services such as recruitment, selection, indoctrination, and movement of new girls; and ten percent (10%) of pimps are involved with international crime networks that actively participate in the international trafficking of children and are connected to the intercontinental drug ring. 33
Even though there are many different types and characteristics of pimps, there has been ample research conducted to determine a general nature of pimps and their conniving methods of luring children into prostitution. Generally, all pimps recruit, manipulate, and prostitute children using similar methods.
One method is referred to as “Finesse Pimping”, or “Grooming”:
First pimps identify youth who appear to be runaways or outcasts without money or job skills. They usually scout out bus stations, arcades, malls, schools, and fast food restaurants. Initially the pimp approaches the child with smooth talking, affection, and flattery, purchasing food, clothes, and jewelry for them. The pimp wins the child’s trust and sells them a life of glamour and love until the child is emotionally and financially dependent on the pimp. This process is called “grooming” and results in the child believing that the pimp is their lover, father figure, and friend. The grooming process could take anywhere from one day to several months before the pimp begins to exploit the child.
30 Press Register, "Colorado Man Who Married 16-Year-Old Runaway in Alabama Pleads Guilty," AL.Com March 29, 2010. 31 KTLA News, "Mom Accused of Pimping Daughter for Cocaine," KTLA.Com June 18, 2010. 32 KTLA News, "Mom, Grandma Accused of Pimping out Young Girl," KTLA.Com August 13, 2010. 33 Justice, "Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children:What Do We Know and What Do We Do About It?."
Page 14
After the traffickers or pimps gain the trust of the children, they initiate sexual contact, solidifying their control and love relationship. Once the initial sexual contact has been made, the pimp puts the victims into situations where they believe they’re making their own decisions to enter into prostitution for the mutual benefit of themselves and their pimp. Obviously, this is actually only benefitting the pimp. Even through the hardships of “the life” and the ugly reality that is prostitution, the victims rely on the lie that they are acting on their own volition and that their pimp will one day fulfill their promises and change their lives. These victims are brainwashed to believe that their pimps are the only ones who truly love them, and that they are useless and worthless without them. Even in times when the pimp uses violence to punish the victims or enforce “the law,” they are taught to believe that they deserve all of the beatings given to them.
Another method is called the “Bait and Switch” technique:
This method begins with the pimp approaching a child with a bigger-than-life opportunity to build trust and hope within them. An example of this would be a huge modeling contract or movie deal. The pimp lavishes compliments and thoughts of grandeur onto the child, breaking down their barriers. Once this trust is established, the trafficker switches the situation into the victimization and exploitation of the child for the trafficker’s own benefit. Continuing with the previous example, instead of a great movie deal in Hollywood, the pimp forces the child to perform in pornography.
A third method is called “Guerrilla Pimping”:
This technique is fueled by the use of threats, force, violence, and intimidation throughout the initiation and prostitution process. Usually, a pimp abducts a child and, through violence and threat, forces them to comply with his/her commands. This is a terrifying and hopeless situation for a child, and the more they comply, the better their chances of survival.
No matter what method they use, the pimps’ ultimate goal is to make as much money as possible. 34 Often, the traffickers require the prostituted children to meet a monetary quota of $500 to $800 each night. If the quota is not met, the children usually suffer some form of punishment.
According to the state and federal laws, trafficking can occur without movement of persons; however, in cases involving regional, national or international networking, traffickers use movement as a tactic by the traffickers to disorient the victims and keep the buyers engaged. Research conducted by ECPACT, states that pimps have become more sophisticated in their recruitment techniques and maintenance of the children they prostitute. 35 Through investigation and questioning of detained traffickers, researchers have identified clear trade routes and city hubs for CSEC throughout the country. By moving the children from small town to small town, city to city, and state to state, traffickers provide ‘fresh faces’ for clients
34 Friedman, "Who Is There to Help Us? How the System Fails Sexually Exploited Girls in the United States."
Page 15 and keep victims unfamiliar with their surroundings. 35 By keeping their victims disoriented, traffickers ensure that they are less likely to contact local law enforcement. Debbi Land, the Director of Clay House Children’s Center, the Child Advocacy Center for Bessemer, Alabama, recounted instances involving children being moved around from place to place so that, “by the time the Law Enforcement heard about it, they were gone.”36
Some of the major hubs that were identified in the research are: New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Houston, Reno, Seattle, Dallas, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Kentucky, and the ever emergent hub: Atlanta.37 Connecting these hubs are regional circuits providing these cities with endless supplies of victims. The Pacific or Northwest route goes from Hawaii to California; Southwest route covers Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Reno; the Northern and Eastern routes go from New England and New York into Canada and down to Florida. 38 The Southern/Southeastern route encompasses 5 of the 13 major hubs connecting them all by a small number of interstates.
Regionally
Since about forty percent of the major hubs in the US are located in the South or Southeast, the region can be classified as a key area for human trafficking. However, this issue is just beginning to be acknowledged, investigated, prosecuted, and researched, making the number of victims and cases impossible to truly quantify accurately. In the last three years, states have made impressive efforts to pursue trafficking cases:
Texas: On June 12, 2009, Charges were filed against two people for compelling prostitution of a minor and sex trafficking of a minor.39
Louisiana: In May of 2009, a 41 year old man pleaded guilty to human trafficking and was sentenced to 18 years in prison after admitting that he forced a 15 year old girl he met in Arkansas to prostitute herself out of a Chef Monteur Highway Motel. 40
Georgia: On November 17, 2009, a 30 year old female and a 31 year old male were charged with the trafficking of a 14 year old girl for sexual servitude in Bibb County. 41
35 Richard, International Trafficking in Women to the United States: A Contemporary Manifestation of Slavery and Organized Crime. 36 Debbie Land, "Interview," in Director of Clay House Children’s Center, the Child Advocacy Center for Bessemer, Alabama (2010). 37 Richard, International Trafficking in Women to the United States: A Contemporary Manifestation of Slavery and Organized Crime. 38 Friedman, "Who Is There to Help Us? How the System Fails Sexually Exploited Girls in the United States."
39 News, "Mom, Grandma Accused of Pimping out Young Girl." 40 Gwen Filosa, "Man Gets 18 Years for "Human Trafficking" after Forcing 15-Year-Old Girl to Prostitute Herself out at Chef Menteur Motel," New Orleans Metro Real Time News(May 21, 2009). 41 Amy Leigh Womack, "Macon Girl to Be Made Sex Slave, Then Sold for $500," The Telegraph(November 2009).
Page 16
North Carolina: On November 9, 2009, Antoinette Davis was charged with felony child abuse and human trafficking after she sold her 5 year old daughter, Shaniya, with the intent that she would be held in sexual servitude. 42
Alabama: On September 22, 2010, a federal jury convicted a Florence, Alabama man for the sex trafficking of a 15-year-old girl. Zelaya Rodriguez caused her to engage in commercial sex acts between about Aug. 25, 2009, and Sept. 8, 2009, evidence showed. Zelaya Rodriguez faces a minimum 10-year prison sentence and a maximum sentence of life in prison.43
In the last few years, substantial research has been conducted in Houston and Atlanta, two of the largest cities within this region. As of January 2006, twenty-five percent of all the trafficking victims identified in the United States were from Texas, and, the majority of those were from Houston. Due to the close proximity of Mexico, the high population of migrant workers, industry, conventions, and the large geographical area of the state, Texas has been identified as the second major hub for human trafficking in all forms. 44 In fact, the interstate that runs through Houston, Interstate 10, has been designated as the main route for trafficking by the Department of Justice. 45 Also, recent reports from the FBI indicate that Houston has 127 known active brothels with two new operations opening each month. 46
In the same way, Atlanta is an international destination for conventions and sporting events and has a thriving sex industry, thus making it a hot-spot for the trafficking of children. On any given night, forty girls under the age of 18 are being exploited on the streets.47 The average age of CSEC victims in Atlanta is 14; however, some as young as 10 and 11 have been reported. 48The vast majority of the victims are African American females that have been emotionally and/or physically abandoned, have conflicts at home, and have suffered from housing instability, poverty, physical or sexual abuse. 49 According to a study by The Schapiro Group on men who buy sex with adolescent females in Georgia, of the 3 million adult men in Georgia, twenty-three percent or approximately 700,000 men have purchased sex with females. This number includes 12,400 men who purchase sex in any given month, 7,200 of whom exploit adolescent females. 50 According to the study, a majority, or forty-two percent (42%), of the johns are from the north metro area (a more affluent area), with far fewer men coming from the south metro area at twenty-three percent (23%), twenty-six percent (26%) in the metro area’s urban core, and nine
42 Edecio Martinez, "Shaniya Davis Missing: Mother Arrested for Human Trafficking, Putting Daughter in "Sexual Servitude"," Crimesider(November 2009). 43 Northern District of Alabama United States District Attorney's Office, "Florence Man Convicted of sex Trafficking 15-Year-Old Girl," ed. Department of Justice (Huntsville, AL: Federal Bureau of Investigation, September 22, 2010). 44 Inc. Bringing Hope, "Sex Trafficking Is Modern-Day Slavery: Facts and Statistics," Home of Hope Texas. 45 Inc. Bringing Hope, "Sex Trafficking Is Modern-Day Slavery: Facts and Statistics," Home of Hope Texas. 46 Inc. Bringing Hope, "Sex Trafficking Is Modern-Day Slavery: Facts and Statistics," Home of Hope Texas. 47 The Schapiro Group, "Men Who Buy Sex with Adolescent Girls: A Scientific Research Study," (Atlanta, GA2009). 48 Alexandra Priebe and Cristen Suhr, "Hidden in Plain View: The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Girls in Atlanta," (Atlanta, GA2005).
49 Alexandra Priebe and Cristen Suhr, "Hidden in Plain View: The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Girls in Atlanta," (Atlanta, GA2005). 50 Group, "Men Who Buy Sex with Adolescent Girls: A Scientific Research Study."
Page 17 percent (9%) from around the airport. 51 With the help of many different nonprofit organizations there has been an adequate amount of funding given for research on the status of CSEC within the city and state. This research has resulted in quantitative evaluation, funding for shelters, and greater community awareness.
Locally
Jefferson County, located in the heart of Alabama, boasts approximately 700,000 residents, twenty-four percent (24%) of whom are under the age of 18. 52 Although the commercial sexual exploitation of children is not a new phenomenon, the campaign to acknowledge victims and prosecute perpetrators within the county is relatively young. Due to the commitment by the US Attorney’s Office and the Justice Department, more cases of sexual exploitation, especially involving children, are emerging. US Attorney Joyce Vance has enthusiastically targeted human trafficking in the Northern District of Alabama, including Jefferson County, stating that, “Human trafficking for purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor is a growing problem in North Alabama and across the country and is a grave concern of the Department of Justice,” she said. “We want a zero-tolerance policy on this crime.”53
Vance stresses the importance of deterring this activity in our district. “Prosecuting these types of cases is how we begin to address the criminal enterprise of human trafficking, which, sadly, is growing in the U.S.”54 Here are two recent cases within Jefferson County:
March 15, 2010: A Louisiana man known as “Boss” was charged with sex trafficking of minors and two counts of transportation for prostitution after he forced two girls, one 16 and one 17, to accompany him from Atlanta to Birmingham for the purpose of prostitution on several occasions between 2007 and 2009. During this time, he utilized the website “Backpage.com” to advertise the girls. 55
October 27, 2010: A Birmingham man was charged with attempting to lure a 14 year old into prostitution. The 31 year old man was indicted on charges of attempting to entice the girl to engage in sexual activities at a Hoover hotel in exchange for $75. According to the news report, when he arrived at the hotel on October 3rd, he found an undercover agent and a multi-departmental sting operation waiting for him. 56
51 Alexandra Priebe and Cristen Suhr, "Hidden in Plain View: The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Girls in Atlanta," (Atlanta, GA2005). 52 U.S. Census Bureau, "Alabama Quickfacts," in State and Country QuickFacts (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). 53 United States District Attorney's Office, "Florence Man Convicted of sex Trafficking 15-Year-Old Girl." 54 Joyce White United States Attorney Vance, "Massage Spa and Operators Indicted for Prostitution," ed. Department of Justice (Northern District of AlabamaSeptember 29, 2010).
55 Erin Stock, "Louisiana Man Charged with Transporting Girls from Atlanta to Birmingham for Prostitution," Birmingham News March 15, 2010. 56 Jeremy Gray, "Birmingham Man Charged with Attempting to Lure 14-Year-Old into Prostitution," Birmingham News October 27, 2010.
Page 18
Other similar cases are mid-investigation or currently pending such that they cannot be discussed; however, their existence, as well as these documented cases, speaks to the prevalence of CSEC within the area. In a survey distributed to social service providers in Jefferson County it was asked whether or not they believed that CSEC occurs in the area. They unanimously agreed that it exists.57 In fact, 46.9% of Jefferson County social service providers and 7 out of 7 of the key informants interviewed said that they have encountered situations that could be classified as CSEC within their individual professional experience. 58 Unfortunately, adequate investigation regarding human trafficking in Jefferson County has not been completed, so hard data is not as readily available as it is in Atlanta or Houston; however, this does not mean that this form of exploitation does not exist. Judge Brian Huff of the Jefferson County Family Court stated in an interview that he is positive of the prevalence of CSEC in numbers similar to that of Houston or Atlanta. “I’d have no reason to believe that our numbers would deviate from the average in any way. I don’t have any reason to believe that the people in Birmingham are any better or worse than people in any other town.” 59
Many different factors can contribute to a city’s predisposition to the presence of CSEC. One or more of these factors could be an indicator: the presence of an adult sex industry, large groups of transient men including military, truck drivers, seasonal workers, and conventioneers; sport arenas or large sporting events, high poverty rates mixed with recent economic recession, high sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates particularly in the younger populations, high truancy and dropout rates, high teen pregnancy rates, and close proximity to nationally recognized trafficking hubs.60 Due to the hidden nature of this crime, the use of indicators is essential in evaluating the community’s susceptibility to CSEC.
