Running head: INCREASED VULNERABILITY TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING AMONG

LGBTQI+ YOUTH

Jennifer Bertocchi

Paper 2: Increased Vulnerability to Human Trafficking among LGBTQI+ Youth

SSWG 8000 Section 002

Human Trafficking

Wednesdays 5:30 – 8:00 PM

03/14/2021
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INCREASED VULNERABILITY TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING AMONG LGBTQI+ YOUTH
INTRODUCTION

Human trafficking is a crime that has long been hidden within communities and societies,

although media campaigns and human rights organizations have been striving to bring this issue

more into the spotlight. As a result, human trafficking has become one of the most prominent

social issues in America in the last two decades (Hobbes, 2020). Although this increased public

awareness is a good thing for many reasons, these human trafficking awareness campaigns also

feed dangerous myths. According to Sonoma (2019), such campaigns often portray cisgender

White women and children as the main targets for trafficking, using phrases like “It can happen

to anyone,” and “It’s happening in your backyard.” And while these statements are technically

true, it takes the focus off more marginalized and vulnerable populations who are actually more

likely to be exploited and trafficked. This paper will therefore focus on the intersectionality of

two of those marginalized identities – youth who identify as part of the LGBTQI+ community –

to discuss what makes them more vulnerable to human trafficking than other demographics. This

paper will then also offer suggestions to decrease the rates of human trafficking among this

group on a larger, macro level as well as ways to support LGBTQI+ youth trafficking survivors

on the individual, clinical level.

WHY IS THIS GROUP SO VULNERABLE?

Traffickers tend to target individuals who lack self-esteem and strong support networks,

are facing financial strains, have experienced violence/abuse in the past, and/or who are

marginalized by society (Polaris, n.d.). Given this, both youth and LGBTQI+ identifying persons

fit the criteria to be considered easier to traffic, as both identities are vulnerable for multiple

reasons. This section will explore what makes each identify vulnerable to trafficking and will
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INCREASED VULNERABILITY TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING AMONG LGBTQI+ YOUTH
then explain how the intersection of both identities leaves LGBTQI+ youth amongst the most

vulnerable.

According to Freedom Network USA (2015), children are among the most vulnerable

and exploited people in the world, especially if they are involved in the child welfare system or

undocumented. This is because children are often not given autonomy over their lives and are

physically, emotionally, and financially dependent on adults to love and care for them.

Additionally, “because of their legal incapacity and invisibility as minors, [children] often have

little to no access to resources,” even if they want/need them (Freedom Network USA, 2015, p.

1). Vulnerabilities increase when children are growing up in unstable homes and looking for

ways to cope with emotional and physical trauma. Children may decide to run away or may be

taken from their families and placed into the foster care system – both making them more

susceptible to trafficking. Olender (2019) explains that runaway youth and youth in the child

welfare system are repeatedly robbed of connection with healthy and supportive adult figures,

“hindering their ability to form healthy attachments and causing them to seek love and

consistency any place they can find it” (p. 3). Additionally, harmful stigmas around

homelessness, poverty, and being in the welfare system often reinforce children’s beliefs that

they are insignificant, less worthy, and unloved, and therefore may deter a child from seeking

help. Traffickers recognize this, and often seek out displaced children who can be easily

groomed for exploitation by offering them shelter, food, gifts, attention, “love,” and consistency.

Unlike child trafficking – which gets a lot of attention from human trafficking awareness

campaigns – the trafficking of LGBTQI+ identifying people is commonly overlooked and rarely

reported by local and national governments. According to Martinez and Kelle (2013), this is

largely due to the hidden nature of same-sex prostitution as well as the stigma and shame
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INCREASED VULNERABILITY TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING AMONG LGBTQI+ YOUTH
associated with identifying as a LGBTQI+ person. Often, LGBTQI+ people experience a history

of physical, mental, or emotional abuse due to their sexual identity, which can result in

depression and anxiety, substance abuse problems, and physical and domestic violence – making

this population more vulnerable to a trafficker’s manipulation or bribery (Martinez & Kelle,

2013). Additionally, Barron and Frost (2018) argue that gender bias implies that men are not

vulnerable to sexual exploitation and therefore society “turns a blind eye” to the suffering of

LGBTQI men and boys. Despite their higher rates of victimization, this population often reports

more frequent police profiling and abuse, higher sentences, and less awareness of/access to

resources and services that would meet their unique needs without further stigmatization

(Polaris, 2015). This results in this population feeling less comfortable and safe reporting crimes

against them or seeking help, which traffickers are also aware of. In fact, according to Sonoma

(2019), “over the course of a lifetime, 61 percent of queer people experience trafficking, as

compared to 41 percent of their peers” (p. 2).

