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

The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: America’s Prostituted Children 1
Introduction
Shared Hope International was founded with the mission to rescue and restore women and children
exploited through sex traffi cking and works to prevent the traffi cking of new victims. Since 1998, Shared
Hope International has accomplished this charge through research, human rights investigations, and
programmatic and operational support to service providers in order to prevent, rescue, and restore victims
of sex traffi cking.
Following the implementation of successful restoration initiatives internationally, Shared Hope
International fi rst actively addressed the sex traffi cking of American children through research on the
markets that create demand for commercial sex and which result in the commercial sexual exploitation of
women and girls. Through an award from the U.S. Department of State, Offi ce to Monitor and Combat
Traffi cking in Persons, the DEMAND. Project investigated buyers, facilitators, and traffi ckers in four
countries: Jamaica, Japan, the Netherlands, and the United States. The startling fi ndings highlighted the
fact that sex traffi cking is demand-driven, and the product for sale is most commonly local (domestic)
children.
Dedicated to ending the human rights violation of sex traffi cking internationally and domestically, Shared
Hope International proposed and received a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Offi ce of Justice
Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance to perform fi eld research on domestic minor sex traffi cking — the
commercial sexual exploitation of American children in the United States.
Acknowledging that strategic responses to sex traffi cking require comprehensive understanding of the
local situation, in 2006 Shared Hope International aligned with 10 of the 42 U.S. Department of Justicefunded
human traffi cking task forces and the larger communities to assess domestic minor sex traffi cking
and the access to victim services in the following U.S. locations:
1. Dallas, TX
2. San Antonio, TX
3. Fort Worth, TX
4. Salt Lake City, UT
5. Buffalo, NY
6. Baton Rouge and New Orleans, LA
7. Independence, MO
8. Las Vegas, NV
9. Clearwater, FL
10. The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (U.S. Territory)
The assessment process investigated the three areas of Prevention, Prosecution, and Protection (“three
Ps”) outlined by the U.S. Department of State, Offi ce to Monitor and Combat Traffi cking in Persons (G/
TIP) as key areas necessary to effectively combat traffi cking in persons. The “three Ps” are a recommended
holistic approach to evaluating measures to address traffi cking in persons and are used to organize the
annual Traffi cking in Persons Report issued by G/TIP.
The assessments involved qualitative interviews of professionals likely to come into contact with victims
of domestic minor sex traffi cking, as well as quantitative data collection when available. Seven professional