Human trafficking of children in Illinois: Prevalence and characteristics

Risk Factors and Indicators for Commercial Sexual Exploitation/Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking of Adolescent Girls in the United States in the Context of School Nursing: An Integrative Review of the Literature

“…The majority of studies, however, found African American girls at greater risk than White girls (e.g., see Cecchet & Thoburn, 2014; Chohaney, 2016; Fedina et al, 2019; Havlicek et al, 2016; Kenny et al, 2020; Landers et al, 2017; Naramore et al, 2017; Reid, 2014). Differences ranged from 53% versus 35% in a study of 419 children evaluated for CSEC (Havlicek et al, 2016) to 65% versus 26% in a study of 115 participants who had been sex trafficked as a child (Fedina et al, 2019). More specifically, Fedina and colleagues (2019) found that the odds were more than twice as high for CSEC victims to be a racial minority compared to White children ( OR = 2.31, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.17, 4.55]).…”

“…Juvenile justice and child protection involvement were identified as important predictors for CSEC (Chohaney, 2016; Cimino et al, 2017; Havlicek et al, 2016; Kenny et al, 2020; Landers et al, 2017; O’Brien et al, 2017; Perkins & Ruiz, 2017; Reid et al, 2015; Rothman et al, 2015; Varma et al, 2015). In-depth interviews ( N = 4) revealed that CSEC victims were encouraged by partners and peers to engage in criminal activity (Rothman et al, 2015).…”

“…Entry into foster care, however, was also associated with increased risk for CSEC victimization. A study of 419 children with an investigated allegation for CSEC found that more than one fourth ( n = 119) had been placed in foster care; of these almost half ( n = 54) had allegations for CSEC during out-of-home care, while over 20% ( n = 24) had at least one allegation for CSEC before and about one third ( n = 36) after exiting out-of-home care (Havlicek et al, 2016). Thus, while CPS involvement constitutes an important marker for CSEC victimization, the direction of the relationship between foster care and CSEC, however, remains unclear, primarily due to small sample sizes.…”

“…More specifically, evidence strongly suggested CSA as a key risk factor for CSEC (Cecchet & Thoburn, 2014; Chohaney, 2016; Cimino et al, 2017; Cole & Sprang, 2015; Fedina et al, 2019; Fraley & Aronowitz, 2019; Havlicek et al, 2016; Kenny et al, 2020; Landers et al, 2017; O’Brien et al, 2017; Perkins & Ruiz, 2017; Reid, 2014; Reid et al, 2015, 2017; Shaw et al, 2017). Reid and colleagues (2017) found CSA to be the strongest predictor of trafficking victimization with the odds for CSEC 2.33 times greater for girls who experienced CSA ( N = 801) compared to a matched sample ( OR = 2.33, CI 95% [1.83, 2.98]).…”

“…In 2017, the project received 7,277 potential sex trafficking referrals in the United States; 2,764 of these cases (38%) involved minor victims of whom almost 89% were female (Polaris Project, 2018). Girls aged 12–18 are the largest group of minor sex trafficking victims in the United States (Havlicek et al, 2016; Naramore et al, 2017; Varma et al, 2015).…”