By: Linda A. Smith Samantha Healy Vardaman Melissa A. Snow

The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: America’s Prostituted Children 11
Scope of the problem.
The Number of Youth who fi t the Defi nition of a Domestic Minor Sex Traffi cking Victim
Starting in October 2006, Shared Hope International embarked on a study seeking to assess the scope of
domestic minor sex traffi cking, the identifi cation of victims, and how these victims were gaining access
to services. The assessments took place in ten U.S. locations and were funded through a grant from the
U.S. Department of Justice, Offi ce of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance. The study was
concluded in September 2008 with ten location-specifi c assessments released. The assessments strived to
determine credible numbers of minors who qualify as domestic minor sex traffi cking victims, whether
or not they are or were identifi ed as such, especially prostituted children. Subsequent assessments have
been undertaken in other locations in the U.S adding further evidence that domestic minor sex traffi cking
is widespread. However, an accurate count of the number of victims of domestic minor sex traffi cking
was not available — the lack of tracking, the common misidentifi cation, the frequent plea agreements or
declined prosecutions, and the stove-piped communications among and within law enforcement, juvenile
justice, and service providers prevented the capture of the complete picture.
The inability to obtain a true count of the numbers of victims of child sex traffi cking stymies advocates in
pursuing funding and policy improvements to protect the children. Unfortunately, due to a uniform lack
of awareness, identifi cation measures, and tracking protocol found in all locations, the numbers collected
do not refl ect the true numbers of domestic minor sex traffi cking victims in each location. Rather, the
numbers demonstrate with certainty that domestic minor sex traffi cking is occurring and in suffi ciently
sizable numbers to merit the public’s and the community leadership’s prioritization in fi ghting the crime of
domestic minor sex traffi cking.
Table 1: Number of Suspected Child Sex Traffi cking Victims by Location
Research Site State
Number of suspected
DMST Victims
Dallas Texas 150 2007
Time Period
San Antonio/Bexar County Texas 3-4 2005-2008
Fort Worth/Tarrant County Texas 29 2000-2008
Las Vegas Nevada 5,122 1994-2007
Independence/Kansas City area Missouri 227 2000-2008
Baton Rouge/New Orleans area Louisiana 105 2000-2007
Saipan/Rota/Tinian 1 2008
Salt Lake City Utah 83 1996-2008
Buffalo/Erie County New York 74-84 2000-2008
Clearwater/Tampa Bay area Florida 36 2000-2008
*Due to a lack of formal tracking protocols between agencies, some DMST victims may be duplicated within a city
and some may have not been included in this count. These numbers were obtained through an interview process in
addition to offi cial government records when available.