Risk Factor Jefferson County Statistics Presence of an Strip clubs: 1061 adult sex Erotic massage parlors: 5 industry Escort business: 3062 Escorts available online: 12 Adult book and video stores: 563 Stripper services for private parties: 12 Number of prostitution arrests in 2009: 176 Number of promoting prostitution arrests in 2009: 24 Large groups of Truck stops: 9 transient men Universities or colleges: 7 Military reserve headquarters: 6 Large farm areas with high numbers of seasonal workers
57 Isabelle Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County," (Southeastern Network, November 5, 2010). 58 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County." 59 Judge Brian Huff, "Interview," (2010). 60 KlaasKIDS Foundation, "Birmingham, Al: Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Project," (Sausalito, CA2009).
61 yellowpages.com, "Birmingham Adult Entertainment." 62 yellowpages.com, "Birmingham Escort Services," (2010). 63 yellowpages.com, "Birmingham Adult Stores," (2010).
Page 19
Sport Arenas or Birmingham Race Course Large sporting Monster Jam events Alabama International Auto Show College football bowl games Major fishing tournaments Honda Indy Grand Prix Close proximity to Talladega Super Speedway BJCC Arena Regions Stadium Legion Field Stadium
Presence of Sex As of November 2010, Jefferson County Sherriff’s Office reported a total of 1,538 Offenders sex offenders in the county. 694 of which have to notify the public of their classification by the community notification act, 233 of which are juvenile offenders and cannot be listed or the offenders are living out of state, and 278 are currently incarcerated64 High poverty 13.8% of the population lives below the federal poverty level, just above than the rates national average. 44.6% of the single parent households with females as the head live below the federal poverty level 18.2% of the two parent households live below federal poverty level 65
High sexually According to the CDC, Jefferson County is rated 2nd in the nation per population transmitted for syphilis, 4th in the nation for gonorrhea, and 5th for chlamydia. The age group infection rates most affected by chlamydia and gonorrhea is ages 15-19. 66 among youth High teen 8,700 teen births per year pregnancy rates 51 out of every 1000 births are to teen moms 80% of pregnancies were unintentional, and 25% of those mothers will have another baby within two years. 67
High truancy/ In 2007, 41.4% of Alabama high school students dropped out before graduation.68 dropout rates In 2009, 45 youth were charged with truancy in the Family Court system. This is a 65% drop from 2006 due to a change in policy. Now parents are charged instead of youth. 69 Instead of being charged with truancy, 1898 youth were charged with EWP or education neglect in 2009.
64 Sgt. Reach, November 18, 2010. 65 Bureau, "Alabama Quickfacts." 66 Alabama Department of Public Health, "Std Rates in Alabama among Highest in Nation," Medical News Today(November 16, 2007).
67 University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, "Teen Birth Rate," ed. Snapshot 2010: Hale (County Health Rankings, 2010). 68 R Nance, "Alabama's Rising Dropout Rate Could Slow State's Economic Recovery," Birmingham News(July 20, 2010). 69 Jeremy Gray, "Jefferson County Truancy Charges Dive with New Policy," Birmingham News(April 19, 2010).
Page 20
Presence of sex In 2009 there were 1,428 rapes reported in Jefferson County, or 4 per day. Of the crimes 394 males arrested, 7% were juvenile, 48% white, and 29.2 was the average age (the age range was 12-73). The average age of the victim was 22.8 (ranging from age 2 to 89). 58% were white females, 41% black females, and 32% of all victims were between 13-16 years old. 70% of the victims knew/were related to the offender.70
Incidence of According to ACJIC, in 2009 there were 114 minor rape victims in Jefferson sexual assault County. 85% of the victims were ages 12-17. The ages with the highest number of of a minor rapes are 13 and 14 with 20 rapes each. 71
Presence of In Jefferson County around 151 children were reported homeless in 2005; homelessness however, the persons counted were among the “highly visible homeless”: those for youth living in transitional housing, emergency shelters, treatment facilities, with friends or relatives, or on the streets.72 For the state of Alabama, 394 unaccompanied youth experienced homelessness.73 During the 2005-2006 school year, 15,857 Alabama public school children experienced homelessness as defined by the Board of Education. 74 The non-profit organization Family Connection served 141 youth in 2009; 105 of them were considered runway/throwaway. 75
Child Abuse or In 2007, nearly 30,000 children in Alabama were reported to DHR as possible Neglect victims of child abuse and neglect. 76 During the fiscal year of 2009, Jefferson County DHR reported having 249 sexual abuse cases. The Clay House Child Advocacy Center located in Bessemer held 400 interviews, 275 of which were sexual abuse allegations from October 2009 to September 2010. Out of the 275 they approximately 18% for prosecution.77 Close proximity Birmingham is 147 miles from Atlanta, a major hub for human trafficking to nationally recognized hub
70 Statistical Analysis Center Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center, "Crime in Alabama," (Montgomery, AL2009). 71 Statistical Analysis Center Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center, "Crime in Alabama," (Montgomery, AL2009). 72 FJ Ritchey et al., "Report of the Results of the Birmingham, Al Metropolitan Area Survey of Homeless Persons," (Birmingham, AL: University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2005). 73 The Governor's Statewide Interagency Council on Homelessness, "Homelessness in Alabama," (Montgomery, AL2007). 74 The Governor's Statewide Interagency Council on Homelessness, "Homelessness in Alabama," (Montgomery, AL2007). 75 Phil Cain, "Interview," (August 2010).
76 Bob Blalock, "Your Views: Prevention of Child Abuse Stabilizes Our Communities," Birmingham News(April 29, 2009). 77 D Land, November 15, 2010.
Page 21
Trafficking cases are very hard to uncover and investigate, because the crime occurs behind closed doors. Usually, indicators and known high incidence prostitution areas (HIPAs) are the only evidence of CSEC within a city. HIPAs for women and children were identified in the first ever prevalence study, conducted in June of 2009 for Jefferson County through passive surveillance and online monitoring by a team of professionals assembled by the KlaasKids Foundation, commissioned by the Youth and Family Services Network, formerly known as SENetwork.78 The study identified these HIPAs in Jefferson County:
East Side: Just past the Blount County line at Old Highway 75. Center Point Road Leeds/Trussville area, Floyd Bradford Road. Around the area called Lola City and off Virginia Street and High Street. 1st Avenue North, going west from the Anchor Motel all the way down to the Crown gas station around 45th Street; also around the hotels Sky, American, Relax and Motel 8. In Avondale, 3rd Avenue from the Exxon station to the Star Inn, and the streets behind the Star. Downtown --‐ 4th Avenue North and 5th Avenue North near the post office and park. Downtown --‐ 16th Street Church and Kelly Ingram Park; also Linn Park. West side --‐ 3rd Avenue West from the Church's Chicken and Alabama Adult Books (around 9th Street and 3rd Ave west) down to where the fairgrounds area starts and Lomb Avenue intersects. Activity can also be found along side roads in this area. 79
Who Is at Risk and Who Profits
Since the characteristics of CSEC differ according to a range of variables, we decided to follow the guidance of Estes and categorize the victims and perpetrators into two groups based upon the residence of the victim: within the home and outside of the home. It is important to note, however, that whether or not the crime of CSEC occurs at the hand of a pimp or a parent, the abuse almost always begins at home. Whether the parents are directly involved with the trafficking or their negligence and abuse allows the trafficking to occur, the dysfunction of a family is usually the root cause of CSEC. 80 According to the National Institute of Justice, one out of five girls and one out of ten boys in the United States are sexually abused.81 More than half of these children are abused by someone they know and trust, such as a family
78 Foundation, "Birmingham, Al: Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Project." 79 Foundation, "Birmingham, Al: Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Project."
80 Amanda Kloer, "The Role of Parents in Child Trafficking," End Human Trafficking(August 1, 2009). 81 Justice, "Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children:What Do We Know and What Do We Do About It?."
Page 22 member, coach, teacher, pastor, or family friend. 82Unfortunately, only 35% of victims come forward to report their abuse and stop their abusers. 83
For children, the continuum of abuse rarely stops at physical or sexual abuse by one perpetrator. Instead, it escalates into systematic sexual exploitation, often leading to videotaping or photographing the sexual abuse, inviting others to participate in exchange for something of value, or forcing the child to runaway to a life of subsistence sex or pimp-managed prostitution for survival. Victims of sexual abuse by a family member or a trusted individual are more susceptible to predatory pimps that offer the love and sense of belonging they long for from their families.84 In the survey conducted with social service providers in Jefferson County, eighty-six percent (86.7%) of the participants said that there usually is a pimp or parent facilitating CSEC.85 This information is consistent with the national data. According to Shared Hope International, there are very few children, referred to as “independents,” who choose to prostitute themselves without the manipulation and coercion of an adult or peer. 86
Phil Cain, the Assistant Director of Family Connection, describes the cases of CSEC in Jefferson County as a “cross section” of both familial and traditional pimp prostitution. 87 The social service provider survey suggests that the majority of identified victims are local to the Jefferson County area (78.6%), white (37.9%) or black (37.9%), with only a few Hispanic (10.3%) or Asian (10.3%) cases, and mostly from single-parent households (58.8%) or part of the runaway/throwaway population (52.9%).88
Within the home
Victims
Abuse at home, whether physical or sexual, is indiscriminant to race, gender, and socioeconomic status. The same can also be said about the prostitution of a child within the home. Nevertheless, CSEC seems to primarily affect those children living within a high poverty, single-parent household. 89,90 This subset of CSEC is the one of the least researched; however, due to the high poverty rates for single female parent households in Jefferson County (44.6% are below federal poverty level),91 the area would fit the definition as high risk. According to Debbi Land, the primary relationship between a child and a trafficker in Jefferson County is that of acquaintance or family member, primarily the mother. 92 Additionally, forty-seven percent (47%) of the social service providers surveyed in Jefferson County said
82 Justice, "Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children:What Do We Know and What Do We Do About It?." 83 Justice, "Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children:What Do We Know and What Do We Do About It?." 84 Ibid; Kloer, "The Role of Parents in Child Trafficking." 85 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County." 86 Linda A. Smith, Samantha Healy Vardaman, and Melissa A. Snow, "The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: America's Prostituted Children," (2009). 87 Cain, "Interview."
88 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County." 89 Land, "Interview." 90 Cain, "Interview." 91 Bureau, "Alabama Quickfacts." 92 Land, "Interview."
Page 23 that the pimps identified by their organization have been family members, more than any other category. 93
Since there is no typical victim profile, we can only discuss the symptoms of a victim engaged in forms of familial CSEC. Victims usually suffer from truancy, pregnancy, drug use, violence, conflicts at home, parental neglect, physical or sexual abuse, poverty, housing instability, educational failure, lack of adequate healthcare, and frequent homelessness. 94 Emotionally they will exhibit signs of mental abuse, fear, anxiety, irritability, depression, nervousness, hyper vigilance, and paranoia. 95 Jefferson County’s youth exhibit indicators of CSEC through the excessively high rates of truancy or educational neglect and failure (41.4% drop out rate and 1,898 charged with educational neglect), 96,97 teen pregnancy (8,700 teen births per year), 98 familial poverty (13.8% of the population lives below poverty levels),99 and housing instability or homelessness (15,857 public school children in Alabama experienced homelessness). 100 However the most positive indicator of CSEC within this population of youth is the high incidence of child abuse for the area. In 2007, nearly 30,000 children in Alabama were reported to the Department of Human Resources as possible victims of child abuse or neglect. 101 In 2009, Jefferson County Department of Human Resources reported 249 cases concerning the sexual abuse of a child. More recently, the Clay House, the Child Advocacy Center for the Bessemer area, conducted 400 interviews from October 2009 to September 2010. Out of the 400 interviews, 275 cases concerned sexual abuse allegations. 102
Pimps
Direct parental trafficking can be as simple as a mom trading a teenage daughter to the landlord for rent, or as complex as parents or relatives involved in larger, multi-children crime rings. 103 More often than not, trafficking on a smaller scale in exchange for drugs, money, rent, gifts, or food is the norm. Since familial traffickers are usually already involved in drugs or prostitution, they tend to prostitute their children to fund their drug habits. 104 In the social service provider survey for Jefferson County, money (60%) and drugs (60%) were identified as a typical exchange between a buyer and a pimp. 105 National research shows that parental traffickers usually advertise directly to these predators through the internet or in person. However, since most of the trafficking is casual, parents usually sell their children to friends, drug dealers, landlords, or acquaintances.
93 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County." 94 Estes and Weiner, "The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the U.S., Canada and Mexico." 95 Southeastern Network, "Project Reaching Out: Anti-Human Trafficking Compendium," (Bonita Springs, FL2010). 96 Nance, "Alabama's Rising Dropout Rate Could Slow State's Economic Recovery." 97 Gray, "Jefferson County Truancy Charges Dive with New Policy." 98 Institute, "Teen Birth Rate." 99 Bureau, "Alabama Quickfacts." 100 Homelessness, "Homelessness in Alabama." 101 Blalock, "Your Views: Prevention of Child Abuse Stabilizes Our Communities." 102 Land. 103 Kloer, "The Role of Parents in Child Trafficking." 104 ABC News, "Parents Who Pimp Their Children,"(2010). 105 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County."
Page 24
The family member or acquaintance forces these children to comply through coercion, the use or threat of violence towards the child or siblings, fear of criminal charges, and threats of homelessness or abandonment. Some even use manipulation to make them believe that they are providing a service for the family by “doing their part.” Parents use psychological manipulation similar to that of a traditional pimp; however, they also use authority, guilt, and duty to force their children to comply.
Outside of the Home
Victims
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, around five percent of the adolescent population, or 1.6 million children, experience one episode of homelessness each year.106 The majority of youth that live in the streets, in shelters, or in transitional housing do so because of family breakdown and system failure. 107 In fact, in a study conducted in 2001 by the University of Nebraska around seventy-one percent (71.5%) of homeless youth experienced physical abuse and thirty-eight percent (38.2%) experience sexual abuse while living at home. 108 Among the youth identified as victims of CSEC in Jefferson County, fifty-two percent (52.8%) are from the homeless youth population. 109 According to national data, there are two different types of homeless youth: those who run away from home and those who are forced to leave their home, referred to as a throwaways.
