Jared Miller, Macy Nolan, Krysta Beach, and Jenna

Wilner

Child Trafficking

Inquiry Question

How can we help end child trafficking?

T/F Question #1 T/F: 600,000 to 800,000 women, men, and children are

bought and sold across international borders every year for forced labor or commercial sex.

ANSWER: TRUE

T/F Question #2T/F: 30% of those victims are estimated to be children.

ANSWER: FALSE- 50% of those victims are estimated to be children.

T/F Question #3 T/F: It is estimated that 70% of transactions for sex with

underage girls start on the internet.

ANSWER: FALSE- It is estimated that 76% of transactions for sex with underage girls start on the internet.

T/F Question #4T/F: 1.5 million victims are in the United States.

ANSWER: TRUE

T/F Question #5T/F: The typical age of a trafficking victim sold into

prostitution for the first time is between 12 and 14 years old.

ANSWER: TRUE

T/F Question #6T/F: Some 86% of convicted traffickers are men, and 14% are

women.

ANSWER: FALSE- Some 72% of convicted traffickers are men, and 28% are women.

T/F Question #7 T/F: 325,000 children are at risk for becoming victims of

sexual exploitation in the United States.

ANSWER: TRUE

T/F Question #8T/F: 1 in 6 endangered runaways reported to the National Center for Missing Exploited Children in 2013 were likely sex

trafficking victims.

ANSWER: TRUE

Video Shyima Hall, a 24-year old girl from Egypt, was sold into slavery at 8 years-old and eventually trafficked into the U.S.

http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/human-trafficking-survivor-speaks-out/52d577bd02a76077a300088b

(end video at 7:40)

After Effects of Child Trafficking Drug & Alcohol Dependencies

Depression & Anxiety

HIV & Other STDS

PTSD

Hypersexulaization

Shame & Humiliation

Complex Issues of Self Worth

Suicide Attempts & Self Injury

Guilt & Self Blame

Revictimization

Health Complications

Stockholm Syndrome

Signs to look forAppearing malnourishedShowing signs of physical injuries and abuseAvoiding eye contact, social interaction, and authority figures/law enforcementSeeming to adhere to scripted or rehearsed responses in social interactionLacking official identification documentsAppearing destitute/lacking personal possessionsWorking excessively long hoursLiving at place of employmentPoor physical or dental health Tattoos/ branding on the neck and/or lower backUntreated sexually transmitted diseasesSmall children serving in a family restaurantSecurity measures that appear to keep people inside an establishment - barbed wire inside

of a fence, bars covering the insides of windowsNot allowing people to go into public alone, or speak for themselves

Situation 1 (Teacher)A young girl consistently comes to class and she obviously has not showered or brushed her teeth. She is fairly standoffish and she refuses to make eye contact with other adults in the school. When it comes time to tell stories from her life, she panics and either refuses to do it, or she acts out to be taken out of the class.

You can’t just jump to conclusions and act too abruptly so what do you do as a teacher?

Situations 2 (Teacher)A boy in your class is very jumpy and flinches whenever anyone even raises their hand near him. He never talks about his home life and stays mostly to himself. One day his guardian comes to school and walks into your class to take him home without checking in or giving any notice. The boy seems concerned with the behavior of the guardian.

What can you do as a teacher?

Situation 3 (Student)A new kid comes to your class and is very shy. You become his only friend and he will talk to you but he gets nervous when too many people try to hang out around him. One day he tells you that he is scared to go home and he shows you a bruise on his shoulder.

Do you wait it out and hope everything gets better for him or what do you do?

Situation 4 (Student)A girl you hang out with at recess is always dirty and she is starting to smell and it is noticeable. She seems to notice that she smells so she stays away from other students. You ask her if she wants to take a bath but she tells you that her family won’t let her do that, only the adults can take showers.

Can you tell the teacher that she needs help with that or is that her family's problem to deal with?

SolutionsHelp provide a living wage for parents to children do not have to work to support the family and can attend

school instead (children sometimes unknowingly go into these situations for money)

Lobbying governments to strengthen laws to prevent and respond to abuse

Work with organizations to change harmful societal norms that make children more vulnerable to exploitation

Supporting the training of professionals working with children

Educate children on stranger/danger and to be safe and smart

As a teacher:

All of the above

Show the child you care, be a friend

Watch for signs and report when necessary

Why is This Important?“As parents, guardians, or educators of children, discussing an issue as vast, unsettling, and frightening as human trafficking may be intimidating. However, it is important for you to understand the vulnerabilities that youth have to trafficking, since it’s an issue that affects communities across our nation and world. You are part of the solution for preventing this abuse and exploitation.”

Child trafficking is a lot closer than we think!

http://www.krem.com/news/local/spokane-county/spokane-police-make-significant-human-trafficking-arrests/66736159

Key Messages For Your KidsEducate yourself on the issue, and learn the signs of a trafficked victim.

Don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know on social media. Traffickers commonly use sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to lure their victims.

Be aware of how traffickers recruit people, and pay attention to your surroundings.

Don’t reveal too much about yourself (i.e. your full name, address, school, or living situation) to people you don’t know, whether on your social media sites or in person, no matter how friendly the person may be

Never agree to meet someone you don’t know without first consulting a trusted adult (i.e. parent, teacher, guidance counselor).

If you feel uncomfortable or are hesitant about a situation, confide in an adult who you can help you make the best choices.

Making a decision to leave a situation or relationship where you feel unsafe or are being harmed or threatened can be hard and scary. If possible, talk to someone you trust, like a friend, family member, counselor, or youth worker.

If you are in immediate danger or are being physically harmed, call 911 for help.

If running away from home, try to find a safe place to go or call the runaway switchboard at 1-800-Runaway.

If you suspect you or a friend are at risk trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-3737-888 or text “BeFree” (233733)

Conclusion: How We Can Help End Child Trafficking The fight to end child trafficking is an ongoing struggle. This issue is world wide, however it can also be happening right in front of you without knowing. As future teachers we need to educate our children on ways to prevent child trafficking and avoid harmful situations. As child advocates we can join organizations to fight against child trafficking, as well as give families and children support and resources to help them at home. We can lobby to the government to better the laws and be a mandatory reporter if needed. Being a teacher means advocating for children, in all ways possible. Join the fight to end child trafficking!

Resourceshttp://arkofhopeforchildren.org/child-trafficking/child-trafficking-statistics

http://www.chestnuthilllocal.com/2014/08/26/sex-trafficking-victims-pa-treated-criminals/

https://love146.org/slavery/

https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/how-talk-your-kids-about-trafficking/29733

https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/glotip/GLOTIP_2014_full_report.pdf

http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/human-trafficking-survivor-speaks-out/52d577bd02a76077a300088b

https://www.wearethorn.org/child-trafficking-statistics/

http://www.unicef.org/ceecis/UNICEF_Child_Trafficking34-43.pdf