Foster Care & Trafficking in the United States
Written By: Hannah Adkison
January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, a few weeks of the year dedicated to sharing the stories of survivors and information on how to prevent the proliferation of this dark industry. Our parent organization, Orangewood Foundation, serves many youth and young adults at risk of being trafficked through a variety of services and resources. One notable program, Project Choice, aims to serve 11-21yo's at risk of or actively being trafficked through a contract with Orange County Social Services. Garbralle Conroe, Director of Drop-In Services at Orangewood Foundation, oversees that program and contributed her expertise to todays’ post.
For those of us new to this topic, what is Human Trafficking?
Garbralle: Human Trafficking occurs when a person uses force, fraud, or coercion to cause a commercial sex act with an adult or causes a minor to commit a commercial sex act, including prostitution, pornography, and sexual performance in exchange for something of value, such as money, drugs, shelter, food, or clothes.
Wow, that sounds scary. Are kids at risk of this kind of exploitation?
Garbralle: Traffickers are experts at finding those moments when people are vulnerable, of working the angles, of manipulating reality and using fears. The process is called grooming. The purpose of the grooming process is for a trafficker to be able to gain full control over their victim and manipulate them into cooperating in their own exploitation. While every situation is different the overall grooming process usually involves the following steps: 1. Target the Victim, 2. Gaining Trust, 3. Meeting needs, 4. Isolation, 5. Exploitation, 6. Maintaining Control.
Image from A21 Walk for Freedom, Unsplash
This is a great time to interject and share how youth in foster care are disproportionately affected by traffickers in the US. Let’s take the 6 steps Garbralle noted, and see how they might apply to kids in foster care:
Target the Victim: A trafficker knows that the easiest target is someone who has very little support system, low self worth, and is in need in some way. A child who has been exposed to abuse and/or neglect (i.e., in the foster care system) is likely to meet all of these criteria, making them an easy and, unfortunately, prolific target.
Gaining Trust: Often a trafficker will hang around group homes, emergency shelters, and other types of congregate care centers, knowing that many youth in these spaces not only don’t want to be there, but are in desperate need of a caring person in their lives. They may begin by inviting them to a fun party, showing up consistently, calling to hear about their day, and so forth. Traffickers also use kids who are already in “the life” to recruit their friends and peers, since this tends to raise less alarm bells. This is why it is so important for our foster care systems and law enforcement to collaborate to track runaways, as the likelihood of being trafficked increases exponentially the longer a child is away from care.
Meeting Needs: In foster care, we are constantly on the lookout for our kids coming home with items they couldn’t afford on their own. A new phone, a nice purse, jewelry, or new sneakers. Kids who came from homes where their material needs were lacking are often drawn in by this kind of lavishness. A trafficker might also offer housing, transportation, good meals, and other basic needs a child might feel they are lacking while in the foster care system. Additionally, a trafficker might try meeting unmet emotional needs by just checking in, asking about a child’s day, and providing encouragement. Unfortunately, this is only to meet their own nefarious ends.
Isolation: It is important to a trafficker to ensure very little trail towards a person they’ve recruited. This is why isolation is such an important step. Convincing someone that the few people they have left are not good for them will likely prevent the child from reaching out for help or to report the trafficker when they finally realize what is happening. This form of manipulation may feel obvious to some, but when you already have a mistrust of the larger system and of those claiming to be your caregivers, it can be an easy lie to believe.
Exploitation: This, like all steps, varies from person to person. Sometimes, someone can be convinced purely based on the monetary promise, which is often not as lucrative as they are told. Sometimes the trafficker begins a sexual relationship with a child, then coerces them to commit those acts with others. The groomer might get the child to take inappropriate pictures, then threaten to post them online unless they begin working for them. They may even go as far as threatening loved ones. The shame, confusion, and general helplessness at this point can be extremely overwhelming and debilitating.
Maintaining Control: The last step is maintaining control over a child. This might include fear for their own safety, a need to pay off a “debt”, a desire to keep something bad from happening to loved ones, or a fear of the shame of what will happen if people find out. Whatever it is, a trafficker will work to maintain it so that this person remains indebted to their cause.
All of this and more is why at YCP, we see to it that a child in our care has an extensive, diverse support system: foster parents, social workers, dorm staff, teachers, coaches, aunts, uncles, CASA workers, and more. The more people we have who know a child by name, who are invested in them and will ask questions about their lives, the less likely they are to ever fall into the hands of traffickers, preventing even further abuse and trauma.
Okay, so what kinds of questions can we ask if we think someone is being trafficked or groomed?
Garbralle: Here are a few clear, simple questions you could ask:
Is anyone forcing or pressuring you to do anything you do not want to do?
Are you allowed to talk to people outside of your home or job?
Can you come and go as you please?
Do you feel safe where you are living?
Have you ever exchanged sex for something of value?
What kind of services does Project Choice and the rest of Orangewood Foundation offer to support survivors, or those who are still at risk of/currently being trafficked?
Garbralle: At our drop in center, we support with all kinds of services, such as
· 24/7 Warmline support: (714) 619-8413
· Basic Needs (Shower, meals, clothing, hygiene items)
· Crisis Intervention & Safety Planning
· On Site Nurse/Health Education
· Young Moms support
· Safe Housing
· Therapeutic Programming & Individual therapy
· Referrals
· Case Management
· Juvenile Hall Support
· Grace Court Advocacy Support
· Peer Mentor Program
· Community Outreach & Education:
· Prevention Education
· Community Trainings
· Event Outreach
What can we do if we have concerns about someone being trafficked?
Garbralle: If you see something say something. Please reach out to the National Human Trafficking Resouce Center (24/7) at 1-888-3737-888 (1-888-373-7888). You can also text HELP or INFO to BeFree (233733) or submit a tip online at http://www.traffickingresourcecenter.org/.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Through advocacy work, legislation, and focused supports, awareness regarding the pipeline from foster care into trafficking has increased exponentially over the years.
Becoming a foster parent to a teen in need is one big way to help end this cycle. As a foster parent, you get the honor of providing space, time, and love for a child to heal in, drastically reducing their likelihood of ever even meeting a trafficker. To learn more about fostering with YCP, click the “Get Started” button at the top of this screen or reach out to us at ycp@orangewoodfoundation.org.