1. BOYS AND TRAFFICKING: IDENTIFYING AND SERVING SILENT SURVIVORS

2. Surviving the Streets: Experiences of LGBTQ Youth, YMSM, YWSW Engaged in Survival Sex Meredith Dank, PhD Justice Policy Center Urban Institute

3. Terminology Youth engaged in survival sex: The terms “youth engaged in survival sex” and “youth who exchange sex for money and/or material goods (e.g. shelter, food drugs, etc.)” are used here to reflect young people’s experiences of involvement in the commercial sex market in their own terms. These terms describe a behavior as opposed to labeling the youth themselves. Exploiter: An individual who uses tactics involving force, fraud, and coercion to control a young person’s involvement in the commercial sex market. Peer facilitator: A peer, who may or may not be engaged in survival sex, who provides nonexploitative support to someone engaging in survival sex, such that the person engaging in survival sex does not have limited mobility; decides what they do and what they trade sex for; and is not subject to force, fraud, or coercion.

4. Methods Interviews with N=283 LGBTQ youth, YMSM, YWSW Eligibility criteria: 13-21 years old, self-identified as LGBTQ, YMSM or YWSW involved in survival sex in NYC ( i.e., receives payment in the form of cash or other in-kind payment in exchange for sex and trades in the New York City area) Respondent driven sampling: participants recruit other youth to the study Worked in partnership with Streetwise and Safe (SAS), a New York City based organization Researchers trained youth leaders to conduct in-depth interviews Anonymous and confidential

5. Findings

6. Sample Characteristics: Birthplace 2 in 3 youth were born (63%) and/or raised (65%) in New York City. Approximately 3 in 4 respondents were born and/or raised in the tri- state area of New York City, New Jersey and Connecticut.

7. Gender Half identified as male, one-third as female 11% identified as transgender female, 3% identified as transgender male

8. Sexual Orientation 38% identified as gay or lesbian 13% identified as straight 37% identified as bisexual * Includes open, pansexual, no preference, and no label

9. Race Majority of youth were people of color 39% identified as Black/African-American 17% as Hispanic/Latino 33% with more than one race and/or ethnicity (most commonly Black and Latino)

10. Education Most youth (76 percent) were not currently enrolled in school, although almost half (48 percent) had neither graduated high school nor obtained a GED. Of those currently enrolled in school, 39 percent reported not having attended class within the year before their interview.

11. Living Situation

12. Age First Engaged in Survival Sex Average age was 17 years old Most youth were 15 to 18; full range was 7 to 22

13. How First Engaged in Survival Sex

14. How I Got Involved “I don’t remember it that vividly, all I know is just that I was starving. …My friend was like, ‘come to the stroll trust me, you'll get somebody.’ I was hungry, I was cold, so I did it.” 21 years old, black, gay, male

15. How I Got Involved It came to the point where my mother had kicked me out of the house, and I was staying with him. So pretty much he was paying everything for me, so I really didn’t really have a choice. I didn’t know how to handle it, because he was still basically giving me my financial needs, so I couldn’t—I would say no then he just came like, “I know you need to take care of your girlfriend” and stuff like that and I couldn’t... I couldn’t say no, because at the time she was pregnant... I figured I am sacrificing myself, my body for somebody else—I felt like I’m doing a good thing. 20 years old, black, male, heterosexual

16. What Do You Receive In Exchange for a Sexual Act * e.g., Metrocard, bus fare ** e.g., jewelry, gifts

17. Situations Involving an Exploiter 14.5% of youth had been in an exploitative situation involving a trafficker (evidence of force, fraud and coercion)

18. Feelings About Trading Sex

19. Complexities There are many positive things about trading sex. You can trade sex for the life of your kids, you can trade sex to keep your apartment, you can trade sex to feed yourself…Some people think that the sex trade is the worst thing you can do cause your selling yourself…but when it boils down to it, if you have no food in your stomach, if you have no transportation, but you have a man in your face willing to give you money for a half hour, you put your pride to the side, you throw everything out the window and you forget who you are and you forget what you’re doing and you learn to be someone else. 19 years old,Latino gay male

20. Desire to Stop Engaging in Survival Sex 67% of youth reported wanting to stop at some point or immediately (5%) 21% said they had already stopped 7% said they had no desire to stop

