Youth in the foster care system are disproportionately susceptible to human trafficking, but there are steps able to be taken to prevent their exploitation if we understand why they are more vulnerable (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2017 & Middleton, J., Edwards, E., Cole, J., Ayala, R., & Dobson, V., 2020). In this session, the Empty Frames Initiative team will discuss data that illustrates how youth involved in the foster care system are more susceptible to human trafficking, delve into the situations driving the data, and discuss what can be done to prevent exploitation. Data from multiple sources on the connection of human trafficking to foster care will be reviewed, specifically data from the Polaris Project, Kentucky's Department for Community Based Services, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Youth. Individual situations leading to the exploitation of this population will be discussed, all of the situations mirroring the national issues, but amplified because of foster youth’s lack of connections. An example of this heightened vulnerability would be the common narrative of a disconnected youth looking for companionship, but amplified vulnerability because of a lack of supervision OR where an exploited individual does not see themselves as a victim, but amplified vulnerability because the state does not identify them as a trafficking survivor with the knowledge that trafficking was happening in the home. There will be additional conversation focused on preventing exploitation by ensuring that youth are receiving trauma informed counseling while in care and are connected to foster care specific resources before transitioning out of care. This presentation looks to equip the anti-trafficking community to advocate for and protect youth in and leaving foster care.
Trigger Warning: This presentation contains information (written, spoken, or visual) that may be triggering or (re)traumatizing to attendees.
Miriam Cobb is founder and director at Empty Frames Initiative, a non-profit dedicated to empowering orphaned and vulnerable youth as they transition out of state care. Miriam served on the NCCAHT BOD in 2019 and helped with JusticeU's NC Specific CSEC Prevention curriculum in 2021 as a subject-matter expert.