A runaway episode is defined as a child leaving home without permission and staying overnight, a child fourteen or younger who is away from home and chooses to not come home when expected and stays overnight, or a fifteen-year old who stays away for two nights or more. 110 A throwaway is defined as a child who is asked to leave or prevented from returning home. 111 In reality, though, there is no clear distinction between the two categories. Both types share similar characteristics and a majority of kids who have experienced one situation have experienced both. In a NISMART Bulletin, an effort was made to deemphasize the distinction between runaways and throwaways and to count both as part of one larger group called runaway/throwaway.” 112
Of the 1.6 million children who are runaway/throwaways, sixty-eight percent (68%) are in their late teens, or 15-17 years old; twenty-eight percent (28%) are 12-14; and four percent (4%) are 7-
106 National Alliance to End Homelessness, "Homeless Youth and Sexual Exploitation: Research Findings and Practical Implications," (Washington, DC2009). 107 NISMART, "Runaway/Throwaway Children: National Estimates and Characteristics," NISMART. 108 Les Whitbeck et al., "Deviant Behavior and Victimization among Homeless and Runaway Adolescents," Journal of Interpersonal Violence 16, no. 11 (2001).
109 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County." 110 NISMART, "Runaway/Throwaway Children: National Estimates and Characteristics," NISMART. 111 NISMART, "Runaway/Throwaway Children: National Estimates and Characteristics," NISMART. 112 NISMART, "Runaway/Throwaway Children: National Estimates and Characteristics," NISMART.
Page 25
11. 113 There is an equal distribution between male and females and no ethnic group is overrepresented. 114 In Jefferson County, roughly 150 youth are homeless at any given time. 115 Youth on the streets are at a constant risk of sexual exploitation and of being recruited into the sex industry. In fact, within the first forty-eight (48) hours of leaving home, one third of these teens will be lured toward prostitution. 116 For Jefferson County this would equal fifty (50) youth at risk of being lured into prostitution within two days of being on the streets.
Once on the streets, these children are not only at a great risk of exposure to predators, but they also begin to engage in survival strategies that put them in harm’s way. According to a study by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, of the youth engaging in survival sex, forty-eight percent (48%) exchanged sex for housing or food, twenty-two percent (22%) traded sex for drugs, and 30% traded sex for money. 117 In the survey of Jefferson County social service providers, sixty-six percent (66.7%) identified shelter as the number one exchange between a buyer and a child victim or pimp, fifty-three percent (53.3%) identified food, and twenty-six percent (26.7%) identified transportation. 118
Often it is believed that a youth engaging in a sexual act in exchange for food, shelter, or money is mutually benefitting the adult and the child, and therefore is not a victim of a crime; however, according to Shared Hope International, a non-profit organization established to eradicate sexual slavery, survival sex is a form of CSEC because an “adult is exercising control over a vulnerable youth to secure a sex act,” making it a criminal activity.119 The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) defines a commercial sex act as the giving or receiving of anything of value to any person in exchange for a sex act.120 The fact that the child may actually be a willing recipient or the initiator of this commercial exchange should not deter law enforcement from pursuing a case against the buyer, client, or john. Because of the federal and state parameters of the crime, the requirement of proving force, fraud, or coercion is waved if the person has not yet turned 18 years of age. Since most teens do not have access to money when they leave home, their bodies become the only commodity that they have on the streets. Only twenty percent (20%) of the victims identified in Jefferson County through the social service provider survey were thought to have acted independently from a pimp. 121
Pimps
In all of the interviews conducted for this assessment, the key informants disclosed that in each case available to them, the victims were being prostituted by an intermediary facilitator, or pimp. In the
113 NISMART, "Runaway/Throwaway Children: National Estimates and Characteristics," NISMART. 114 NISMART, "Runaway/Throwaway Children: National Estimates and Characteristics," NISMART. 115 Ritchey et al., "Report of the Results of the Birmingham, Al Metropolitan Area Survey of Homeless Persons." 116 Friedman, "Who Is There to Help Us? How the System Fails Sexually Exploited Girls in the United States." 117 Homelessness, "Homeless Youth and Sexual Exploitation: Research Findings and Practical Implications." 118 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County."
119 Smith, Vardaman, and Snow, "The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: America's Prostituted Children." 120 Center, "Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 Fact Sheet." 121 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County."
Page 26
Jefferson County social service providers’ survey, thirty-five percent (35.3%) of pimps identified were friends of the family, thirty-five percent (35.3%) were strangers, and thirty-five percent (35.3%) were considered “others.” 122The responses for the “others” category consisted of boyfriends, acquaintances, older men, and all of the above. 123
Pimps advertise their product through the internet, print media, telephone hotlines, and in person. In advertising prostituted children, traffickers use code words to indicate age. Examples of these code words include: new to business, new to site, new in town, young, fresh, tender, and fresh meat.124 Other indicators include: multiple girls with the same telephone number, postings with an out-of-area phone number, postings with obvious fake photos, or photos in which the face is obscured. 125 In The KlaasKid’s surveillance project for Jefferson County, an assessment of the advertising mechanisms for traffickers, such as websites, bulletin boards, and online advertisements was conducted. This study unveiled postings with multiple listings for the same number, postings offering two for one specials, and out-of-area phone numbers from Atlanta, Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, New York, Chicago, and Kansas City.126
Until recently the international classified ads site, Craigslist, was the leading producer of “adult” services ads. In fact, Craigslist was commonly referred to as the Wal-Mart of sex ads. 127 In September 2010, Craigslist, under pressure from non-profits, law makers, and the media, shut down their adult services section, losing several million dollars in revenue almost overnight. According to the AIM Group, an interactive media and classified advertising consultant organization, the top sites for prostitution would generate nearly $76 million in annual revenue in 2010; however, with the closure of Craigslist’s adult ads, the estimate has decreased by forty-eight percent (48.4%) to $39.2 million. 128 Unfortunately, Craigslist’s proactive step has not decreased the number of ads for prostitution online; it only forced traffickers to find other sites. Some of these sites include: Backpage.com, Cityvibe.com, and Redbook.com. In fact, since Craigslist shut down its site, Backpage.com’s revenue increased by fifteen percent (15.3%). 129 In the surveillance project for CSEC in Birmingham, researchers identified a broader spectrum of locally supported internet websites that were offering sexual services of minors, as well as Backpage.com, Cityvibe.com, and Redbook.com. 130
122 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County." 123 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County." 124 Smith, Vardaman, and Snow, "The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: America's Prostituted Children." 125 Foundation, "Birmingham, Al: Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Project." 126 Foundation, "Birmingham, Al: Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Project."
127 Mark Whittaker, "Backpage Replaces Craigslist as Prostitution-Ad Leader,"(October 19, 2010). 128 Mark Whittaker, "Backpage Replaces Craigslist as Prostitution-Ad Leader,"(October 19, 2010). 129 Mark Whittaker, "Backpage Replaces Craigslist as Prostitution-Ad Leader,"(October 19, 2010). 130 Smith, Vardaman, and Snow, "The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: America's Prostituted Children."
Page 27
Pornography
It is often thought that prostitution is the major focus in discussing CSEC; however, there are two pillars in CSEC, one serving as a pathway into the other. Pornography is defined under federal law as “any visual depiction, including any photograph, film, video, picture, or computer or computer-generated image or picture, whether made or produced by electronic, mechanical, or other means, of sexually explicit conduct, where
the production of the visual depiction involves the use of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct; or
the visual depiction is a digital image, computer image, or computer-generated image that is, or is indistinguishable from, that of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct; or
the visual depiction has been created, adapted, or modified to appear that an identifiable minor is engaging in sexually explicit conduct.” 131
There are three main ways that pornography in its production and consumption leads to the repeated sexual exploitation of children: pornography producers actually use trafficked children in their productions; porn consumption leads to heightened demand for prostituted children; and pornography is used as an education tool for inexperienced prostitutes.132 Typically the producers of pornography are members of organized crime, pedophiles, sex tourists, or family members.133 Child pornography is predominantly found in print media, videotapes, film, CD-Rom, or DVDs.134 Pornography consistently depicts fantasy sex acts that would not be willingly performed by a consenting adult, therefore, perpetrators turn to prostituted women and children. Most frequent users of porn also purchase sex.135 In fact, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, forty percent (40%) of men who sexually victimize children also utilize child pornography.136 Of the CSEC cases identified by the Child Advocacy Centers of Jefferson County, the Prescott House and the Clay House, the majority of the cases are of children involved in pornography. 137
Psychological studies have been conducted to better understand the connection between the uses of pornography leading to the purchase of sex. Dr. Victor B. Cline, the Emeritus Professor in Psychology at the University of Utah, has spent his career researching the addictive qualities of pornography and its
131 Children, "What Is Child Pornography?." 132 National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families, "Does Pornography Harm America?," Opposing Views.
133 Justice, "Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children:What Do We Know and What Do We Do About It?." 134 Children, "What Is Child Pornography?." 135 Shelley Lubben, "Sex Trafficking and Pornography: The Link between the Two," Shelley Lubben Communications. 136 Children, "What Is Child Pornography?." 137 Land, "Interview."
Page 28 destructiveness. 138 In his paper, “Pornography’s Effect on Adults and Children,” Cline outlines the downward spiral that could ensue.
1. Addiction Effect: Once involved in porn materials, pornography users kept coming back for more and more. Material provided sexual stimulant or aphrodisiac effect followed by sexual release, through masturbation. 2. Escalation Effect: Over time the person needed rougher, more explicit, more deviant and “kinky” kinds of sexual material to get turned on. 3. Desensitization: Shocking material became acceptable, common place. 4. Tendency to act out behaviors viewed in porn: included compulsive promiscuity, group sex, prostitution, and voyeurism.
In another study of 2,000 people arrested for possession of child pornography, it was found that although the possessors came from a variety of backgrounds, ethnicities, and socioeconomic statuses, the majority of them were white males (91%), and most were unmarried at the time of the arrest due to separation, divorce, being widowed (21%) or never having been married (41%).139
Nationally victims of child pornography are forty-two percent (42%) pubescent, fifty-two percent (52%) prepubescent, and six percent (6%) infant/toddler;140 however, due to new technologies, “adult” obscenity that does not depict actual children but adults modified through computer generation to depict children is often used to avoid prosecution. 141 The United States Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, Joyce Vance, along with the Department of Justice, has taken a no-tolerance stance on the production, distribution, and purchase of child pornography. They were able to sentence 21 individuals for the primary offence of pornography and prostitution during the fiscal year of 2009. All twenty-one individuals received prison sentences.142
Vance said, “The exploitation of children is reprehensible criminal conduct that we have no intention of permitting in this district.” 143 This commitment is also evident by the twenty-three press releases from January 13, 2010 to October 2010 listed on the Department of Justice press/United States Attorney's Office Northern District of Alabama website regarding arrests, guilty pleas, indictments, and sentencing for child pornography cases.144
Here are some examples of recent cases that have surfaced in Jefferson County because of the United States Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Alabama effort:
138 Victor B. Cline, "Pornography's Effects on Adult and Child," Morality in Media. 139 Children, "What Is Child Pornography?." 140 Lubben, "Sex Trafficking and Pornography: The Link between the Two." 141 Lubben, "Sex Trafficking and Pornography: The Link between the Two."
142 U.S. Sentencing Commission, "Statistical Information Packet Northern District of Alabama," (2009). 143 United States Attorney's Office, "U.S. Attorney Emphasizes Prosecution of Producers and Distributors of Child Pornography," ed. Department of Justice (United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Alabama, August 2, 2010). 144 Northern District of Alabama United States District Attorney's Office, "Press Releases," ed. Department of Justice (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2010).
Page 29
June 30, 2010: A 38-year old Pinson man was sentenced to twelve and a half years in prison and twenty years of supervised release by a federal judge for receiving child pornography via the internet. He admitted to receiving child porn for five to seven years. 145
September 1, 2010: A Jefferson County man, 44, was indicted on three counts of receiving, distributing, and possessing child pornography. He used his computer to download and distribute images of children between August 2009 and August 2010. 146
September 29, 2010: A 66-year old Jefferson County man pleaded guilty to distributing and possessing hundreds of images of child pornography between May 20 and June 23, 2010, via the internet. He was caught when he distributed images to undercover officers in Illinois and Indiana. 147
October 21, 2010: A Jefferson County man, 41, pleaded guilty to receiving and possessing around 2,000 still images and 102 videos of child pornography via the internet between June 2009 and July 2010. Some of the children pictured were under the age of three. 148
Although pornography is often considered a “victimless crime” some consider it even more traumatic than a one-time exploitation. 149 According to Vance, “anyone who distributes images of child pornography repeats the hurt those children suffer when the awful images are made, and perpetuate the vile industry that profits from the abuse and devastation of those children… Making money off the exploitation and misery of another human being (for commercial acts) is human trafficking and nothing more than modern-day slavery.” 150
Demand
The commercial sexual exploitation of children would not exist without demand. Since prostituted children are treated as commodities or goods to be bought and sold, we can surmise that the economic law of supply and demand applies. Without the demand for child pornography or sexual acts with a child, CSEC victims would not exist. The research on the motivations behind a john, or a person who purchases sex, is lacking; however, some studies have been conducted on personal characteristics of these people. Johns who have sex with children are usually characterized by their sexual preferences:
145 United States Attorney Joyce White Vance, "Pinson Man Sentenced to 12.5 Years for Receipt of Child Pornography," ed. Department of Justice (U.S. Department of Justice, Northern District of Alabama, June 30, 2010). 146 United States Attorney Joyce White Vance, "Federal Grand Jury Indicts Adamsville Man on Child Pornography Charges," ed. Department of Justice (Department of Justice, Northern District of Alabama, September 1, 2010). 147 United States Attorney General Joyce White Vance, "Jefferson County Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing and Possessing Child Pornography," ed. Department of Justice (Department of Justice, Northern District of Alabama, September 29, 2010). 148 United States Attorney Joyce White Vance, "Nauvoo Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving Almost Two Thousand Images of Child Pornography," ed. Department of Justice (Birmingham, AL: Department of Justice, Northern District of Alabama, October 21, 2010).
149 Lubben, "Sex Trafficking and Pornography: The Link between the Two." 150 Vance, "Jefferson County Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing and Possessing Child Pornography."
