● Leaves home frequently for significant periods ● Has had multiple placements through child welfare. ● Shows signs of mental, physical, or sexual abuse. ● Uses street slang for sex work. ● Has a significantly older partner; spends a lot of time with a controlling person or older adult. ● Relies on another person to speak for the victim. ● Indications or reports of domestic violence/ intimate partner violence. ● Lies about age or carries a fake form of identification. ● Describes a stalking situation. ● Lives in housing provided by employer. ● Significantly reduces contact with family, friends, or other support networks. ● Displays a pattern of staying in the homes of friends or a non-legally responsible adult. ● Reluctant to discuss how the victim makes money, where they live, or how or when they came to the United States. ● Lacks control over schedule and money. ● Has large amounts of money or costly items they cannot reasonably afford. ● Involved in systems (social services, courts). ● Works more than they are in school or does not often attend school. ● Carries weapons while absent from care. ● Has knowledge about the geography of multiple urban areas. ● Experiences suicidal ideations or depression. Physical Indicators of child trafficking ● Has untreated injuries. ● Has old and new injuries or is injured frequently. ● Explanations for injuries are inconsistent with their severity. ● Has had multiple sexually transmitted diseases or abortions. ● Has suspicious tattoos or burn marks (branding). ● Exhibits overt sexualized behavior.
● Exhibits evidence of sexual abuse. Psychological/behavioral indicators of child trafficking ● Has heightened sense of fear or distrust of authority. ● Is unwilling to disclose whereabouts or information about parents or caregivers. ● Is restricted in communication or displays anxious, fearful, depressed, submissive, tense, and nervous behavior. ● Is unwilling or unable to identify self as a victim. ● Displays behaviors aligned with a trauma history or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). ● Has many inconsistencies in their story—many youth retell the same story in the same way many times, giving the appearance that the story has been coached. ● Is scared of consequences to a degree greater than a situation warrants—for example, being late. Youth who are especially vulnerable to trafficking include the following (New York State, Office of Children and Family Services, n.d.b): ● Children who have a history of sexual abuse, physical abuse, maltreatment, and neglect. ● Children with a history of substance abuse. ● Children with disabilities. ● LGBTQ youth. ● Refugees, immigrants, and non-English- speaking youth. ● Children in foster care or those who have interacted with the justice system. ● Homeless youth and youth who have left home. New York State developed a resource guide and tool kit in 2015 to help healthcare providers with this topic: https://ocfs.ny.gov/main/policies/ external/OCFS_2015/ADMs/15-OCFS-ADM-16 Requirements to Identify, Document, Report, and Provide Services to Child Sex Trafficking Victims.pdf
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