Victims No Longer: Research on Child Survivors of Trafficking for Sexual and Labor Exploitation in the United States Author(S): Elzbieta Gozdziak Ph.D
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The author(s) shown below used Federal funds provided by the U.S. Department of Justice and prepared the following final report: Document Title: Victims No Longer: Research on Child Survivors of Trafficking for Sexual and Labor Exploitation in the United States Author(s): Elzbieta Gozdziak Ph.D. ; Micah N. Bump, M.A. Document No.: 221891 Date Received: March 2008 Award Number: 2005-IJ-CX-0051 This report has not been published by the U.S. Department of Justice. To provide better customer service, NCJRS has made this Federally- funded grant final report available electronically in addition to traditional paper copies. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. VICTIMS NO LONGER: RESEARCH ON CHILD SURVIVORS OF TRAFFICKING FOR SEXUAL AND LABOR EXPLOITATION IN THE UNITED STATES NIJ GRANT NO. 2005-IJ-CX-0051 FINAL REPORT This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. VICTIMS NO LONGER - NIJ GRANT NO. 2005-IJ-CX-0051 - FINAL REPORT AUTHORS: ELŻBIETA GOŹDZIAK, PH.D. PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR AND MICAH N. BUMP, M.A. RESEARCH ASSOCIATE INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION Georgetown University Harris Building 3300 Whitehaven St NW Suite 3100 Washington, DC 20007 Tel: 202-687-2193 Fax: 202-687-2541 e-mail: [email protected] This document was prepared under a grant No 2005-IJ-CX-0051 from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), U.S. Department of Justice. The findings and recommendations presented in this report are those of the authors and do not represent the official positions or policies of the National Institute of Justice or the U.S. Department of Justice. 1 This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. VICTIMS NO LONGER - NIJ GRANT NO. 2005-IJ-CX-0051 - FINAL REPORT ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work was made possible by a grant from the National Institute of Justice at the U.S. Department of Justice. We would like to thank NIJ program officers and staff, in particular, Jennifer Handley, for their support and advice throughout the life of the grant. The authors carried out the research in close collaboration with Julianne Duncan, Margaret MacDonnell, and Sr. Mary Ellen Dougherty from Migration and Refugee Services at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. They, along with their staff, provided invaluable advice and direction during the course of the project. We would also like to thank Mindy Loiselle who brought fresh perspective and expertise to the research. Her insight and presentations were integral to the project’s success. Our research assistants, Jennifer Hollinger and Krystle Corpuz, carried important tasks related to the bibliography and preparation of the final report for which we are grateful. Most of all, we extend our gratitude the URM program staff and child trafficking survivors for their generous contribution of time, knowledge, and energy to this research project. 2 This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. VICTIMS NO LONGER - NIJ GRANT NO. 2005-IJ-CX-0051 - FINAL REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................. 5 I. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................... 21 II. BACKGROUND AND UNDERSTANDING ................................................... 24 1. Child trafficking defined ....................................................................................... 24 2. Access to services under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000............................................................................................................................... 26 a. Services for unaccompanied child victims of trafficking ................................ 27 b. Services provided to child victims of trafficking as part of family cases....... 28 3. The challenge of identifying child victims ............................................................ 29 4. Existing knowledge ................................................................................................. 30 5. Bibliography on child trafficking .......................................................................... 36 6. Methods and Disciplines Employed in Previous Studies on Human Trafficking ....................................................................................................................................... 38 III. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................. 42 1. Methodological challenges in studying trafficked children ................................ 42 2. The genesis of the project....................................................................................... 43 3. Research design................................................................................................... 44 4. Data collection ..................................................................................................... 45 a. Interviews with key informants ......................................................................... 46 b. Analysis of case files............................................................................................ 47 c. Interviews with emancipated survivors ............................................................ 48 5. Data analysis........................................................................................................ 51 IV. KEY FINDINGS ................................................................................................ 53 1. Trafficked Children in Federal Care: A Statistical Portrait .............................. 53 a. Data Overview..................................................................................................... 54 b. Country of Origin ............................................................................................... 55 c. Age ........................................................................................................................ 56 d. Gender ................................................................................................................. 58 e. Type of Trafficking ............................................................................................. 59 f. Victim identification: Year, type, and place of identification.......................... 60 2. Closing the Gaps: The Need to Improve Identification of Child Victims of Trafficking and Access to Services............................................................................ 64 a. Case Study ........................................................................................................... 64 b. Discussion ............................................................................................................ 73 Identification challenges....................................................................................... 73 Service access challenges ..................................................................................... 75 T-visa challenges .................................................................................................. 76 c. Recommendations ............................................................................................... 77 3. Touting Prosecution but not Protection: Shortcomings in the United States’ Effort to Protect Child Trafficking Victims ............................................................. 81 3 This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. VICTIMS NO LONGER - NIJ GRANT NO. 2005-IJ-CX-0051 - FINAL REPORT a. Access to Services under the TVPA: The Tension between Protection and Prosecution .............................................................................................................. 82 Special Provisions for Children............................................................................ 83 b. Melinda and Paula’s Story................................................................................. 85 c. Melinda and Paula’s Adjustment to the URM Program................................. 86 d. Forced Interviews and Testimony: The Exacerbation of Melinda and Paula’s Adjustment Challenges..........................................................................................