Researchers announced findings today from the largest-ever combined sample of homeless youth in the United States and Canada, revealing that nearly one-fifth are victims of human trafficking, including those trafficked for sex, labor, or both. Homeless youth in Atlanta were among those surveyed for the study, and the local finding echoed the national results: of the 64 young people interviewed, 20.3 percent were trafficked for sex, labor, or both.
The dual studies by researchers at The Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice & Research at the University of Pennsylvania and Loyola University (New Orleans) Modern Slavery Research Project, drew on interviews with 911 homeless youth across 13 cities, including 12 cities where homeless young people accessed services through Covenant House, between February 2014 and March 2017. Covenant House operates the largest network of residences and community service centers for homeless youth across the Americas, reaching more than 46,000 youth every year in 30 cities across six countries.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning youth were disproportionately affected. Though they accounted for just 20 percent of the respondents interviewed, LGBTQ youth accounted for 38 percent of the sex trafficking victims. Overall, 17 percent of the young women interviewed were trafficked for sex; 13 percent of the young men interviewed were trafficked for sex; and 11percent of respondents were trafficked for labor. “While we have known that many of the youth who come to us are fleeing trafficking and sexual exploitation, this ground breaking study gives us confirmation that we must end youth homelessness now. With over 3,300 homeless youth in metro-Atlanta on any given night far too many young people are at risk. It is our community responsibility to stand on behalf of these kids and ensure they have a safe place to seek shelter and refuge”, said Allison Ashe, Executive Director of Covenant House Georgia.
Nationally, the researchers found that 19.4 percent of the interviewed youth were victims of human trafficking, with 15 percent having been trafficked for sex, 7.4 perent trafficked for labor, and 3 pecent trafficked for both. Sex trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing, or soliciting of a person for the purposes of a commercial sex act, in which the commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age. Labor trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purposes of subjection to involuntary servitude, debt bonding or slavery.
“Too many youth are desperate and alone on the streets. Homelessness makes them vulnerable to traffickers,” said Covenant House International President Kevin Ryan. “We don’t have to live in a world where desperate kids are bought and sold. If we want to reduce the number of youth who are trafficked, we have to end youth homelessness. We can, we must, and we should.”
The 10-city studies encompassed interviews with young people aged 17 to 24. Among the national reports’ key findings:
— 15 percent of the total population of 911 young people had been trafficked for sex (21.4 percent of young women and 10 percent of young men). An astounding 26.9 percent of LGBTQ youth reported experiences consistent with the U.S. federal definition of sex trafficking.
— 32.1 percent of the youth interviewed had engaged in some way in the sex trade at some point: 40.5 percent of young females; 25.3 percent of young men. Fifty-six percent of the transgender youth reported being involved in the sex trade in some.
The Loyola research further found that:
— 67.9 percent of the youth who had engaged in the commercial sex trade had done so while homeless.
— While 21 percent of the youth interviewed had a history in the foster system, 29 percent of the youth who were trafficked and 27 percent of the youth who were engaged in the sex trade had been wards of the state or in the foster care system at some point in their lives.
For more information on these ground-breaking studies, go to CovenantHouseStudy.org or contact: Kellie Glenn, Covenant House Georgia, work (404) 465-2557, cell (678) 849-8498, kglenn@covenanthouse
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