Domestic Sex Trafficking of Minors in Care of Child Protective Services: Exploring the Opportunities and Challenges in the Protection of Youth

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dc.contributor.advisorConnolly, Jennifer A.
dc.contributor.authorBaird, Kyla Antonietta
dc.date.accessioned2022-12-14T16:19:26Z
dc.date.available2022-12-14T16:19:26Z
dc.date.copyright2022-05-13
dc.date.issued2022-12-14
dc.date.updated2022-12-14T16:19:26Z
dc.degree.disciplinePsychology (Functional Area: Clinical-Developmental)
dc.degree.levelDoctoral
dc.degree.namePhD - Doctor of Philosophy
dc.description.abstractDomestic sex trafficking is a growing concern across Canada with the majority of victims being minors under the age of 18. Youth in care of Child Welfare (CW) are particularly at risk for exploitation. Much of the extant research on sex trafficking is American based, leaving gaps in our knowledge as to why CW youth are at risk within the Canadian geopolitical and cultural context. With police being central agents in the extraction and protection of victims, they offer unique insights into issues of recruitment, approaches to support victims and barriers to exiting sex trafficking that have not previously been explored. This dissertation consists of three studies examining issues of the domestic sex trafficking of minors. Study 1 is a published systematic review (Baird & Connolly, 2021) that synthesizes literature from 23 peer-reviewed articles on the exploitation processes and tactics used by traffickers in the sex trafficking of minors in Canada and the US. Study 1 describes a sexual exploitation continuum comprising three distinct components; the recruitment context, entrapment strategies used by traffickers, and enmeshment tactics used to prolong exploitation. The reviewed articles highlight the ways traffickers cater their approach to the specific vulnerabilities of the youth they exploit. Study 2 is a published file review (Baird, McDonald, & Connolly, 2020) that narrows the focus of sex trafficking to the Canadian context. Using secondary data from a police agency in southern Ontario, data from 223 victims were examined to explore the elevated risk status of CW involved youth who are victims of sex trafficking compared to non-CW victimized youth. Findings from Study 2 underscore the high-risk status of CW youth, with these youth being recruited at a younger age, more likely to use drugs and alcohol, to have experience of childhood maltreatment, and to have lived in a group home. Traffickers were described to use online platforms and relationships to recruit youth. Study 3 expands on the results of Study 2, by exploring the perceptions of police officers on a specialized human trafficking team on issues related to CW youth risk for recruitment, barriers to exiting, and their specific approaches to prevention and intervention. This team provided cohesive insights on the unique vulnerabilities of CW youth making them visible to traffickers and invisible within the CW system, various emotional and systemic barriers that prolong exploitation or increase risk for re-entry, and the relationship-focused and victim-centered approaches the team takes in their efforts to extract youth from the sex trade. Implications for practice, policy and research are discussed.
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10315/40606
dc.languageen
dc.rightsAuthor owns copyright, except where explicitly noted. Please contact the author directly with licensing requests.
dc.subjectDevelopmental psychology
dc.subjectPsychology
dc.subjectCriminology
dc.subject.keywordsDomestic minor sex trafficking
dc.subject.keywordsCommercial sexual exploitation of children
dc.subject.keywordsPathways
dc.subject.keywordsRecruitment
dc.subject.keywordsEntrapment
dc.subject.keywordsChild welfare
dc.subject.keywordsChild protective services
dc.subject.keywordsExploitation
dc.subject.keywordsGroup homes
dc.subject.keywordsPolicing sex trafficking
dc.titleDomestic Sex Trafficking of Minors in Care of Child Protective Services: Exploring the Opportunities and Challenges in the Protection of Youth
dc.typeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation

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