IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jscscx/v10y2021i2p32-d484468.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Prevalence and Correlates of Labor and Sex Trafficking in a Community Sample of Youth Experiencing Homelessness in Metro-Atlanta

Author

Listed:
  • Eric R. Wright

    (Department of Sociology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA
    School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA)

  • Ana LaBoy

    (Department of Sociology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA
    Georgia Health Policy Center, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA)

  • Kara Tsukerman

    (Department of Sociology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA)

  • Nicholas Forge

    (School of Social Work, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA)

  • Erin Ruel

    (Department of Sociology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA)

  • Renee Shelby

    (Program in Gender and Sexuality, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA)

  • Madison Higbee

    (Department of Sociology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA)

  • Zoe Webb

    (School of Social Work, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA)

  • Melanie Turner-Harper

    (Department of Sociology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA)

  • Asantewaa Darkwa

    (Department of Sociology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA)

  • Cody Wallace

    (Department of Sociology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA)

Abstract

Research suggests that runaway and homeless youth (RHY) in the United States are vulnerable to sex and labor trafficking. In this paper, we report and analyze estimates of sex and labor trafficking collected as part of the Atlanta Youth Count 2018, a community-based field survey of RHY between the ages of 14 and 25 in the metro-Atlanta area. A total of 564 participants were recruited and completed a survey that included questions about their backgrounds as well as the Human Trafficking Screening Tool (HTST). We found that 39.9% experienced some form of trafficking while homeless. While 15.6% of the youth reported commercial sexual exploitation while homeless, coerced labor (29.3%) or fraud (25.2%) were even more common experiences. Women, transgender, and gender nonconforming youth, as well young people who had prior system involvement and those who had been homeless for more than a year were the most likely to report having been trafficked. The significance of these findings for research and policy on RHY and trafficking are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Eric R. Wright & Ana LaBoy & Kara Tsukerman & Nicholas Forge & Erin Ruel & Renee Shelby & Madison Higbee & Zoe Webb & Melanie Turner-Harper & Asantewaa Darkwa & Cody Wallace, 2021. "The Prevalence and Correlates of Labor and Sex Trafficking in a Community Sample of Youth Experiencing Homelessness in Metro-Atlanta," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-16, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:10:y:2021:i:2:p:32-:d:484468
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/10/2/32/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/10/2/32/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Katherine Kaufka Walts, 2017. "Child Labor Trafficking in the United States: A Hidden Crime," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 5(2), pages 59-68.
    2. Mastro, T.D. & Kitayaporn, D. & Weniger, B.G. & Vanichseni, S. & Laosunthorn, V. & Uneklabh, T. & Uneklabh, C. & Choopanya, K. & Limpakarnjanarat, K., 1994. "Estimating the number of HIV-infected injection drug users in Bangkok: A capture-recapture method," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 84(7), pages 1094-1099.
    3. Corinne Schwarz & Hannah E. Britton, 2015. "Queering the Support for Trafficked Persons: LGBTQ Communities and Human Trafficking in the Heartland," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 3(1), pages 63-75.
    4. Ha, Yoonsook & Narendorf, Sarah C. & Santa Maria, Diane & Bezette-Flores, Noel, 2015. "Barriers and facilitators to shelter utilization among homeless young adults," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 25-33.
    5. John M. Roberts & Devon D. Brewer, 2006. "Estimating the prevalence of male clients of prostitute women in Vancouver with a simple capture–recapture method," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 169(4), pages 745-756, October.
    6. Gibbs, Deborah A. & Hardison Walters, Jennifer L. & Lutnick, Alexandra & Miller, Shari & Kluckman, Marianne, 2015. "Services to domestic minor victims of sex trafficking: Opportunities for engagement and support," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 1-7.
    7. Maccio, Elaine M. & Ferguson, Kristin M., 2016. "Services to LGBTQ runaway and homeless youth: Gaps and recommendations," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 47-57.
    8. Chisolm-Straker, Makini & Sze, Jeremy & Einbond, Julia & White, James & Stoklosa, Hanni, 2019. "Screening for human trafficking among homeless young adults," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 72-79.
    9. Dworsky, A. & Napolitano, L. & Courtney, M., 2013. "Homelessness during the transition from foster care to adulthood," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 103(S2), pages 318-323.
    10. Bender, Kimberly & Yang, Jessica & Ferguson, Kristin & Thompson, Sanna, 2015. "Experiences and needs of homeless youth with a history of foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 222-231.