While both identities are marginalized and vulnerable to trafficking, youth who identify

as LGBTQI+ are especially so, as these individuals experience higher rates of marginalization,

poverty, family rejection and social isolation, abandonment, abuse, stigma, systemic

discrimination, and hate crimes (Beech, 2019). This population is more likely to find themselves

caught up with the juvenile justice and child welfare systems due to conflict with families, peers,

and support systems about their gender identity or sexual orientation (Polaris, 2015). According

to Beech (2019, p. 3), “With over 26 percent of LGBTQ adolescents rejected from their families,

a startling 40 percent of them make up the homeless youth population.” In addition to the

discrimination, abandonment, abuse, and economic instability that this group faces from family

members, peers, and communities, LGBTQI+ youth are 7.4 times more likely to experience acts
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INCREASED VULNERABILITY TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING AMONG LGBTQI+ YOUTH
of sexual violence than their heterosexual peers and are also 3-7 times more likely to feel the

need to engage in survival sex to meet their basic needs (Polaris, n.d., p. 1). This makes this

neglected group especially vulnerable to become victims of human trafficking, and studies show

that one-in-three of them will likely be recruited by a trafficker within the first 48 hours of

leaving home (Beech, 2019, p. 3).

Traffickers often offer this group shelter, food, employment, or a sense of family,

protection, or love to build a sense of loyalty and dependency (Polaris, n.d.). And unfortunately,

traffickers’ deceit and manipulation can sometimes still feel like more to the child than what the

systems we currently have in place offer, resulting in fewer adolescents feeling safe to come

forward. Studies have found that LGBTQI+ youth are “overrepresented in detention for

prostitution-related offenses and report higher levels of police profiling and misconduct than

their straight peers” (Polaris, n.d., p. 2). This group is also likely to experience systemic

discrimination in their mental and physical health care, as there are concerns that providers will

not be LGBTQI+ friendly/competent or will lack the training needed to recognize trafficking and

how to “effectively and compassionately assist these youth” (Polaris, 2015, p. 1). Even further,

often LGBTQI+ youth will have difficulty finding and accessing services that will meet their

unique needs and respect their identity. For example, there are limited resources such as shelters

or safe havens for LGBTQI+ youth, and inpatient treatment facilities will often force patients to

stay with peers based on their gender assigned at birth – not their chosen gender identity (Polaris,

2015; Polaris, n.d.). Ultimately, this group is forced to live in a society that “berates them and

downplays the violence they experience due to the rampant social stigma that still exists,”

making LGBTQI+ youth especially vulnerable to human trafficking and exploitation (Beech,

2019, p. 4).
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INCREASED VULNERABILITY TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING AMONG LGBTQI+ YOUTH
WAYS TO DECREASE THE RATES OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING AMONG LGBTQI+

YOUTH

Xian and colleagues (2017) stress that one of the most effective ways to decrease human

trafficking and exploitation among LGBTQI+ youth is to provide funding for services

specifically for this population, as well as training to sensitize law enforcement, health care

providers, and social workers to the needs of queer youth. Examples of some of those needs

include safe and affordable housing, competent mental and physical health care, and education or

skill building programs (Xian et al., 2017). It is the responsibility of legal professionals, public

health providers, and teachers to educate themselves and the broader public about the resources

and referrals available for LGBTQI+ victims of trafficking, and if these professionals do not

know of any resources or referrals nearby, then the community needs to fund LGBTQI+ outreach

and survivor advocacy programs (Martinez & Kelle, 2013; Xian et al., 2017).

On the national level, we need “to implement and uphold policies that protect queer

youth from discrimination, harassment, and neglect within the law enforcement, education, and

health care systems” (Xian et al., 2017, p. 12). We need to encourage schools and communities

to have safe spaces for gender expression, as 60 percent of LGBTQI+ youth report feeling unsafe

in school and they are more likely to experience bullying, physical harm, or social isolation than

other youth (Xian et al., 2017). Similarly, we need to do better at providing security and

consistency for children in the welfare system. We should do more to ensure that children are

placed in safe and loving homes, as 86 percent of child sex-trafficking victims were a part of the

child welfare system (Olender, 2019, p. 2). This may include providing more support and

education to families struggling with poverty and generational trauma before removing a child or
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INCREASED VULNERABILITY TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING AMONG LGBTQI+ YOUTH
placing children in group homes that have live-in social workers there to help teach healthy

attachment styles.