Page 30
preferential: pedophilia, or sexual interest in prepubescent children, or children under 13; ephebophilia, or the sexual preference for mid to late teens, age 14-19 situational: people who have sex with children just for the sexual gratification opportunistic: if sex with a child or teen is available, then they will seek it out 151
The aforementioned Atlanta study on men who purchase sex, referred to as the Demand Study, identifies the general age of johns in the city. Almost half of the men who purchased sex are ages 30-39, and the next largest group is ages 18-29. The mean age is 33 and the median is 31; however, the age range is 18-67 years old. 152 As mentioned before, twenty-three percent (23%) of men in Georgia have purchased sex with females, 20,700 in any given month, including an estimated 8,700 paid sex acts with adolescent females. 153 Many anti-human trafficking organizations are beginning to stress the importance of focusing the nation’s efforts on decreasing demand for CSEC. Some of these efforts include sting operations targeting Internet solicitors seeking sex acts with a minor, implementing an evidenced based model of negative reinforcement and education through “John Schools” for first time offenders, and launching a public awareness campaign targeting the sex buyer through revealing the statutory consequences for engaging in a sex act knowingly or unknowingly with a minor.
In an article written by Donna Hughes from the University of Rhode Island, national statistics were identified in the arrests of prostituted women versus the arrests of purchasers of sex. According to Hughes, seventy to ninety percent (70-90%) of prostitution-related arrests are of women, while only ten to thirty percent (10-30%) of prostitution arrests are of the men buying sex. 154 In the Jefferson County social service provider survey, questions were asked about the amount of effort committed to investigating and arresting the pimps and johns in indentified CSEC cases. For pimps, forty-five percent (45.5%) said they would take all necessary actions while thirty-one (31.8%) said they would take no action. 155 For johns, thirty-five percent (35%) said they would take all necessary actions, while forty percent (40%) said they would take no action. 156 Recently the Birmingham Police Department has been making a great effort to deter men from participating in the adult sex industry by conducting sting operations. Targeting the sex buyer, even in the adult sex industry, can deter buyers from seeking sex acts with minors.
Some cases include:
April 27, 2010: Eight people were arrested in a sting operation by the Birmingham Police Department at the 5000 block of 1st Ave North in Birmingham. Six of the men were arrested for soliciting prostitution and two others for loitering for prostitution. 157
151 Children, "What Is Child Pornography?." 152 Group, "Men Who Buy Sex with Adolescent Girls: A Scientific Research Study." 153 Group, "Men Who Buy Sex with Adolescent Girls: A Scientific Research Study." 154 Donna Hughes, "Race and Prostitution in the United States," (University of Rhode Island, 2005).
155 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County." 156 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County." 157 FOX WBRC, "Eight Arrested in Reverse Prostitution Sting in Birmingham," Fox 6 WBRC 2010.
Page 31
October 7, 2010: Birmingham Police Department Vice Unit arrested 13 men for soliciting prostitution during a sting operation in two separate locations. Eight men were arrested at 6101 1st Ave North and the remaining five were arrested at 1548 Bankhead Highway. 158
Accessing the System/Recovery
Historically, law enforcement and the community at large have viewed prostituted children as public nuisances, delinquents, or deserving of what they receive, instead of as victims. People tend to skew their perception of trafficking when addressing the situation internationally versus domestically. Often, the general public views a trafficked foreign child as an “innocent victim” and a trafficked American child as a criminal or a willing participant. 159 In the interview with the Child Advocacy Centers in Jefferson County, the Prescott House and Clay House, terms that have been used to describe these children were identified. Some of them are “fast”, “that she knew what she was doing”, “they were setting themselves out”, “set out girls”, or “she wanted it”. 160
Very rarely do victims of CSEC report their abuse to officials, especially to law enforcement. In fact, in a study of runaway/throwaway youth in California, only 4% of the victims reported sexual trauma, and 2% sought treatment for rape. 161 The report suggests that this reluctance to share can be attributed to their lack of self-perception to identify themselves as victims when they are forced to trade sex for survival or at the request of their “boy-friend”. 162 According to the Jefferson County social service providers surveyed, they access victims through: the advocacy center (2%), child protective services (10%), Department of Human Resources (6%), hotlines (10%), medical community (4%), court referrals (4%), shelters (4%), peers (4%), police (14%), school counselors (4%), referrals (12%), outreach (8%), public awareness (4%), victim disclosure (6%), and 8% say they do not identify victims at all. 163
Generally a prostituted child’s first encounter with the system is with law enforcement, usually on charges unrelated to prostitution, such as drug possession, truancy, or delinquency. Due to mistrust, the children often lie about their ages and are passed through the adult system and back into the hands of predators; or they are reluctant to disclose information concerning their abuse or abuser and are sent back into an abusive home or placed in group homes with other “delinquent” juveniles. 164 Prostituted children are often reluctant to share information about their abuse to staff in shelters or transitional living facilities to avoid negative stigma or abuse from the other shelter population. When asked about the methods for assessing the vulnerability of at risk youth (including runaway or homeless youth and those with delinquent charges), the Jefferson County social service providers surveyed use interview/initial assessment (38.7%), the police reports (3.2%), a multidisciplinary team (6.5%), or did
158 Kent Faulk, "Thirteen Men Charged with Solicitation for Prostitution in Birmingham Vice Operation," Birmingham News 2010. 159 Friedman, "Who Is There to Help Us? How the System Fails Sexually Exploited Girls in the United States." 160 Land, "Interview." 161 Homelessness, "Homeless Youth and Sexual Exploitation: Research Findings and Practical Implications." 162 Homelessness, "Homeless Youth and Sexual Exploitation: Research Findings and Practical Implications."
163 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County." 164 Friedman, "Who Is There to Help Us? How the System Fails Sexually Exploited Girls in the United States."
Page 32 not have or was not aware of any formal assessment protocol (45.1%).165 In an open-ended response on the survey, one participant said that their “department does not code runaways or youth as (potential) CSEC victims. They are typically viewed as delinquents and treated as such.” 166
In an interview, Judge Brian Huff of Family Court was asked if he suspected that minors that are being charged with other crimes, such as curfew violations, drug solicitation, or trespassing, could also be victims of CSEC. He responded that he is sure that kids are being charged with other offenses and not being identified as CSEC victims, but that most of these cases are diverted, or sent to other programs instead of being charged.167
There has only been one minor charged with prostitution in the Family Court System since 2005; which is dramatically different than Atlanta, where 327 girls were arrested on prostitution charges between 2000- 2007.168 Although it is very encouraging that prostituted victims are not being charged by the Jefferson County Juvenile Court System, it is also concerning that there has been a missed opportunity to identify victims when they are picked up for other charges due to the inadequate coding and intake system. It is helpful to not charge these potential victims with delinquent charges, but the cases that have been diverted cannot be monitored, counted, or intervened upon appropriately. Since this may be the only time victims are physically separated from their pimps, it is vital that this opportunity be taken to properly identify these youth as CSEC victims. Unfortunately, the Family Court intake staff, parole officers, prosecutors, and guardian ad litems have yet to receive any specialized training on victim identification. In fact, of the social service providers surveyed, sixty-four percent (64.9%) of the organizations represented had not received training on how to identify victims of CSEC. 169
According to the 2010 TIP report, government services for domestic trafficking victims are “not well coordinated.” 170 Usually the victims are passed directly through existing child protective and juvenile justice structures, instead of addressing the complex needs of each CSEC victim and providing them with recommended specialized care. 171 The report also recognized victim identification as a major obstacle in providing services for these children. The code such as neglect, child abuse, or sexual abuse, given to a victim’s case at intake, dictates whether or not that victim receives specialized counseling, health services, a police detective, or alternative housing. Of the social service providers surveyed for Invisibility, seventy-six (76.5%) had no initial interview/evaluation questions to use that would indicate the clients as victims of CSEC.172
165 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County." 166 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County." 167 Huff, "Interview." 168 "A Future Not a Past: Toolkit and Action Guide to Stop the Prostitution of Our Nation's Children," (Atlanta, GA2010).
169 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County." 170 Clinton, "Trafficking in Persons Report." 171 Clinton, "Trafficking in Persons Report." 172 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County."
Page 33
In an interview with Shemeca Barnes, the Child Abuse and Neglect (CAN) supervisor for the Jefferson County Department of Human Resources (DHR), she discussed the intake process for her organization and the challenges in identifying and serving this particular victim population. 173 Barnes said that a majority of the time CSEC cases are “miscoded as a delinquency issue or child abuse.” 174 She continued to discuss the limitations in working with a reluctant victim, especially in determining the appropriate code for each case. The issue lies mostly in the complexities of the crime of CSEC. Often times CSEC contains all of the qualities of physical abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse, and yet does not fit exactly into any of those categories. The Department of Human Resources’ intake form does contain a category for sexual exploitation; however, according to Barnes, its definition is “very vague and it’s not a code that is used very often.” 175
The path to recovery for these child victims is a long and arduous process, filled with a variety of specialized psychological, physical, and emotional challenges. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, youth require appropriate housing options, with education, vocational assistance, life skills, health, and other programs to fully escape a life of prostitution or end a reliance on survival sex. 176 Specialized youth housing models differ from adult or family shelters in that they need to incorporate positive youth development principles as well as security and support. 177 In Jefferson County eighty-two percent (82.4%) of the social service providers surveyed said there were no specific programs in place for these victims. 178 In fact, if a minor is suspected to be involved in prostitution or has revealed a situation of prostitution at intake, forty-five percent (45%) of those surveyed said there were no formal programs in place to provide a safe and secure place for these victims, ten percent (10%) said they would refer them to child protective services or other agencies, fifteen percent (15%) said they would put them in foster care, five percent (5%) said they would take them to the hospital, and twenty percent (20%) said they would give them shelter. 179 Throughout this research process, it has been identified that there is no formal protocol for organizations to follow if a victim of CSEC is identified by an organization. When the organizations surveyed were asked what their initial action plan is once a victim of CSEC is identified forty percent (40%) said they would identify the Department of Human Resources, thirty-four percent (34%) would identify the police, five percent (5.7%) would identify a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE), five percent (5.7%) would identify the FBI, eight percent (8.5%) would contact the National Trafficking Hotline, and five percent (5.7%) said they did not know. 180
Snapshot of Local CSEC Cases
During the research process of Invisibility, local cases that fit the definition of CSEC were identified in 6 out of 6 interviews and by forty-six percent (46.9%) of the social service providers surveyed, thus
173 Shemeca Barnes, "Interview," (2010). 174 Shemeca Barnes, "Interview," (2010). 175 Shemeca Barnes, "Interview," (2010). 176 Homelessness, "Homeless Youth and Sexual Exploitation: Research Findings and Practical Implications." 177 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County." 178 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County."
179 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County." 180 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County."
Page 34 verifying the existence of the problem in Jefferson County. 181 Below are cases that have been identified by Family Connection and Clay House Child Advocacy Center. These are actual cases; however, the names and specifics have been changed to avoid breach of confidentiality agreements and to protect identities of the victims.
“Elle”
Elle was a 15-year old when she first was approached by her trafficker, an older female friend. She was enticed with drugs and alcohol to spend the night with this friend and allowed to skip school and party all day. Her family did not care whether or not she came home, so she ended up spending lots of time with this friend. However, Elle was soon forced to have sex with men that came by the house in exchange for more drugs. This went on for a month before she reported the rape to the Department of Human Resources. She was then put in the custody of the state, and received some counseling services. Elle is still involved in the judicial process, as the investigation of her trafficker is ongoing.
“Bea”
Bea was 11 years old when she was allowed to stay with the same older female friend as Elle. Having a history of familial abuse, Bea thought it would be nice to have a change of residence for a while. Like Elle, she was allowed to party, partaking in drugs and alcohol and forming an addiction. After a while, she too was forced to have sex for access to drugs. This went on for a few months before Bea finally reported it to her family. She went back and forth between her family and as a ward of the state throughout the investigation process, receiving some counseling and battling drug addiction. Unfortunately she has been deemed an unreliable witness due to her addiction and numerous rape reports and no charges have been made.
“Adam”
Adam was 17 years old when he was approached by his abuser, an older man, at the downtown bus station. Being unfamiliar to the area and homeless, Adam jumped at the opportunity for the free place to stay and food that the man offered him. Unfortunately, Adam didn’t know the strings that were attached to the stranger’s generosity. In exchange for his stay, Adam was forced to perform in homosexual pornography. When he wasn’t being molested and tortured on tape, he was being beaten or was locked in a room. Adam was held captive for one week before he contacted a local nonprofit agency and escaped the house. The staff of this agency immediately contacted local law enforcement, but were not contacted with a follow up report on the case. Adam was able to receive counseling for the week he stayed at the shelter, and then was helped to return to his home state to claim his family property after the death of his parents.
181 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County."
Page 35
“Julie”
Julie was from an affluent neighborhood out in the country. She was spending the night with friends one night when she decided to go for a walk outside. During her walk, she was approached by an eighteen wheeler and offered a ride that would last for several months. The truck driver offered her drugs and took her to truck stops from Birmingham to Mississippi and back again to perform sex acts. She decided to escape when she entered into Birmingham after months of exploitation; however, at this point she was dependent on drugs. When she initially disappeared, she was labeled a runaway in the system and required by Juvenile Court to seek shelter at the Family Connections Resident Home. Her dependence on drugs was obvious to the staff, but her months of victimization remained a secret until a vigilant staff member overheard her recounting some of the trauma she had been through. The staff then talked to a supervisor and then to the FBI to report this as a human trafficking case. Julie was given the rehabilitation treatment that she needed and is now able to bring her traffickers to justice.
Consequences of CSEC
In building a case for the eradication of CSEC in Jefferson County, it is important to outline the consequences and costs not only on an individual level for victims, but also on the society as a whole. Below is a chart that identifies four domains of society that are affected by the existence of CSEC within Jefferson County.
Domain Effect Individual Psychological, physical, and emotional health trauma Level Overall feelings of insecurity Dependence on drugs Usually truant or has dropped out of school Increased risk of contracting Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI’s) Teenage parenthood Will not reach full earning potential and is more likely to need government assistance Sexually abused children are 28 times more likely to be arrested for prostitution than their peers182 Engaging in survival sex increases the likelihood of sexual victimization by four times for runaway/throwaways 183 77% of prostituted youth whose activities are not somehow stopped, progress into adult prostitution 184 Instead of becoming a part of the system, these youth become a burden on the system Societal Level Overburdens the child service and judicial systems Increased crime within the community Breakdown of the family unit
182 Friedman, "Who Is There to Help Us? How the System Fails Sexually Exploited Girls in the United States." 183 Whitbeck et al., "Deviant Behavior and Victimization among Homeless and Runaway Adolescents." 184 Ohio Trafficking in Persons Study Commission Research and Analysis Sub-Committee, "Report on the Prevalence of Human Trafficking in Ohio," (2010).
