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Aftercare services, domestic minor sex trafficking, juvenile prostitution, sexual abuse

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify aftercare services for domestic minor of sex trafficking (DMST) survivors provided by U.S. residential treatment centers.

Design: A qualitative research study was conducted with aftercare program personnel from five U.S. residential treatment centers for DMST survivors. Methods: Interviews were conducted with staff from five different residential treatment centers providing services exclusively to domestic minor sex trafficking survivors.

Findings: Participants described the range of services offered to address survivors' posttrafficking needs. Participants' responses assisted in expanding an existing care model to include education re-entry, family reunification, family reconciliation, and emergency substance use services.

Conclusions: This study led to the refinement of an aftercare service delivery model and laid the foundation to develop best practice guidelines for providing aftercare services to DMST survivors.

Clinical Relevance: Sex trafficking is a global health problem affecting our youth today. Nurses have a vital role in combatting sex trafficking by raising awareness about the problem and restoring the lives of sex trafficking victims by implementing innovative care programs.

Sex trafficking is defined as "A commercial sex act induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age" (Trafficking Victims Protection Act, 2000, p. 8). Epidemiologically, sex trafficking is extremely difficult to track, and prevalence remains unknown, with conservative estimates between 50,000 and 100,000 trafficked victims a year in the United States. Globally, 1.2 million children are estimated to be trafficked annually, and the industry of human trafficking generates approximately US$32 billion annually (Davidson, 2013). The United States is known as a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children who are U.S. citizens and foreign nationals (U.S. Department of State, 2016). Trafficking victims are recruited from around the world to the United States. In 2015, the top three countries of origin for trafficking victims in the United States were from the United States, Mexico, and the Philippines. The most vulnerable populations at risk for trafficking are children in the welfare system and juvenile justice systems, runaway and homeless youth, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LBGTI) individuals (U.S. Department...

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