Even further, on an international level, we need to be discussing public health policies

and legal strategies to reach countries that still criminalize homosexuality and same-sex

behaviors, as this mentality often results in less reporting and less criminalization of LGBTQI+

sex trafficking (Martinez & Kelle, 2013). All human trafficking task forces should also be

required to include local LGBTQI+ providers and survivors in efforts so this group does not feel

unsafe, isolated, or misunderstood (Polaris, 2015). We should continue to promote public

awareness on human trafficking, but we need to ensure that our campaigns are factual and not

perpetuating dangerous myths. According to Martinez and Kelle (2013), “Increasing awareness

of the worldwide prevalence of such issues will lead to a productive debate in society that could

potentially tap into the core issues affecting LGBT homeless and LGBT youth at risk of sex

trafficking” (p. 3).

WAYS TO SUPPORT LGBTQI+ YOUTH SURVIVORS ON THE INDIVIDUAL,

CLINICAL LEVEL

As a future social worker, I have been putting a lot of thought into how I would work

with someone from this population and ensure that they feel safe, heard, supported, and

comfortable. First, I would want my facility (where they are coming to seek services) to feel

inclusive and safe. This could include placing LGBTQI+ friendly signage around my building

and in my outreach materials, and making sure that the client is staying somewhere they feel safe

and comfortable. I will allow clients to settle in first and tell them that our session together will

start whenever they are ready, as I do not want them to feel pressured or rushed. I will ask each

of my clients during their intake assessment inclusive questions such as “what do you prefer to
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INCREASED VULNERABILITY TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING AMONG LGBTQI+ YOUTH
be called?” or “what are your preferred pronouns?” so they feel seen, heard, and validated. We

would also discuss confidentiality, as I would never want someone to feel like they must come

out if they are not yet ready to tell other adults yet.

To the best of my ability, I would want to offer clients comprehensive, trauma-informed,

wraparound services. I know it is my responsibility to educate myself and receive appropriate

training on how to be trauma-informed and educated of referrals/resources, so I would do my

best to be as prepared as possible for them. When the client is ready, we can talk about their

experiences and trauma from a trauma-informed lens, but I will never rush them to talk about

this and will always strive to meet them exactly where they are at that day. I would want to teach

them strategies for self-regulation and introduce cognitive behavioral therapy to work on re-

structuring negative self-talk. I would constantly remind the child that what happened to them

was not their fault and that nothing is wrong with them. I stress that last point because, as Xian

and colleagues (2017) explain, societal influences which are steeped in homophobia often leave

the child feeling rejected, abandoned, or unloved, and that their trauma is punishment or

deserved.

To continuing building trust and rapport, I would utilize my case management skills to

continue to advocate for the client and their needs. This may include helping to change their

gender on their IDs, understanding their rights in employment settings, connecting them to a

doctor for hormone treatments, or helping raise funds to get them clothing and hygiene items that

fit the youth’s chosen identity. If they were interested, I would offer to take them to support

groups of various kinds so they could build healthy, trusting relationships again with people who

have shared similar experiences. But most importantly, I would continuously check-in with them

and ask them what they needed to feel loved, safe, and supported today.
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INCREASED VULNERABILITY TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING AMONG LGBTQI+ YOUTH
Resources

Barron I.M., Frost C. (2018) Men, Boys, and LGBTQ: Invisible Victims of Human Trafficking.

In: Walker L., Gaviria G., Gopal K. (eds) Handbook of Sex Trafficking. Springer, Cham.

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73621-1_8

Beech, S. (2019, June 05). The Link between LGBTQ Youth and Human Trafficking. Retrieved

March 12, 2021, from https://www.dressember.org/blog/the-link-between-lgbtq-youth-

and-human-trafficking

Freedom Network USA. (2015, April). Child Trafficking for Labor in the United States.

Retrieved March 12, 2021, from file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/HT-and-Child-

Labor.pdf

Hobbes, M. (2020, February 17). Human Trafficking Awareness Campaigns Are Feeding A

Dangerous Myth. Huff Post.

Martinez, O., & Kelle, G. (2013). Sex Trafficking of LGBT Individuals. Int Law News, 42(4), 1-

6.

Olender, S. (2019, January 27). Combatting Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking in the Child

Welfare System. Kennedy School Review.

Polaris. (2015). Breaking Barriers: Improving Services for LGBTQ Human Trafficking Victims.

Washington, DC: Polaris.

Polaris. (n.d.). Sex Trafficking and LGBTQ Youth [PDF]. Polaris.

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INCREASED VULNERABILITY TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING AMONG LGBTQI+ YOUTH
Sonoma, S. (2019, November 02). LGBTQ+ Youth at Increased Risk of Human Trafficking.

Retrieved March 12, 2021, from https://www.out.com/news/2019/11/02/lgbtq-youth-

increased-risk-human-trafficking-new-survey-says

Xian K., Chock S., Dwiggins D. (2017) LGBTQ Youth and Vulnerability to Sex Trafficking. In:

Chisolm-Straker M., Stoklosa H. (eds) Human Trafficking Is a Public Health Issue.

Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47824-1_9