By Linda A Smith Samantha Healy Vardaman Melissa A Snow

The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: America’s Prostituted Children 9transportation of human trafficking victims across borders becomes increasingly difficult and dangerous.Domestic child victims of sex trafficking come from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds, geographicareas, and ethnicities. A 2007 New York State Office of Children and Family Services report states thatin New York City, sexually exploited youth tended to be “female and black, having sex with strangers inhotel rooms or outside.” In contrast, “Upstate, the youth were younger, more likely to be white, and wereoften exploited at home by adult friends or acquaintances.” 20 In the Midwest, a child protection servicesofficer in Kansas City related that approximately 84 child victims of prostitution had been identified since2000 in Jackson County, Missouri. Of those 84 victims, 10 were local to Jackson County. Ages rangedfrom 12 to 16 years old. 21Many victims are youth in the child welfare system and/or runaways, but some are recruited from middleclasshomes as well. A common factor is the history of child physical and sexual abuse in the home orthe extended family. In Las Vegas, Nevada, statistics indicate that from January 2004 through December2006, nearly 41% of juveniles suspected of being involved in prostitution-related offenses had been victimsof sexual assault. Additionally, 21% were victims of familial molestation. 22 However, the one singlevulnerability factor making domestic youth targets for sex trafficking is simple: their age.Terminology as a guide.“Domestic minor sex trafficking” is the term coined by Shared Hope International to identify thecommercial sexual exploitation of children under 18 years of age who are U.S. citizens or lawfulpermanent residents. The importance of the term “domestic minor sex trafficking” (DMST) is multidimensional.Language is a vital element to the human experience. It allows people to communicate arange of thoughts, emotions, and images in a single word; therefore, the labels placed on victims can havea profound impact on how society views the victims and how the victims view themselves. Use of a termthat accurately defines the nature of the crime and the victim status is critical to direct attention to thevictim; rather than calling the crime “child prostitution,” the application of the term “domestic minor sextrafficking” refers to the real crime being committed in which a child is sexually exploited for an exchangeof value and clarifies this child’s status as a victim of a crime.In using the term “domestic minor sex trafficking victim” to describe America’s most vulnerable victimsof sex trafficking, Shared Hope International has sought to remove these children from their perceivedand often assigned delinquent status. Research has shown that these are complex victims who requirespecialized care; while they do not often act like traditional sex abuse victims, they are not “bad kids”and they have not chosen this lifestyle. Instead, they are a complex victim group that requires specializedtreatment, shelter, and understanding.20Gragg, Frances and Ian Petta, Haidee Bernstein, Karla Eisen, Liz Quinn. “New York Prevalence Study of CommerciallySexually Exploited Children Final Report” (New York State Office of Children and Family Services: WESTAT), April 18,2007, pg. 87.21Wade, Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Assessment Report — Independence, Missouri, pg. 37.22Kennedy and Pucci, Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Assessment — Las Vegas, Nevada, pg. 97, citing STOP statistics, ViceSection, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) STOP Program (January 1994 — July 2007).