By Linda A Smith Samantha Healy Vardaman Melissa A Snow

The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: America’s Prostituted Children 67Chapter 7: Shelter and ServicesThe country-wide lack of protective shelter and specialized services is responsible forthe re-victimization and criminalization of domestic minor sex trafficking victims.Trauma bonds, pimp control, threats against family members or the victim, and stigma, cause the majorityof domestically trafficked minors to flee non-protective shelters. Another common issue is traffickers/pimps actually going to shelters, or the neighborhoods where the shelters are located, in order to re-trafficor recruit their victims.With few appropriate shelters available for victims of domestic minor sex trafficking, victims are oftenarrested and placed in detention facilities for their protection — though this is not done for domesticviolence victims, rape victims, or other child sexual abuse victims. While this is sometimes viewed as theonly option available to arresting officers, it is a practice that pulls the victim deeper into the juvenilejustice system, re-victimizes, and hinders access to services. Furthermore, the arrest and detainment of thevictim confirms the identity that has been assigned to her by the pimp/trafficker and reinforces the beliefthat she is not worthy of rescue or justice as a victim of a violent crime.Protective ShelterIn nine out of ten assessments, there was a lack of protective shelter for child sex trafficking victims. Only fiveresidential facilities specific to this population exist across the country. These include the Girls Educationaland Mentoring Services (GEMS) Transition to Independent Living (TIL) in New York City, Standing AgainstGlobal Exploitation (SAGE) Safe House in San Francisco, Children of the Night in Los Angeles, Angela’sHouse in Atlanta, and the Letot Center in Dallas. The term ”protective shelter” refers to a facility with theability to separate a victim from a trafficker/pimp and provide the victim a restorative home to stabilize, heal,and move toward independence. How the protective nature of a restorative home manifests can depend onindividual shelter. Some ways that protective shelters have manifested are through:1. Distance — Isolate the shelter from major transportation centers and common trafficking/pimpingareas.2. Staff Secure — A large ratio of staff to minors can help keep a minor from being re-trafficked andhinder running away.3. Formal Security — Security systems, such as outdoor and indoor cameras, can go a long way toproviding security. Highly secure facilities that are restorative in nature can also assist in hinderingboth outsiders obtaining entry and youth running away.“I believe that the investigation and the treatment go hand-in-hand. One supports the other. Treatmentenables successful investigations in the prosecution of perpetrators, and successful investigation enablestreatment.” 184— Sergeant Byron Fassett, Dallas Police Department184Remarks by B. Fassett. Shared Hope International National Training Conference on the Sex Trafficking of America’s Youth.Transcript on file with authors.