Page 36
Heavy weight on Department of Human Resources, law enforcement, and other social service providers Degradation of the county and decreased appeal for future businesses Economic 60% of Alabama’s income gap with the rest of the nation can be attributed to Level high dropout rates. 185 In fact, high dropout rates cost the state nearly $335 billion in lost income. 186 Lower income of population means less tax revenue for the state. It is more expensive to offer a child victim treatment than to engage in community wide prevention. Child abuse costs the state of Alabama more than $520 million annually in direct and indirect costs. 187 Public Health High STI rates Level High teen pregnancy rates Victims are more likely to be uninsured or underinsured Increased visits to the emergency room Increased rates of abortion Increased rates of communicable diseases Increased rates of mental illness Higher community stress rates Increased incidence of violent attacks, rapes, and homicide
Successes/Challenges in the Jefferson County Campaign against CSEC
Based on the information gathered from the seven key informant interviews and the social service provider surveys, we have conducted a preliminary assessment of the system of care, collaboration of organizations, and delivery of services within Jefferson County. Through this assessment, we have identified successes and challenges within the effort to protect victims, and to prevent and prosecute cases of CSEC.
Successes:
Even through limited resources and education, the campaign against all forms of human trafficking, including CSEC, in Jefferson County has had many successes in the past few years. The collaborative leadership of Freedom to Thrive, established as a response to the growing recognition of the prevalence of human trafficking in the Southeast, has brought awareness, coordination, and capacity-building to the community and existing providers. In an open ended response on the social service provider survey, one participant stated that, “it’s only because of Freedom to Thrive that we have started to become aware
185 Erin Stock, "High Dropout Rates Alabama's Biggest Economic Problem, Study Finds," Birmingham News April 30, 2008. 186 Bob Blalock, "Our View: The Cost of Not Getting a High-School Diploma Is Exorbitant for Dropouts, Governments and the Economy," Birmingham News(September 7, 2009).
187 Blalock, "Your Views: Prevention of Child Abuse Stabilizes Our Communities."
Page 37 of this issue.”188 Through Freedom to Thrive and other committed organizations, these successes have occurred:
Increased Community Awareness Events Media Attention Comprehensive State Law Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force for the Northern District (AHTTF) Youth and Family Services Network programs and research FBI Dedication Freedom To Thrive
Successes in Detail
Increased Community Awareness Events
The number of community training and education events has increased greatly over the past few years. Topics for these events range from general education on human trafficking to information on how to navigate the new state law. These trainings were available for social service providers, law enforcement agencies, and the community at large.189 Roughly 1,000 people have been exposed to some form of education on human trafficking through the many concerts, plays, roundtable discussions, forums, and events put on by Freedom to Thrive and other organizations.
Media Attention
Through the Freedom to Thrive coalition, community, and law enforcement partners, the incidence of media attention through print, television, radio, and social media on human trafficking has increased dramatically in the past 2 years. The news coverage involved direct interviews with Joyce White Vance, U.S. Attorney of Northern District of Alabama, Dana Gillis with the FBI Civil Rights Division, Sunny Slaughter with NMotion Consulting, Sara Jane Camacho, program director of Freedom to Thrive, and other key players in the fight against trafficking. Also, educational pieces on trafficking, the new trafficking state law, and promotions for community wide training events have boosted awareness over the past two years. Many modern day abolitionists are finding out more about the issue and how to help through Freedom to Thrive’s social media outreach. Freedom to Thrive’s list serve has 447 members and their Facebook group has 331 members keeping current on national and local news about human trafficking including CSEC. Additionally, Freedom to Thrive’s blog (www.freedomtothrive.wordpress.com) has had over 3,500 total hits since its inception just over a year ago, averaging around 245 hits a month.
188 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County."
189 See appendix for timeline of human trafficking trainings including CSEC and community events in Jefferson County
Page 38
Law
Thanks to the efforts of Representative Jack Williams and Merika Coleman and key organizations including Freedom to Thrive, the District Attorney’s Association, JustUs, Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Alabama Coalition Against Sexual Violence, and the Coordinated Community Response of Jefferson County, the Representatives Jack Williams and Merika Coleman Act came into effect on July 1, 2010. This act is nationally considered to be one of the most comprehensive pieces of state legislation concerning human trafficking.
According a state ratings chart on key human trafficking provisions, Alabama’s human trafficking law was given a six (6), along with Washington D.C., Illinois, New Mexico, New York, and Oklahoma. The highest ranking given to a state was nine (9).190 One of the major successes within the new legislation is the statue that ensures that the element of force, fraud or coercion are not required for a trafficker to be prosecuted for the sex trafficking of a minor, stating that even if the participant is a willing victim, it is still a crime. The law also provides for forfeiture of all assets used in the crime of human trafficking and for civil action, which provides victims of human trafficking with the power to seek civil damages from their trafficker. 191
Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force for the Northern District (AHTTF):
On July 29th, 2010, Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Fortune organized the first Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force for the Northern District (AHTTF) meeting. The result was a broad service provision and law enforcement network. Currently, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama coordinates the Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force for the Northern District of Alabama, connecting the efforts of federal and state law enforcement and focusing resources on investigating and prosecuting human trafficking cases. In addition, AHTTF collaborates with non-governmental organizations such as the YWCA and the Youth and Family Services Network through Freedom to Thrive to help identify and provide services to potential victims.
The Task Force was created to accomplish the following goals: (1) train first responders to identify potential victims of trafficking; (2) improve inter-agency coordination among local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies; (3) make use of non-governmental organizations in assisting victims and educating the public; (4) improve ways to treat and care for victims as material witnesses needed for prosecution; and (5) hold regional training conferences to discuss the problem and evaluate ways to identify trafficking victims and prosecute trafficking organizations.192 Plans are also underway to organize a regional training conference in Birmingham, Alabama.
190 "State Ratings Chart: Key Human Trafficking Provisions," Trendtrack.com.
191 See appendix for copy of state law 192 Daniel Fortune, 2010.
Page 39
FBI Dedication:
Local FBI agents from the Birmingham/Huntsville field office have given great support to the local effort of combating human trafficking within Jefferson County. Special Agent Dana Gillis has specifically played in integral part in developing trainings for law enforcement, social service providers, and the Jefferson County community. The FBI, in coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s office of Northern Alabama, is dedicated to engaging local law enforcement partners to identify cases and enforce the new human trafficking statute for Alabama.
Freedom to Thrive:
Freedom to Thrive, an anti-trafficking coalition, was created as a response to the growing recognition of the prevalence of human trafficking in the Southeast. Volunteers addressed the need for a collaborative effort to increase public awareness, victim identification, policies, and resources through a multidisciplinary coalition. Freedom to Thrive, a program of Youth and Family Services Network, provides support and training for care providers, law enforcement and other community partners, as well as capacity-building assistance for coalitions and grassroots movements. Freedom to Thrive serves as a volunteer coalition made up of law enforcement, social service providers, and individuals committed to eliminating human trafficking. These individuals make up separate task oriented service groups based on their abilities. These work groups include:
Policy Work Group: Supports federal appropriation efforts to implement domestic aspects of TVPA and promote implementation of the Alabama state laws analogous to TVPA. Youth Service Provision and Adult Service Provision Work Group: Identifies gaps in services and collaborates to expand and build capacity for organizations aimed at serving victims of trafficking. Facilitates coordination with law enforcement agencies. Freedom to Thrive After-Care Subcommittee: Dedicated to organizing service providers willing to explore expansion of services to victims of CSEC. They work to identify and solve problematic barriers in serving CSEC victims. Education Work Group: Provides targeted trainings for social service providers, faith based organizations, law enforcement, and local student communities. Community Outreach Work Group: Increases the capacity of community members to support anti-trafficking efforts and victims’ services. This work seeks to achieve general awareness for the purpose of victim identification, prevention, and prosecution.
Freedom to Thrive has been a catalyst for anti-human trafficking efforts in Jefferson County and Alabama. Many of the successes mentioned would not have been possible without the efforts of the individuals and organizations that make up Freedom to Thrive.
Page 40
Challenges
In both the interviews and the surveys, the informants were asked to disclose the primary challenges for protecting, rescuing, and restoring this population. Here are their responses, listed in order of frequency beginning with the challenge most identified:
Cooperation from the minor victim and establishing trust for disclosure of abuse Victim identification within the community and through intake systems for law enforcement and social service systems Lack of appropriate coding specifically for CSEC within law enforcement and social service systems Training for law enforcement and social service providers along with subsequent protocol and skills implemented Engaging youth to leave their abusers and teaching them that abuse is not love; breaking the trauma bond Few specialized resources available to victims, including shelter, trauma care, and reintegration counseling Cooperation/communication with law enforcement Difficulty in finding foster care for people with this abuse history Collecting enough evidence to make the case provable in court Getting victims proper services
Challenges in Detail
Identifying Possible CSEC Victims:
Victim identification is a great challenge for service providers and law enforcement in Jefferson County. Because of a flawed intake system, a lack of training, and few incidences of self-reporting by victims, many cases of CSEC remain unidentified. Despite the trainings that have occurred since 2008, many cases of CSEC are still not being acknowledged by the service community and law enforcement.
Intake system:
Based on the surveys and interviews, the method of intake used for most social service providers and the juvenile justice system does not include questions that would lead to the disclosure of a trafficking case. In fact, only twenty-three percent (23.5%) of the social service providers surveyed had intake protocols that included questions that would lead to victim identification.193 Also, almost half of the social service providers surveyed did not have an organizational protocol for assessing the risk of runaway/throwaways and youth with delinquent charges becoming victims of CSEC. 194
In addition to the lack of indicative questioning, there is no code for human trafficking on the Department of Human Resources, family court, and state law enforcement intake forms. Since this coding system, if done correctly, dictates the level of care youth receive based on their trauma sets, it is vital that they be appropriately identified as trafficking victims. Since the new Alabama statute clearly
193 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County." 194 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County."
Page 41 defines the parameters and penalties of human trafficking, what is needed now is updated state protocols, codes, and procedures.
Lack of emergency response team:
Because of Jefferson County’s close proximity to major trafficking hubs, an emergency response team is necessary for addressing the needs of victims whenever the opportunity arises. Without a highly organized network of service providers, a victim (who could display traits similar to those of domestic violence victims) could potentially re-enter trafficking. Past efforts of service providers and law enforcement in Jefferson County have been outstanding through the current informal networks; however, a formalized protocol and emergency response team is vital for the success of future cases. Since forty-five percent (45%) of the social service providers surveyed have no formal protocol in place, a team of highly trained individuals is necessary for the coordination of care. 195 A uniform response needs to be established before the system will be able to comprehensively respond to the needs of victims and work towards the elimination of trafficking in our state.
Unclear formal protocol:
A challenge that has been named throughout the surveys and interviews is a lack of formal protocols and Memoranda of Understanding (MOU). A MOU is an agreement between each service organization and the state, local, and federal law enforcement, expressing a common goal in dealing with victims of human trafficking and outlining a common plan of action. When the social service providers were asked to describe the organizational procedure once a CSEC victim is identified, the majority of the responders said they contacted the police and/or DHR. 196 However, law enforcement and DHR have not received adequate training to provide services for this specific population of victims alone. A coordinated care response effort is needed for the best outcome.
Lack of short and long term care options:
Eighty-two percent (82%) of the surveyed social service providers said there were no specialized programs for victims of CSEC in our area. 197 These providers, including the Department of Human Resources, do not have specialized housing facilities, and few foster placements are trained to deal with issues surrounding sexual victimization. 198 Issues arise in putting these victims in adult homeless or domestic violence shelters. According to Phil Cain of Family Connection, these shelters are full of people with different trauma sets and needs that ultimately dilute the services available. Also, housing traumatized youth with adults creates the potential for further victimization.199
195 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County."
196 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County." 197 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County." 198 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County." 199 Cain, "Interview."
Page 42
Barriers for serving CSEC victims and Runaway/Homeless/Throwaway Youth:
Federal guidelines state that RHY shelters, such as Family Connection, can no longer serve 18 year olds within the same funding stream. Organizational protocol mandates the shelter staff to contact a child’s parent/guardian within 24 hours of arriving at a shelter. If the child does not comply, they are no longer able to stay. This is a major obstacle in serving this population because many of the victims runaway from abusive situations at home. Federal protocol mandates that youth can only stay in a RHY shelter for 21 days within the federal funding stream. There is a lack of Transitional Living Programs (TLP) in Alabama to help young people without other safe alternatives stay off of the streets and live a self sustaining life. DYS/DHR license policies keep service providers that have capacity to serve victims of CSEC from actually being able to provide shelter, case management, and trauma informed care and counseling.
Training:
Has your organization received training According to Shameca Barnes from the to identify victims of CSEC? Department of Human Resources, there is no direct training for group homes or foster care families on spotting the indicators of CSEC, or victims care.200 Yes No In addition, 64.9% of the social service providers surveyed said that their organization has not received any training in victim identification. 201The Department of Human Resources, Family Court, and other social service providers have made it clear that they are increasingly open to training on this topic.202
Evidence Collection:
Due to social stigma and victim reluctance, it has been very challenging to try a case based solely on witness testimony. Debbi Land from the Clay House Child Advocacy Center indicated in the interview that it is not unusual to have victims with terrible credibility. In order to win, “you’re going to have to have some sort of something in writing or some piece of corroborative evidence…a physical piece of evidence.” Unfortunately, most victims wait at least a year to disclose abuse, according to Maribeth Thomas of the Prescott House.203 The window of opportunity for collecting physical evidence of abuse is 72 hours, making it harder to obtain the necessary evidence without the cooperation of the victim. When asked “what is the primary challenge for responding to a CSEC victim,” over half of the survey
200 Barnes, "Interview." 201 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County." 202 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County." 203 Land, "Interview."
