Understanding Runaway Youth Experiences Involved in the Sex Trade

Introduction: The association between running away and domestic minor sex trafficking is a growing body of knowledge. However, there is limited information over what might place these youth at greater risk for running away and eventual trafficking. While runaway youth are at risk, not much is known about the mechanisms associated with running away and being trafficked. By identifying risk factors specific to the trafficked population providers may be able to identify those youth at greater risk for being trafficked.

Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional design was used in this study. Descriptive statistics, chi-square, and t-tests were conducted. Respondents were recruited through respondent driven sampling. Data collectors were required to know at least two individuals currently involved in the commercial sex industry. Individuals over the age of 16 reporting involvement in the commercial sex industry in the past year were eligible for participation. The survey was available on-line and accessed at local public libraries. The initial seeds completed the survey and received five coupons to provide to their peers involved in the commercial sex industry. Peers who took the survey were then paid and received five coupons to provide access to social networks, where respondents continued to distribute coupons to individuals involved in the industry.

Results: Those who eventually became victims of domestic minor sex trafficking and who previously ran away from home reported they ran because of three main reasons. Vulnerable youth reported they were living in an abusive environment as almost a quarter (24.2%) reported being hit; 17.4% reported that their home was too physically violent for them; and 20.5% reported being sexually abused, defined as being fondled, molested, and/or raped. Some youth reported they ran from home because of emotional turmoil. Almost a third (32%) reported being accused of things they didn’t do, 30.1% got angry or sad and left, 22.4% felt their parent(s) was unfair to them, and over ten percent (11.4%) felt their parent(s) didn’t love them. Finally, some youth ran because of circumstances they couldn’t control. A quarter (25.1%) of the youth in the sample left because they didn’t want to follow rules, 17.4% were put out or asked to leave, 14.6% had to many adult responsibilities, 11.4% didn’t like the parent(s) boyfriend, and 8.2% reported there wasn’t enough room for them.

Conclusions: Youth who become victims of domestic minor sex trafficking run away from home because of physical and emotional abuse, but also because of experiencing circumstances in which they have limited control. Providers should be aware of risk factors for trafficking so that targeted strategies for prevention can be developed among this population. Trafficked youth experiences and reasons for running away from home may also provide insight into targeted entry points for intervention and prevention.