Child exploitation cases surge, victims getting younger

 

Reports of commercial sexual exploitation of minors have skyrocketed 700% over the past decade in Orange County, especially non-trafficking exploitation, according to a new policy brief from UC Irvine researchers.

Exploitation cases are not only increasing dramatically but also affecting younger children and a broader demographic than previously thought, challenging long-held assumptions about who is at risk, says Jodi Quas, professor of psychology and co-author of the policy brief with research scientist Nan Xiao.

“The average age of non-trafficking exploitation victims is now in middle-school, while trafficking victims (exploited by a third-party trafficker) are typically high school age,” Quas says. “We’re seeing a rapidly expanding crisis that requires immediate attention and updated intervention strategies that target the most common forms of exploitation being identified.” 

Quas and Xiao stress that effective prevention and intervention requires involvement of larger groups of professionals, including those in social service sectors, healthcare and education settings. They report that the vast majority of children, for instance, seek health services while being exploited and are in school, with some children doing well academically while being exploited. 

The good news is that healthcare and school professionals are highly skilled at identifying vulnerable children, Quas points out.

“The challenge is that professional groups often lack clear protocols for responding to exploitation, and some healthcare first responders view intervening as beyond their professional responsibility,” she says. “Because health practitioners are highly trusted by youth, they could significantly improve identification and intervention, but they need proper training to do so.”

Compounding the local crisis, federal prosecutions of sex trafficking have declined since 2017, with slight drops in conviction rates as well, Quas and Xiao report.

They suggest this indicates mismatches among current practices, victim engagement and interviewing strategies, and evidence presentation in federal investigation efforts.

The researchers stress that law enforcement agencies need to receive training in specialized questioning techniques adapted from best practices for interviewing child victims, which have been shown to increase cooperation and disclosures in adolescent trafficking victims much more than commonly employed interrogative practices designed for suspects that fuel mistrust and inhibit victim disclosure.

Call for evidence-based solutions

“An important bright spot is the county’s recognition of the problem and collective efforts to develop solutions,” Quas says. “Cross-agency integration of victim data in Orange County, for instance, is helping lead to more targeted identifications and strong collaborations between government agencies and nonprofits are expanding awareness, prevention and outreach efforts in multiple ways. The county’s approach is a model for other jurisdictions facing similar increases in victimization.”

What remains needed, in Orange County and elsewhere, is ongoing formal evaluations of and updates to programs to ensure that they are tailored and maximally beneficial for the types of children most at risk for exploitation today, according to the brief.
— Mimi Ko Cruz