21. Desire to Stop Engaging in Survival Sex I just need my own apartment and stuff, I need my own apartment a stable job like not even a stable job, I will take you know should I work at Burger King if it meant like it could pay my rent, and pay my little expenses and this time like a little some left over yeah, I would do that I’m not very like a complex person I’m very content with my life. 21 years old, black gay male

22. Criminal Justice Involvement

23. Run-ins with Law Enforcement Over two-thirds (71%) of the sample reported having had a run-in (stop, question and/or frisk) with law enforcement. Most (51%) reported that they happened rarely (e.g., couple times per year). Over a quarter (26%) said such encounters happened occasionally (e.g., couple times per month). 19 percent said they happened frequently (e.g., couple times per week)

24. Frequent Run-ins Interviewer: How often have you had run-ins with the police? Interviewee: Oh God almost every day. I’ll try to sleep on the train, I wake up to police, I try to sleep in abandoned buildings, wake up to police, walk down the street - the police walk up to me. Interviewer: And how long would you say you have been having interactions with the police like that every day? Interviewee: Since I was young…[since] I was 14, I don’t know, they’ll always find something. 20 years old, bisexual Latino male

25. Positive Interactions One time but they just stopped me because they was like... it was kind of late outside and the dude he was, supposedly a nice cop, he was like, ‘It’s kind of late outside, it’s night time, what are you doing?’ I’m like, ‘I’m walking home’, and he said, ‘Where do you live?’ I said, ‘I live down this block.’ He was like, ‘Okay, I just wanted to make sure you get home safely because it’s been reported that there were thefts and robbery and stuff going on, people robbing people.’ 18 years old, gay black male

26. Number of Arrests

27. Frequency of Arrests Interviewer: How many times have you been arrested? Interviewee: As an adult or in my life? Interviewer: In your life. Interviewee: More than all your fingers and toes and my fingers and toes and probably all my friends. Interviewer: And so you’re saying you’ve been arrested what 20, 40 times? Interviewee: Like 75. Interviewer: Legit? Interviewee: Legit, I went to juvenile prison. Interviewer: Okay, okay, so when did you start getting arrested? Interviewee: When I was 12. 21 years old, pansexual multiracial female

28. Arrest Charges

29. Arrest Experience Interviewee: He started choking me before we got in the patrol car, so I was upset about that. But I went about it the wrong way I was just screaming and acting a fool and flailing, had I been quiet and just you know remembered his number…his supervisor was even a little worried because I kept screaming, ‘I'm going to do something, I remember all your badge numbers, I will write a report on you guys.’ Interviewer: How did he come to be choking you? Interviewee: He was telling me to shut up, he was telling me to shut up because I was screaming for help. There were people watching and I said, ‘somebody get help, get help, they are arresting us for no reason, get help get help.’ And then he started choking me, telling me to shut up. 20 years old, gay black and Latino male

30. Unpaid Tickets I had like six tickets I can’t pay, and I can do nothing about it because I had to go to court Far Rockaway for the train ticket [which was] about taking [up] two seats. The trespassing [one] I told you about, and they give me a Desk appearance ticket for that in Manhattan. [So, I got one] in Far Rockaway, I got two more here in Manhattan and one in the Bronx. 20 years old, bisexual Latino male

31. Child Welfare Experiences

32. I went through the ACS and that was because of my twin sister running around, being in the village and stuff, getting into trouble, getting locked up for prostituting and things like that. So, it affected me but I was old enough to know and lie to them. I lied to the ACS, so they closed the case. 19 years old, Male, Gay, Latino

33. Child Welfare Experiences My interactions with court system, the family court system, the ACS court system, it’s alright but it needs some improvement because I feel like me getting discharged from foster care and having to go into this lifestyle was unacceptable because I was prepared, I had a job, I was prepared for it and I just feel like they cut, they let me off short and it was just because of my age and that bothered me so much. 19 years old, Male, Gay, Black

34. Recommendations Develop accessible street-based and comprehensive drop-in services and peer-led outreach. Improve safe and supportive short-term shelter, long-term affordable housing, and family-based placement options subject to periodic review. Create safe and supportive housing and placement protocols specific to transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals. Broaden access to and improve gender-affirming health care. Develop living-wage employment opportunities. Improve food security among LGBTQ youth.