Page 43 participants said gaining the victim’s trust, as well as full cooperation and disclosure. All of these things are vital for proper evidence collection to aid in prosecution. 204
Public Awareness:
The community is essential in the campaign to end human trafficking in Jefferson County. Unfortunately, currently it is an untapped resource. One hundred percent (100%) of the social service providers surveyed said that they did not believe that the community at large understands the issue of human trafficking. 205Without community knowledge, victims will go unidentified and the crime of human trafficking underreported. Dana Gillis of the FBI said in the interview that raising public awareness for human trafficking is vital to the success of anti-trafficking initiatives. “The public can be a great witness or a great source information (for) developing cases.” Unfortunately, he goes on to say, “the public really doesn't know what human trafficking is.”206
Hotline Promotion:
We currently have a national hotline resource to utilize as a community: The National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC). The NHTRC is a toll-free hotline available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year. Social service providers, community members, and law enforcement can call the hotline to report a tip or connect with anti-human trafficking resources, coalitions, and task forces. Once a tip is called in the NHTRC staff will alert the appropriate law enforcement agencies. The NHTRC is operated by Polaris Project and funded by the Department of Health and Human Services and other supporters.
Between December 2007 and October 2010, the hotline received a total of 106 calls from the state of Alabama.207 The chart below reflects calls from 2009.
January 1, 2009 – December 31, 2009 National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline Calls
National Calls to NHTRC Calls from Alabama Calls from Birmingham Tips
7,637 33 13 2208
*Note: The data for this field is derived from the caller’s location. In some instances, the caller may be reporting a tip in another city or state that is not reflected here. The data displayed in this graph was generated based on limited criteria from calls received by the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) hotline. This is not a comprehensive report on the scale or scope of human trafficking on a state or national level. These statistics may be subject to change.
204 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County." 205 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County."
206 Dana Gillis, 2010. 207 National Human Trafficking Resource Center, "National Human Trafficking Resource Center Call Data Breakdown Alabama State Report," (December 2007-December 2009). 208 National Human Trafficking Resource Center, "National Human Trafficking Resource Center Call Data Breakdown Alabama State Report," (January-December, 2009).
Page 44
The numbers show few calls from Birmingham and even fewer tips. More community education and awareness is needed before victims can be properly identified.
Expansion and Coordination of Collaboration:
When asked “who would benefit your organization the most to collaborate with in your efforts to combat CSEC,” the survey participants developed a very comprehensive list. Essentially the entire network of providers of youth and adult services throughout the community were included in the responses.
Local and federal law enforcement Department of Human Resources Domestic Violence shelters National trafficking hotlines/local hotlines Freedom to Thrive Legal system Medical system/chips Entire community Drug counselors Schools Children’s Aid society YWCA SENetwork/Youth and Family Services Network Klaas Kids Foundation Cab Drivers Mental Health Agencies Child Advocacy Centers209
Part of a successful coalition or task force is a healthy understanding and clarification of each other’s specific roles, duties, policies and limitations, as well as inviting the right people to the table. This is particularly important in collaborating with victim service agencies and law enforcement entities. Dana Gillis of the FBI agrees that there needs to be a level of trust and a willingness to engage between the social service providers and law enforcement in order for a partnership to occur.210 Shameca Barnes, from the Department of Human Resources, says the primary challenge for her organization is to understand each entity’s role within the coalition. The Department of Human Resources focuses “more on child safety. We work with law enforcement in order to get prosecution but that's not our primary role. Our primary role is safety and identifying need of services. And sometimes it is hard to understand that.”211
209 Gomez, "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County." 210 Gillis. 211 Barnes, "Interview."
Page 45
Recommendations
Full-time Resource to Lead Capacity Building Efforts in Jefferson County
Even through the limitations of few resources, shared office space, and primarily volunteer leadership, Freedom to Thrive has had notable success in Jefferson County. Increasing the resources for this organization through a full-time paid leadership team would provide more potential for bringing key organizations together for the coordination of community resources for the identification and service of victims. The role of a full-time resource would be to:
Provide consistent organizing of community service providers, law enforcement agencies and members with the mission to eradicate human trafficking in the Greater Birmingham Area, coordinating with AL Human Trafficking Task Force Organize work group development and volunteer activities Continue education through List serve and Social Media Develop social service capacity to serve trafficking victims Conduct CSEC trainings in legal, medical, faith, education, social service, law enforcement, and student communities Organize Community Awareness events and NHTRC Hotline promotion Assist service providers in identifying ways to increase capacity to serve CSEC victims Advocate for needed policies and resources for victims Coordinate local development consistent with national trends and resources, such as the National Hotline Ensure approaches are victim centered and safeguard against further, and perhaps unintentional, victim exploitation (such as inappropriate inclusion in public awareness efforts) Establish roles and responsibilities and tasks for each organization so that there is little duplication in the Jefferson County area
Further documentation and investigation of CSEC in Jefferson County
Since this report was intended as a first phase in a greater report, further research should be conducted to expand upon the data collected in this review. By engaging the medical community, mental health professionals, drug rehabilitation service providers, prosecutors, educators, and additional state and local law enforcement agencies, a more accurate portrayal of CSEC in Jefferson County can be achieved. Also, there is a need for actual victim testimony within the assessment to produce a snap-shot of typical cases in Jefferson County, including age of entry, tactics used by pimps, characteristics of johns, and their experience within the system. Also, statistical analysis by an established agency, like the Shapiro Group, would aid in the research process through the creation of certifiably sound data. The identification of geographic “hot spots” through law enforcement arrest reports and known prostitution areas transformed into usable maps would enable the community, law enforcement, and social service providers to better identify victims and report this crime.
Training
We recommend that funding for professional training be given to properly engage and train Jefferson County social service providers and law enforcement. Below are typical training sessions that would be conducted by this personnel:
Page 46
Trainings for legal community in Jefferson County on the new state law and how to successfully collect evidence and prosecute these cases Implement Law Enforcement trainings that are ongoing: Roll Call, Dispatch, Academy Training, Detective and Investigator training Continued in-service trainings to social service agencies, medical professionals, education/school systems, and the community at large on topics below:
a. Human Trafficking b. CSEC/Scenario exercise and case study c. Federal and State Definitions/Penalties/Sentencing d. Case Studies for Southeast e. Recruitment Tactics f. Grooming and Pimp Control g. Why don't victims leave? h. Victim Identification: Indicators of Human Trafficking i. How to treat a Human Trafficking Survivor j. Key Questions to ask a potential victim of HT k. Provisions for HT survivors l. Assisting/working with a Human Trafficking Survivor
Intake Tool Model:
To increase disclosures and decrease the re-victimization of victims, we recommend that questions be included in all relevant intake procedures and that they be modeled after a trauma-informed and strength based approach. Trauma-informed questions bring awareness to the effect that this potentially traumatic experience has had on the victim’s psychological and physical well-being, as well as the detrimental effect the relationship of the trafficker has on the victim. A strength-based questioning system reframes questions to empower youth instead of being invasive.
To ensure the successful identification of potential cases and the correct allocation of services to the victims, the crime of CSEC needs to be added as a code for all service organizations’ intake forms. If a disclosure is made throughout the interviewing process, the initial coding needs to be changed accordingly for adequate data collection and clarification of the crime for prosecution. If possible, there needs to be an exit evaluation of all youth. Ideally a tracking mechanism would be in place to identify high-risk youth within the system. An example of this is the tracking mechanism used by the Dallas Police Department’s High Risk Victim Unit.
Establish Clear Protocol and MOU development:
Specific communication of roles and limitations need to be discussed between social service providers and law enforcement. For social service providers, a clarification needs to be made on policies, restrictions, and rules of confidentiality. For law enforcement, victim accessibility for trial preparation and interviews needs to be clearly defined in a MOU structure.
Page 47
Rapid Emergency Response to CSEC victims:
Establishment of an Alabama Hotline position based off a model in Atlanta called the Georgia Care Connection is recommended.
Dedicate a community wide emergency human trafficking case manager and advocate that can organize and coordinate immediate and long term case management Develop a resource guide with trained organizations that can respond to needs of CSEC victims in Jefferson County Build on the strategic plan started by Freedom to Thrive for increasing specialized services, public awareness, and addressing needed policy changes with DYS and DHR
Conclusion
The data collected for this study clearly indentifies Jefferson County as possessing a great risk for the presence of unidentified CSEC victims encountering a system that currently cannot react appropriately. For the eradication of CSEC in Jefferson County, it is important that the community leaders, social service providers, law enforcement, and community address the underlying conditions that drive both supply and demand. Through increased trainings, public awareness campaigns, updated intake tools, and the addition of a full-time resource position, the capacity within Jefferson County for victim identification and protection, prosecution, and prevention will increase. At the 10th anniversary celebration of the TVPA, United States Attorney General Eric Holder said that “through sustained collaboration and strong commitment, we can—we will—deliver on our nation’s founding, and most fundamental, promise: liberty and justice for all.” 212
212 Tracy Russo, "Department Commemorates the 10th Anniversary of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act," The Justice Blog(November 1, 2010).
Page 48
Appendix A: Work Cited
Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center, Statistical Analysis Center. "Crime in Alabama." Montgomery, AL, 2009. Barnes, Shemeca. "Interview." 2010. Blalock, Bob. "Our View: The Cost of Not Getting a High-School Diploma Is Exorbitant for Dropouts, Governments and the Economy." Birmingham News (September 7, 2009). Blalock, Bob. "Your Views: Prevention of Child Abuse Stabilizes Our Communities." Birmingham News (April 29, 2009). Bringing Hope, Inc. "Sex Trafficking Is Modern-Day Slavery: Facts and Statistics." Home of Hope Texas. Bureau, U.S. Census. "Alabama Quickfacts." In State and Country QuickFacts: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010. Cain, Phil. "Interview." August 2010. Center, National Human Trafficking Resource. "National Human Trafficking Resource Center Call Data Breakdown Alabama State Report." January-December, 2009. Center, National Human Trafficking Resource. "National Human Trafficking Resource Center Call Data Breakdown Alabama State Report." December 2007-December 2009. Center, National Human Trafficking Resource. "Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 Fact Sheet." edited by Department of Health and Human Services: Department of Health and Human Services, 2000. Children, National Center for Missing and Exploited. "What Is Child Pornography?" National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Cline, Victor B. "Pornography's Effects on Adult and Child." Morality in Media. Clinton, Hillary. "Trafficking in Persons Report." Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. Commission, U.S. Sentencing. "Statistical Information Packet Northern District of Alabama." 2009. Estes, R.J., and N.A. Weiner. "The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the U.S., Canada and Mexico." Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania, School of Social Work, 2001. Families, National Coalition for the Protection of Children and. "Does Pornography Harm America?" Opposing Views. Faulk, Kent. "Thirteen Men Charged with Solicitation for Prostitution in Birmingham Vice Operation." Birmingham News, 2010. Filosa, Gwen. "Man Gets 18 Years for "Human Trafficking" after Forcing 15-Year-Old Girl to Prostitute Herself out at Chef Menteur Motel." New Orleans Metro Real Time News (May 21, 2009). Fortune, Daniel. 2010. Foundation, KlaasKIDS. "Birmingham, Al: Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Project." Sausalito, CA, 2009. Friedman, Sara Ann. "Who Is There to Help Us? How the System Fails Sexually Exploited Girls in the United States." Brooklyn, NY, 2005. "A Future Not a Past: Toolkit and Action Guide to Stop the Prostitution of Our Nation's Children." Atlanta, GA, 2010. Gillis, Dana. 2010. Gomez, Isabelle. "Survey of Service Providers in Jefferson County." Southeastern Network, November 5, 2010. Gray, Jeremy. "Birmingham Man Charged with Attempting to Lure 14-Year-Old into Prostitution." Birmingham News, October 27, 2010. Gray, Jeremy. "Jefferson County Truancy Charges Dive with New Policy." Birmingham News (April 19, 2010). Group, The Schapiro. "Men Who Buy Sex with Adolescent Girls: A Scientific Research Study." Atlanta, GA, 2009.
Page 49
Hagues, Rachel, Allison McWilliams, and Melinda Moore. The Business of Human Trafficking: In Our Own Backyard: Child and Family Policy Initiative, University of Georgia, 2008. Health, Alabama Department of Public. "Std Rates in Alabama among Highest in Nation." Medical News Today (November 16, 2007). Homelessness, National Alliance to End. "Homeless Youth and Sexual Exploitation: Research Findings and Practical Implications." Washington, DC, 2009. Homelessness, The Governor's Statewide Interagency Council on. "Homelessness in Alabama." Montgomery, AL, 2007. Huff, Judge Brian. "Interview." 2010. Hughes, Donna. "Race and Prostitution in the United States." University of Rhode Island, 2005. Institute, University of Wisconsin Population Health. "Teen Birth Rate." edited by Snapshot 2010: Hale: County Health Rankings, 2010. Justice, U.S. Department of. "Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children:What Do We Know and What Do We Do About It?" In Issues in International Crime. Washington, DC, 2007. Kloer, Amanda. "The Role of Parents in Child Trafficking." End Human Trafficking (August 1, 2009). Land, D. November 15, 2010. Land, Debbie. "Interview." In Director of Clay House Children’s Center, the Child Advocacy Center for Bessemer, Alabama, 2010. Lubben, Shelley. "Sex Trafficking and Pornography: The Link between the Two." Shelley Lubben Communications. Martinez, Edecio. "Shaniya Davis Missing: Mother Arrested for Human Trafficking, Putting Daughter in "Sexual Servitude"." Crimesider (November 2009). Nance, R. "Alabama's Rising Dropout Rate Could Slow State's Economic Recovery." Birmingham News (July 20, 2010). Network, Southeastern. "Project Reaching Out: Anti-Human Trafficking Compendium." Bonita Springs, FL, 2010. News, ABC. "Parents Who Pimp Their Children." (2010). News, KTLA. "Mom Accused of Pimping Daughter for Cocaine." KTLA.Com, June 18, 2010. News, KTLA. "Mom, Grandma Accused of Pimping out Young Girl." KTLA.Com, August 13, 2010. News, KTLA. "Woman Trades 10-Year-Old Granddaughter for Cocaine, Cops Say." KTLA.Com, 2010. NISMART. "Runaway/Throwaway Children: National Estimates and Characteristics." NISMART. Office, United States Attorney's. "U.S. Attorney Emphasizes Prosecution of Producers and Distributors of Child Pornography." edited by Department of Justice: United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Alabama, August 2, 2010. Priebe, Alexandra, and Cristen Suhr. "Hidden in Plain View: The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Girls in Atlanta." Atlanta, GA, 2005. Reach, Sgt. November 18, 2010. Register, Press. "Colorado Man Who Married 16-Year-Old Runaway in Alabama Pleads Guilty." AL.Com, March 29, 2010. Richard, AO. International Trafficking in Women to the United States: A Contemporary Manifestation of Slavery and Organized Crime. US: Center for the Study of Intelligence, 1999. Ritchey, FJ, ME LaGory, KM Fitzpatrick, T Hale, and J Irwin. "Report of the Results of the Birmingham, Al Metropolitan Area Survey of Homeless Persons." Birmingham, AL: University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2005. Russo, Tracy. "Department Commemorates the 10th Anniversary of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act." The Justice Blog (November 1, 2010). Smith, Linda A., Samantha Healy Vardaman, and Melissa A. Snow. "The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: America's Prostituted Children." 2009.
