From our colleagues at the National Network for Youth:
“Yesterday, Covenant House International and The Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice and Research hosted a Research Conference on Human Trafficking to release findings from the largest-ever combined sample of homeless youth in the United States and Canada. This research found that one-fifth of surveyed homeless youth were victims of trafficking – either sex, labor or both. Other key findings include:
- 14% were sex trafficked, applying the U.S. federal definition of trafficking
- 8% were trafficked for other forced labor
- 3% of youth were both sex and labor trafficked
- LGBTQ youth accounted for 36% of the sex trafficking victims
- 84% of youth who engaged in the sex trade without a third-party controller did so for economic need
“NN4Y’s Executive Director Darla Bardine attended the conference and noted that ‘these findings and policy recommendations underscore the importance of identifying and serving young people as soon as possible to provide safety, housing, food and appropriate services. No young person in America should be homeless and vulnerable to labor and sex trafficking. We need to increase the capacity of communities to help these young people.'”
Read the studies online, and watch our latest PSA on supporting trafficking victims below. Then, consider making a donation to support StandUp For Kids’ work in 17 U.S. cities and counting. Your dollars will address the needs of trafficking victims and other vulnerable young people.