    11. Shelton, Jama, 2015. "Transgender youth homelessness: Understanding programmatic barriers through the lens of cisgenderism," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 10-18.
    12. Gibbs, Deborah A. & Henninger, Alana M. & Tueller, Stephen J. & Kluckman, Marianne N., 2018. "Human trafficking and the child welfare population in Florida," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 1-10.
    13. Narendorf, Sarah Carter, 2017. "Intersection of homelessness and mental health: A mixed methods study of young adults who accessed psychiatric emergency services," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 54-62.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Latzman, Natasha E. & Gibbs, Deborah A. & Feinberg, Rose & Kluckman, Marianne N. & Aboul-Hosn, Sue, 2019. "Human trafficking victimization among youth who run away from foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 113-124.
    2. Power, Luke & Hardy, Mark, 2024. "Predictors of care leavers’ health outcomes: A scoping review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    3. Prock, Kristen A. & Kennedy, Angie C., 2017. "Federally-funded transitional living programs and services for LGBTQ-identified homeless youth: A profile in unmet need," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 17-24.
    4. Semborski, Sara & Redline, Brian & Madden, Danielle & Granger, Theresa & Henwood, Benjamin, 2021. "Housing interventions for emerging adults experiencing homelessness: A scoping review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    5. Heyman, Janna C. & White-Ryan, Linda & Kelly, Peggy & Farmer, G. Lawrence & Leaman, Tara Linh & Davis, Henry J., 2020. "Voices about foster care: The value of trust," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    6. Coolhart, Deborah & Brown, Maria T., 2017. "The need for safe spaces: Exploring the experiences of homeless LGBTQ youth in shelters," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 230-238.
    7. Brodie Fraser & Nevil Pierse & Elinor Chisholm & Hera Cook, 2019. "LGBTIQ+ Homelessness: A Review of the Literature," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-13, July.
    8. Semanchin Jones, Annette & Bowen, Elizabeth & Ball, Annahita, 2018. "“School definitely failed me, the system failed me”: Identifying opportunities to impact educational outcomes for homeless and child welfare-involved youth," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 66-76.
    9. Rew, Lynn & Slesnick, Natasha & Johnson, Karen & Aguilar, Rodolfo & Cengiz, Adem, 2019. "Positive attributes and life satisfaction in homeless youth," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 1-8.
    10. Alschech, Jonathan & Taiwo-Hanna, Tolulola & Shier, Michael L., 2020. "Navigating peer-influences in a large youth homeless shelter in North America," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    11. Kelly, Peggy, 2020. "Risk and protective factors contributing to homelessness among foster care youth: An analysis of the National Youth in Transition Database," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    12. Villagrana, Kalah M. & Mody, Elizabeth H. & Lawler, Siobhan M. & Wu, Qi & Ferguson, Kristin M., 2020. "Educational outcomes for homeless young adults with and without a history in foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    13. Taylor, Rebecca J. & Shade, Kate & Lowry, Sarah J. & Ahrens, Kym, 2020. "Evaluation of reproductive health education in transition-age youth," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    14. Ryan Cooper & Joseph Doyle & Andres Hojman, 2023. "Legal aid in child welfare: Evidence from a randomized trial of Mi Abogado," POID Working Papers 077, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    15. Semborski, Sara & Redline, Brian & Rhoades, Harmony & Henwood, Benjamin, 2020. "Provider perspectives of housing programs for young adults experiencing homelessness," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    16. Reynolds, Andrew D. & Hasson, Robert G. & Crea, Thomas M., 2018. "Testing the ‘overburdening’ hypothesis: Do work and school attendance together place youth transitioning from care at risk for negative housing outcomes?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 279-286.
    17. Bonakdar, Ahmad & Gaetz, Stephen & Banchani, Emmanuel & Schwan, Kaitlin & Kidd, Sean A. & O'Grady, Bill, 2023. "Child protection services and youth experiencing homelessness: Findings of the 2019 national youth homelessness survey in Canada," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    18. Hickle, Kristine & Roe-Sepowitz, Dominique, 2018. "Adversity and intervention needs among girls in residential care with experiences of commercial sexual exploitation," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 17-23.
    19. Fowler, Patrick J. & Marcal, Katherine E. & Zhang, Jinjin & Day, Orin & Landsverk, John, 2017. "Homelessness and aging out of foster care: A national comparison of child welfare-involved adolescents," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 27-33.
    20. Dierkhising, Carly B. & Eastman, Andrea Lane & Chan, Kristine, 2023. "Juvenile justice and child welfare dual system involvement among females with and without histories of commercial sexual exploitation," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:10:y:2021:i:2:p:32-:d:484468. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.