Page 50
Social Injustice and Public Health. Edited by Barry S. Levy and Victor W. Sidel. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2006. "State Ratings Chart: Key Human Trafficking Provisions." Trendtrack.com. Stock, Erin. "High Dropout Rates Alabama's Biggest Economic Problem, Study Finds." Birmingham News, April 30, 2008. Stock, Erin. "Louisiana Man Charged with Transporting Girls from Atlanta to Birmingham for Prostitution." Birmingham News, March 15, 2010. Sub-Committee, Ohio Trafficking in Persons Study Commission Research and Analysis. "Report on the Prevalence of Human Trafficking in Ohio." 2010. Tiefenbrun, Susan. "Sex Sells but Drugs Don't Talk:Trafficking of Women Sex Workers and an Economic Solution." Jefferson Law Review 24 (2001). United States Attorney Vance, Joyce White. "Massage Spa and Operators Indicted for Prostitution." edited by Department of Justice. Northern District of Alabama, September 29, 2010. United States District Attorney's Office, Northern District of Alabama. "Florence Man Convicted of sex Trafficking 15-Year-Old Girl." edited by Department of Justice. Huntsville, AL: Federal Bureau of Investigation, September 22, 2010. United States District Attorney's Office, Northern District of Alabama. "Press Releases." edited by Department of Justice: Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2010. Vance, United States Attorney General Joyce White. "Jefferson County Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing and Possessing Child Pornography." edited by Department of Justice: Department of Justice, Northern District of Alabama, September 29, 2010. Vance, United States Attorney Joyce White. "Federal Grand Jury Indicts Adamsville Man on Child Pornography Charges." edited by Department of Justice: Department of Justice, Northern District of Alabama, September 1, 2010. Vance, United States Attorney Joyce White. "Nauvoo Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving Almost Two Thousand Images of Child Pornography." edited by Department of Justice. Birmingham, AL: Department of Justice, Northern District of Alabama, October 21, 2010. Vance, United States Attorney Joyce White. "Pinson Man Sentenced to 12.5 Years for Receipt of Child Pornography." edited by Department of Justice: U.S. Department of Justice, Northern District of Alabama, June 30, 2010. WBRC, FOX. "Eight Arrested in Reverse Prostitution Sting in Birmingham." Fox 6 WBRC, 2010. Whitbeck, Les, Dan Hoyt, Kevin Yoder, Ana Mari Cauce, and Matt Paradise. "Deviant Behavior and Victimization among Homeless and Runaway Adolescents." Journal of Interpersonal Violence 16, no. 11 (2001): 1175-204. Whittaker, Mark. "Backpage Replaces Craigslist as Prostitution-Ad Leader." (October 19, 2010). Willis, BM, and BS Levy. "Child Prostitution: Global Health Burden, Research Needs, and Interventions." Lancet 359 (2002): 1412-22. Womack, Amy Leigh. "Macon Girl to Be Made Sex Slave, Then Sold for $500." The Telegraph (November 2009). yellowpages.com. "Birmingham Adult Entertainment." yellowpages.com. "Birmingham Adult Stores." 2010. yellowpages.com. "Birmingham Escort Services." 2010.
Page 51
Appendix B: Invisibility Term Glossary
The Life or The Game- Term used to describe being in the commercial sex industry in some capacity Provider- Prostituted person/victim Daddy- Traffickers/pimps require victims to call them Daddy Madam- Female pimp/trafficker Track or Blade- Areas of town known for prostitution Stable- Term used to describe how many persons are under one pimp’s control Dates, Johns, and Tricks- Buyers of commercial sex acts Facilitators- Business or persons that aid the trafficker/pimp to conduct a criminal business Bottom- The person with the most authority in the stable; usually sets up tricks for other girls and assists the pimp in recruiting other girls Folks, Family, Wife in-law, sister in-law - Terms to describe other members in the stable Lot Lizard- Term used for prostituted person known for working truck stops Newbie- New buyer or new provider/prostituted person Independent/Renegade- An escort who works on their own without a pimp Finesse pimping- Pimping that entails grooming the victim through a love relationship either as a caretaker or boyfriend. Little physical abuse is used, however, the primary means of control is psychological manipulation and verbal abuse Bait and Switch- Person who falsely advertises certain jobs, educations, or opportunities to lure young victims to buy in to the scheme or plan but then turns out to be a pimp/trafficker Gorilla pimping- Pimp that is violent and uses physical, sexual and verbal abuse as primary means to control victims Branding- Pimps will brand their victims with a tattoo with a name or symbol to mark their “property” Out of Pocket- Situation in which a CSEC victim makes eye contact with another pimp and in which the victim is usually punished for this disobedience to the rules. This is also called choosing up – a victim makes eye contact with another pimp and that pimp establishes ownership of the victim and forces her to give him/her money. If the first pimp wants the victim back he must pay a fixed amount to the new pimp to buy the victim back.
Page 52
Quotas- Monetary quotas that the pimp demands from a victim, earned from sex acts each night before victim is allowed to come home Pimp Circle- Situation in which a group of men surround a victim to intimidate or punish by physical, sexual, or verbal abuse
Internet Terms: GFE- Girl friend experience SYT- Sweet young thing PYT- Pretty young thing NTB- New to the business IPO- Initial Public Offering SFH- Sex for hire
Page 53
Appendix C: Human Trafficking Timeline
December 20, 1993 -- Resolution 48/141 of the General Assembly of the United Nations created the post of High Commissioner for Human Rights whose job is to raise concerns and promote action to governments in response to human right abuses and violations.
February 16, 1995 -- The United States signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), but has not yet ratified the Convention. The CRC establishes the human rights of children, such as the right to an education and health care as well as the protection against execution and life imprisonment for crimes committed while under the age of 18. It also declares that every child is entitled to full protection by the state from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, including physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration. The US has not ratified it based on the concern that the CRC will undermine the rights of the parent over the upbringing of the child (Social Justice).
August 27-31, 1996 – The first World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children was held in Stockholm, Sweden. At this convention, 122 countries and NGOs committed to a global partnership against CSEC.
June 17, 1999 – At its 87th Session, the General Conference of the International Labour Organization (ILO) adopted the Convention Concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour defined as: all forms of slavery, such as the trafficking or selling of children, the use, procuring or offering of a child for prostitution, for the production of pornography or for pornographic performances, or work which is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of the children.
October 28, 2000 --The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA), H.R.3244 in the 106th Congress, became Public Law 106-386. The TVPA was established as a tool in combating trafficking in persons, protecting the victims--predominately women and children, and ensuring effective punishment for the traffickers.
November 15, 2000 -- The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the United Nations Convention against Transnational Crime and its Protocols, which included the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children. The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children emphasizes the “three P's”: the prevention of trafficking in persons, the punishment of traffickers, and the protection of victims of trafficking. In Article 3, the Protocol gives the meaning of the term “trafficking in persons,” defines a child as “any person under eighteen years of age,” and establishes the irrelevance of consent on the part of victims.
December 7, 2000 -- The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, which outlines six fundamental rights: dignity, freedoms, equality, solidarity, citizen’s rights, and justice, was signed at the meeting of the European Council in Nice, France.
December 17-20, 2001 – The Second World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children was held in Yokohama, Japan. At this meeting, the World Congress developed plans of action and renewed the global commitment to combat CSEC.
Page 54
December 23, 2002 – The United States ratified the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, one of the optional protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The protocol recognizes the rights of the child for protection against economic exploitation, including any work that would be hazardous or harmful to the child physically, spiritually, mentally, morally, and socially. It also pushes for a holistic approach in addressing the issues of child prostitution, child pornography, and the sale of children.
June 2003 – The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the US Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children launched the Innocence Lost National Initiative to address the problem of domestic sex trafficking of children in the US. To date this initiative has recovered 1,038 children, seized over $3 million, facilitated 571 convictions, and established 38 taskforces or workgroups (fbi.gov/innolost/innolost.htm).
December 19, 2003 – The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003 became Public Law 108- 193. This act enhanced the efforts of the federal government to prevent trafficking in persons and protect trafficking victims. It also enhanced the prosecution of traffickers.
July 16, 2004 – President George W. Bush participated in the US Justice Department’s first-ever national training conference on human trafficking. The topics included steps to help trafficking victims and a draft of a model anti-trafficking statute for states.
November 3, 2005 – The United States ratified the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children.
January 10, 2006 -- The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 became Public Law 109- 164. This enhanced the national, state, and local efforts to combat trafficking in persons, especially domestic trafficking of juvenile victims.
March 15, 2006 – Resolution 60/251 of the General Assembly of the United Nations created the Human Rights Council to replace the Commission on Human Rights.
March 2007 -- The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime launched the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT). UN.GIFT creates new partnerships with all stakeholders, including governments, businesses, academia, civil society, and the media to develop effective tools to fight human trafficking.
January 2, 2008 – The Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings entered into force.
June 2008 – Operation Cross Country established by the FBI resulted in the 389 arrests and the rescue of 21 child victims of sex trafficking.
June 25, 2008 – The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child issued its concluding observations regarding the United States. Their report commended the efforts of the US to gather data and conduct relevant studies on the commercial sexual exploitation of children, but expressed concerned over the lack of
Page 55 information available. They recommended that the US implement a functional data collection system that analyzes and monitors all issues covered by the protocol.
October 2008 -- Operation Cross Country II resulted in 642 arrests and the rescue of 49 children from the sex trade.
November 25-28, 2008 – The World Congress III against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
December 23, 2008 – The William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, HR7311, became Public Law 110-457 during the 110th Congress. This act created an interagency task force to combat human trafficking, focusing on both international and domestic cases.
February 12, 2009 -- The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) launched the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons. This report was the first to measure the global scope of human trafficking through the investigation of 155 countries.
February 2009 – Operation Cross Country III resulted in the arrest of 571 criminals and the rescue of 48 child victims of prostitution.
April 14-15 2009 – The Working Group on Trafficking in Persons met for the first time to facilitate an exchange of experience and practices between experts and practitioners and to make recommendations for a concerted effort in the prevention, protection, and prosecution of trafficking.
June 16, 2009 -- The US State Department released the ninth Trafficking in Persons Report 2009. According to the Introduction to the 2009 Report, a victim-centered approach to trafficking must go beyond the “three P’s” (prosecution, protection, and prevention) to address the “three R’s” (rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration).
June 30, 2009 -- The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) launched its Model Law against Trafficking in Persons. Article 10 of the Model Law addresses the non-liability, non-punishment, or non- prosecution of victims of trafficking in persons.
August 28, 2009 -- Ambassador Luis CdeBaca launched the United Nations Anti-Human Trafficking Manual for Criminal Justice Practitioners. Ambassador Luis CdeBaca is the leader of the US State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.
October 9, 2009 -- The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and other organizations launched the International Framework for Action to Implement the Trafficking in Persons Protocol in New York.
October 2009 -- Operation Cross Country IV resulted in hundreds of arrests and the recovery of 52 child victims of prostitution.
January 4, 2010 – In the Presidential Proclamation for National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, President Barack Obama emphasized that the fight against modern slavery and human trafficking is a shared responsibility and that the US and the global community must join together to protect victims and prosecute traffickers.
Page 56
January 22, 2010 – The United States submitted its First Periodic Report Concerning the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, along with the Response to the Committee’s Concluding Observations of June 25, 2008.
January 27-29, 2010 – At the Second Meeting of the Working Group on Trafficking in Persons in Vienna, Austria, delegations from some 200 countries discussed, among other things, the non-punishment and non- prosecution of victims of trafficking.
February 24, 2010 – “Child Prostitution and Sex Trafficking within the United States” was the title of a hearing before the Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law, which is part of the US Senate Judiciary Committee. The witnesses for the hearing included Rachel Lloyd, the founder of Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS), and Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, the leader of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. During her testimony, Ms. Lloyd alluded to a 13- year-old girl who had been charged with prostitution in Texas although “the adult man who had recruited and sold her was set free.” Ambassador CdeBaca emphasized that “*n+o child can consent to being sold into commercial sex and that “*i+f a pimp used a child for commercial sex that child should be treated as a victim, not a criminal.” At the conclusion of his testimony, Ambassador CdeBaca assured trafficking victims “that we will not turn a blind eye to their abuse.”
March 29, 2010 – The European Commission adopted a proposal for a directive on preventing and combating human trafficking and protecting victims. Article 7 of the proposal calls for the non-prosecution or non- application of penalties to victims for crimes that they have been compelled to commit as a direct consequence of human trafficking. Another notable feature is Article 17, which would repeal Framework Decision 2002/629/JHA.
April 1, 2010 – The Safe Harbour for Exploited Children Act (Title 8-A, sections 447-a and 447-b of the Social Services Law) went into effect in the State of New York. The summary explains that the Act creates a presumption that children under 16 years of age who are charged as juvenile delinquents for prostitution offenses are severely trafficked persons. As a result, those children can avoid criminal charges of prostitution.
April 22, 2010 – The State of Alabama became the 48th state to pass a form of legislation concerning Human Trafficking. The Representatives Jack Williams and Merika Coleman Act is considered one of the most comprehensive bills in a state. The act clearly defines the parameters of a human trafficking case and the recommended penalties.
June 14, 2010 – The Trafficking In Persons Report 2010 was released by Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. This was the first report to include the United States in its assessment.
Page 57
Appendix D: Human Trafficking Timeline for Jefferson County
April 15, 2005: The Cumberland School of Law and Cumberland’s Center for Biotechnology, Law and Ethics hosted a Symposium on International Adoption as Human Trafficking. Richard Cross, a senior special agent for Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] assigned to the ICE Human Trafficking Unit in Seattle, Washington, spoke at the event.