35. Recommendations Adopt nondiscrimination, confidentiality, and complaint procedures in shelters, programs, and out-of-home placements. Create safe and supportive protocols specific to LGBTQ youth engaged in survival sex for child welfare, court system and probation personnel, through adoption of non-discrimination, harassment, confidentiality and complaint policies and procedures Design police training curricula to improve relationships with LGBTQ youth and decrease profiling, harassment, and abuse. Establish clear guidance in federal-state cooperative grant incentives to ensure that youth engaged in survival sex do not face arrest, court-involvement, discrimination, and involuntary confinement

36. Contact Meredith Dank, PhD Justice Policy Center Urban Institute mdank@urban.org Full reports: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/2000119-Surviving-the- Streets-of-New-York.pdfhttp://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/2000119-Surviving-the- Streets-of-New-York.pdf http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/alfresco/publication-pdfs/2000424- Locked-In-Interactions-with-the-Criminal-Justice-and-Child-Welfare-Systems- for-LGBTQ-Youth-YMSM-and-YWSW-Who-Engage-in-Survival-Sex.pdf

37. Tina Frundt Founder/Executive Director 202.525.1426 (office) www.courtneyshouse.org 37

38. Are You Ready to Change Your Perception? Courtney's House 38

39. Who Are We? Courtney's House 39 Courtney’s : We provide services for youth in the DC, Northern Virginia & Maryland area. Courtney's House is a drop in center that offers a Non-Residential Program that serves 12-21 year old survivors of Domestic Sex Trafficking, Female, Male, and the LGBTQ community. In addition, Courtney’s House offers emergency Case Management to clients over the age of 21 for 30 days. Mission: To provide survivor focused, trauma informed, and holistic services to survivors of sex trafficking.

40. Services Courtney's House 40 Intake Assessments Assessments are screening methods for Sex Trafficking. Street Outreach Friday & Saturday nights ( 2-7am) Hotline 24 Hours, 7 days a week Answered by survivors of sex trafficking, DV and sexual assault 1-888-261-3665 Research Support Street Outreach Find possible matches with Missing Kids Find & remove Online ads for clients

41. Services (continued) Courtney's House 41 Survivor Support Groups Parent/Guardian Support Groups Mentoring Tutoring Survivor Intensive Case Management Parent Insensitive Case Management Drop-in Center

42. Types of Trafficking Courtney's House 42

43. Courtney's House 43 Testing the waters Calling others the names they have been called to see how you react Talk about an abusive boyfriend that they live with, with other girls, or rape  see what questions you follow up with Common Ways Survivors Tell without Telling

44. Trauma on the Brain Courtney's House 44 Of course higher risk of  PTSD  Mood Disorders Self-blame, Shame, Guilt Dissociation, Depersonalization Limited ability to think about themselves in the future, plan goals Affects on sex drive Drug and/or alcohol use, but DO NOT assume

45. Trauma on the Body Courtney's House 45

46. Who’s Pulling the Strings??? Courtney's House 46

47. PIMP Controlled Courtney's House 47

48. GANG Controlled Intervene Assessment (from Shared Hope International) *Courtney’s House expanded on these questions) Courtney's House 48

49. FAMILY Controlled Intervene Assessment Courtney's House 49

50. BOYS/TRANS Controlled Courtney's House 50

51. Pimp Control TERMS: Courtney's House 51

52. Pimp ControlTERMS (continued) Courtney's House 52

53. Hard Facts Courtney's House 53 Sexually exploited minors should not be treated as criminals or delinquents but as severely traumatized and abused survivors requiring protection, empathy, specialized services and counseling/therapy. They should NOT be re-tramautized through arrest, prosecution and detainment. Police Officer Oath: “I will always have the courage to hold myself and others accountable for our actions.”

54. Contact Information 54 If you have a question about webinar content, please contact: Tina Frundt, Founder and Executive Director, Courtney's House, tfrundt@courtneyshouse.orgtfrundt@courtneyshouse.org Meredith Dank, Senior Research Associate, The Urban Institute, mdank@urban.orgmdank@urban.org If you require a certificate of completion for this webinar, please contact: Naomi Smoot at smoot@juvjustice.orgsmoot@juvjustice.org To learn more about CJJ, including how to become an individual or organizational member, visit www.juvjustice.org/about-us/.