September 30, 2006: SENetwork and Family Connection receive funding from the Office of Refugee Resettlement to expand outreach to human trafficking victims in the greater Birmingham area. Hope House street outreach staff was trained to identify human trafficking victims. Service provision and law enforcement collaboration begins within the next year.
October 18, 2006: The Zonta Birmingham Chapter and the YWCA co-hosted a luncheon on Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence to which the Women Lawyers Section of the Bar, Zonta members and YWCA staff and invited community members came.
April 11, 2007: Southside Baptist Church hosted a event featuring presenter, Nola Theiss’s, from Human Trafficking Awareness Partnerships for the faith based community. Nola Theiss organized a roundtable discussion with Birmingham area college students on human trafficking on the same day.
April 12, 2007: Human Trafficking Training "Combating Human Trafficking in Birmingham, Alabama" co- sponsored by Zonta International and YWCA. Nola Theiss, from Human Trafficking Awareness Partnerships was the speaker for the training.
March 5, 2007: The International Arts Festival organization hosted an International Women’s Day program on Human Trafficking and Women in Politics which honored Meda Mladek of the Czech Republic and Soon Bok Sellers of Birmingham, as "Women of Consequence".
November 28,2007- February 20th 2009: The U.S. Attorney’s Office of Northern Alabama HTIP Working group met with the purpose of promoting awareness of human trafficking in the state of Alabama.
January 29, 2008: U.S. Attorney’s Office of Northern Alabama HTIP Working group GSRCPI, Bessemer Police Department, Northern District of Alabama Victim Witness Program organized a human trafficking training at the Bessemer Civic Center. There were 63 attendees from local, state, and federal law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, victims service providers, public health officials, code enforcement personnel, utility workers, business owners, and other community members.
June 11 & 12, 2008: Human Trafficking Conference “A Civil Rights Violation” at Samford University, Birmingham AL. Representatives from the DOJ, FBI, U.S. Attorney’s Office Northern District of Alabama, GSRCPI, Human Trafficking Unit, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Human Trafficking Awareness Partnerships, Inc., were the presenters. Approximately 185 people, primarily law enforcement, attended. The conference was organized by: The U.S. Department of Justice, U. S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Samford University, Birmingham Police Department, Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Bessemer Police Department, Civil Rights Institute, YWCA, ZONTA, Coordinated Community Response, Alabama Silent Witness Initiative, Family Connection Inc., Victims of Crime and Leniency, and the Northern District of Alabama Human Trafficking Working Group.
Page 58
Summer and Fall of 2008, Zonta representative, Mary Lynn Bates, made two presentations to local rotary clubs specifically about Human Trafficking. Zonta also hosted two presentations in 2009, one in June and one in September, at local Zonta meetings on human trafficking
February 14, 2008: The Cumberland School of Law and Cumberland’s Center for Biotechnology, Law and Ethics hosted a Symposium on International Adoption as Human Trafficking: "The Baby Market: The Future of High-Tech and Low-Tech Markets in Children".
April 30, 2009: SENetwork received funding to support Rescue and Restore Coalition activities in the Greater Birmingham area and one outcome from that funding was the creation of Freedom to Thrive.
April 27, 2009: Zonta representative gave a presentation to the Optimist Club of Birmingham in West End on Human Trafficking.
June 25-29, 2009: SENetwork Birmingham DMST Project, a report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking in Jefferson County was released by the SENetwork and KlaasKids Foundation.
July 16, 2009: SENetwork held a street outreach training for Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking in coordination with Family Connection. The presenters were Brad Dennis from KlaasKids Foundation and John Robertson from SENetwork.
August 31, 2009: Freedom to Thrive presented at Cumberland Law School on the call for Alabama State Legislation against Human Trafficking.
October 10, 2009: Freedom to Thrive and local attorneys met with Representative Jack Williams to begin drafting the HTIP state law.
October 27 & 28, 2009: The Junior League of Birmingham hosted two JLB Community Roundtable Events to raise awareness about Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking. Speakers were from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Freedom to Thrive, and Silent Witness Initiative/NMotion Consulting made up the panel.
November 2009: The Freedom to Thrive blog, which includes updates about trafficking cases and trafficking- related events in the southeast United States, goes live at http://freedomtothrive.wordpress.com.
January 2010: Women’s Missionary Union, based in Birmingham Alabama, announced that during the years 2010–2012, they will be focusing on human exploitation as the unethical, selfish use of human beings for the satisfaction of personal desires and/or profitable advantage. They are covering six issues of exploitation through their Project Help campaign and two of the issues are labor and sex trafficking. They have made training materials and hosted conferences on the topic of Human Exploitation: Human Trafficking.
January 14, 2010: Northern District of Alabama U.S. Attorney’s Office hosted a Human Trafficking Listening Meeting with members from FBI, USAO staff, Freedom to Thrive, Family Connection, Crisis Center, Rape Response, Coordinated Community Response, N-Motion Consulting, Clay House Advocacy Center, Cooper Green Mercy Hospital, and Jefferson County Department of Health.
January 19, 2010: Freedom to Thrive held the first steering committee meeting involving HICA, SENetwork, local attorneys, Family Connection, Children’s Aid Society, NMotion Consulting, Birmingham Police
Page 59
Department, Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence, ZONTA International, Coordinated Community Response, and other community volunteer advocates attended.
February 18 & 21, 2010: At the Alabama School of Fine Arts production of the musical “Runaways,” Zonta International hosted a panel discussion which included Judge Huff from Family Court, Phil Cain from Family Connection, and Sara Jane Camacho from Freedom to Thrive. The discussion covered CSEC in the runaway/homeless/throwaway population.
March 9, 2010: SENetwork and Freedom to Thrive sponsored “Finding Common Ground: Creating Meaningful Community Collaborations for Minor Victims.” Seventy participants, from local law enforcement, social service providers, and the community, attended the training at Children’s Aid Society.
March 10-12, 2010: SENetwork and Alabama Network in conjunction with Children’s Aid Society hosted Trauma Informed Care: Training of Trainers, aimed at direct service providers. This seminar provided education and training concerning the delivery of trauma informed care to clients.
March 18 &19, 2010: Syble Theater, the Crisis Center and Rape Response presented the Vagina Monologues for a V-DAY, or Violence Against Women event at Bottle Tree. Freedom to Thrive was asked to speak about Human Trafficking.
April 5-9, 2010: JUST US, an anti-human trafficking youth coalition and Freedom to Thrive launched the first Human Trafficking Awareness Week in seven different area high schools in the Greater Birmingham area. Thirty-five to forty JustUs leaders went into their high schools during that week wearing the JustUs T-shirt and armed with fact sheets about CSEC and the National HTIP hotline. On April 9th 150 people attended a Human Trafficking Awareness Concert at Urban Standard focused on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking. The JustUs Facebook group is currently at 160 members.
April 30, 2010: The Representative Jack Williams and Merika Coleman Act, Alabama’s human trafficking law, was passed.
May 16 & 17, 2010: The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) and the FBI sponsored “Human Trafficking: 21st Century Slavery in Alabama.” Speakers were from USAO, FBI, Freedom to Thrive, Southern Poverty Law Center, DHR, N-Motion consulting and local advocates.
May 27, 2010: Freedom to Thrive and Cool Beans Coffee Shop hosted a documentary screening of DEMAND by Shared Hope International. A speaker panel and discussion occurred after screening.
June 9, 2010: The U.S. Department of Justice, United States Attorney’s Office, NDAL and the Federal Bureau of Investigation sponsored a human trafficking awareness Train the Trainer for local law enforcement. Speakers were from the US Attorney's Office, FBI Headquarters, and the Alabama District Attorney's Association. 60+ attendees
June 25, 2010: Governor Bob Riley signed the Alabama Human Trafficking Law with advocates from Freedom to Thrive, NMotion Consulting, Silent Witness Initiative, JUST US, and the DA’s Association.
Page 60
June 28, 2010: Coordinated Community Response hosted a speaker from Freedom to Thrive to speak on Human Trafficking and Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking along with a speaker from the District Attorney’s Association speaking on the new HTIP law.
July 2, 2010: Freedom to Thrive partnered with International Justice Mission to host a Human Trafficking Awareness night for the community at Workplay Theater, during IJM’s Five Weeks for Freedom Campaign. Panel participants included Representative Jack Williams and Representative Merika Coleman, Barry Matson with the District Attorney Association, the IJM VP of International Operations, and Sara Jane Camacho from Freedom to Thrive. A screening of the documentary "Call + Response" was shown, addressing the issue of human trafficking worldwide. Over 200 people attended the event.
July 29, 2010: Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force for the Northern District (AHTTF) held its first official meeting.
August 9, 2010: The U.S. Attorney’s office invited a working group to meet attorneys and victim witness coordinators from the Civil Rights Division-Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit. Among those present were Theresa Segovia, Chief Investigator with the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, and Matthew Gallagher, victim-witness specialist.
August 10, 2010: UAB Campus watch hosted a training conducted by Freedom to Thrive for UAB personnel to learn more about human trafficking and how to identify victims.
September 1, 2010: The Race Relations Roundtable coordinated by the Cultural Affairs Committee hosted a panel discussion on coordinating efforts to address issues plaguing homelessness youth. Speakers were Children's Aid Society, Family Connection, Hope House, One Roof (MBSH), the Refuge, Freedom to Thrive, and the UAB team that produced the survey report "Health Care Crisis for Birmingham Homeless."
September 11, 2010: Trails Against Trafficking 2010 bike ride to raise awareness for the issue of human trafficking sponsored by Impact Exchange and Freedom to Thrive.
September, 12, 15, and 22nd, 2010: Southside Baptist hosted a series of presentations on human trafficking for the faith based community.
September 14, 2010: The Women’s Fund hosted a community forum with speakers from A Future Not a Past, SENetwork/Youth and Family Services Network, FBI, Family Connection, and Freedom to Thrive.
November 5, 2010: Children’s Policy Council hosted Freedom to Thrive to speak on “Human Trafficking: Children for Sale”
November 10, 2010: The Child and Family Planning Team in Bessemer organized by The Clay House Advocacy hosted Freedom to Thrive to speak on CSEC,
November 10, 2010: UAB Leadership and Service Council, and the Intercultural Committee hosted Freedom to Thrive to speak on human trafficking and DEMAND sex trafficking documentary was shown.
* This is not a complete list of activities. Many other individuals have hosted documentary screenings, discussion groups, and events within our community.
Page 61
Appendix E: How to report/ how to get involved
Report CSEC Locally: By taking action and calling, you may be the only one that can provide crucial information about a CSEC case
U.S. Attorney’s Office of Northern Alabama (205) 244-2001
FBI Birmingham Office (205)-326-6166
Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline/Jefferson County DHR (205) 324-2135
Report CSEC to National Hotline Centers: National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline 1-888-3737-888. The NHTRC hotline is a toll-free hotline available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year. NGO’s, community members, and law enforcement can call the hotline to report a tip or connect with anti- human trafficking resources, coalitions, and task forces. Interpreters are available. Once a tip is called in the NHTRC staff will alert the appropriate law enforcement agencies.
Department of Justice Trafficking in Persons and Worker Exploitation Task Force Complaint 1-888-428-7581 New laws can provide options for trafficking victims regardless of immigration status. Operators have access to interpreters and can talk with callers in their own language. This hotline is open weekdays 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST.
NCMEC- National Center of Missing and Exploited Children: www.missingkids.com 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) For the reporting a sighting of a Missing Child: Operators are available 24- hours a day to receive “sightings” of missing youth by telephone or via the Internet.
NCMEC- National Center of Missing and Exploited Children Cyber Tipline: 1-800-843-5678.NCMEC: CyberTipline is a means for reporting crimes against children including: Possession, manufacture, and distribution of child pornography, Online enticement of children for sexual acts, Child prostitution, Sex Tourism Involving Children, Extra familial Child Sexual Molestation, Unsolicited Obscene Material Sent to a Child, Misleading Domain Names, Misleading Words or Digital Images on the Internet. Reports may be made 24-hours a day, 7 days a week online at www.cybertipline.com.
Assist with the recovery of missing children by signing up for the AMBER Alert Program: www.wirelessamberalerts.org
The AMBER Alert Program, named for 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, is a voluntary partnership between law- enforcement agencies, broadcasters, and transportation agencies to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child-abduction cases. Broadcasters use the Emergency Alert System (EAS) to air a description of the abducted child and suspected abductor. The goal of an AMBER Alert is to instantly galvanize the entire community to assist in the search for and safe recovery of the child. – NCMEC www.missingkids.com
Page 62
Getting Involved Locally:
Freedom to Thrive (205) 276-8978
U.S. Attorney’s Task Force (205) 244-2001
Stay Connected and Aware:
Join Freedom to Thrive mailing list to receive local news about Freedom to Thrive educational opportunities, trainings and workshops, volunteer orientation meetings, documentary screenings as well as current news and report releases about Human Trafficking. You can sign up at: www.freedomtothrive.org
Explore www.freedomtothrive.org to learn more about the issue and current reports, articles, and research.
Follow the Freedom to Thrive blog at www.http://freedomtothrive.wordpress.com/
Promote Freedom to Thrive awareness events through your social media outlets.
Find and Join Freedom to Thrive on Facebook and add to discussion. Invite your friends.
Volunteer with Freedom to Thrive by helping us create general awareness events and creative outreach strategies for the purpose of victim identification and community mobilization.
Schedule, organize, and promote a Documentary screening with Freedom to Thrive and speaking event at your campus, faith group, organization, or for the general public.
Organize a Hot-line promotion distribution day with your group putting up posters and outreach materials in your community.
Give or support giving by organizing a fundraiser or awareness events for Freedom to Thrive such as benefit concerts, speaking events, bike rides, fun run, and other community mobilization events.
Schedule a training or speaking event from FTT Educational Work Group for your business, medical group, faith group, or nonprofit organization by emailing [email protected].
Advocate for your group, business, or non-profit to join a Freedom to Thrive work group (Policy, Educational, Youth Service Provision, Adult Service Provision, Community Outreach) by sending a committed representative to work group meetings. Sign up by emailing [email protected] .
Page 63
Appendix F: CSEC Identification Fact Sheet
Page 64
Appendix G: Alabama Human Trafficking Law: Representative Jack Williams and Merika Coleman Act Fact Sheet
Page 65
Page 66