Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Awareness Curriculum

Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Curriculum Guide Module 2

Lesson Plans This guide contains: What will student s learn?..................................................... 3 Slide resources .. 5 Case studies & group discussion .. 27 Classroom activities .. 35 Lesson review . Appendix

What will students learn from this course? In this lesson, students will learn victims are all races, ethnicities and socioeconomic classes. And, all children are vulnerable and do not recognize the manipulation tactics.

At the end of this course, students will be able to: Enhance their understanding of identifying vulnerability factors and obstacles of sex trafficking victims.

Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Slide Resources

Slide 5: Discussion Questions # 1 In Jessica s quote, she say s I was on the streets looking for help, looking for love, looking to be protected. What can law enforcement do to help break the stereotype of teens on the street being junkies or prostitutes? Sample Answers: Police agencies can take several steps to overcome the above challenges. The first is for them to train their personnel to recognize the existence and seriousness of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors in the United States, identify victims, and respond appropriately. Beyond training, additional steps that police agencies can take include dedicating a unit or personnel to deal with human trafficking cases and developing policies or protocols for handling such cases. Participation in human trafficking task forces increases the likelihood that an agency will investigate and appropriately handle cases of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors.

Slide 9: Discussion Questions # 2 Where do traffickers target minors? What can community leaders (teachers, civic clubs, churches) do to educate minors on the methods traffickers use trap minors? Sample Answers: Young children and teens are targeted in their neighborhoods, at school, at the mall and other popular teen hangouts, and on college campuses. Social media and the Internet are common tools used to recruit children and teens and turn them into sex trafficking victims. While runaways and homeless teens are frequent targets, children in all types of family situations are vulnerable to the manipulations of traffickers. Parents, teachers, and interested adults need to be aware of possible signs of trafficking and should step in to determine if a child or teen may be the target of someone involved in the sex trafficking trade. Victims need full protection under the law, and there are resources and organizations set up to protect trafficking victims and help them to rebuild their lives.

Slide 19: Discussion Questions # 3 Now that you know some of the factors for youth most at risk, what can parents or family members do help mediate some of the risks? Sample Answer: One of the most important things you can do to protect your child is to create an environment in which he or she feels comfortable talking with you. Open communication is key. Share the dangers of sex trafficking with your children and encourage them to alert you when they feel uncomfortable in any situation. Often trafficking victims have experienced victimization in the past, and many times this has been inflicted by individuals close to the victim. Do you trust the people with whom your child interacts? Knowing whom your children are with at all times is crucial to protecting their safety. When your daughter or son is online, do you know which sites they are visiting and with whom they are communicating? Taking the time to monitor what your children do and who they are interacting with on the Internet is a VERY important step in keeping your child safer. If something does not seem right, ask questions!

Slide 19: Discussion Questions # 3continued What can someone in social services do to better identify victims of domestic minor sex trafficking? Sample Answer: "Social workers need to realize how important a role they play in all of this," says Eliza Reock, director of programs for Shared Hope International, an antitrafficking organization based in Vancouver, WA. "Social workers are in such a critical place to start identifying these [victims]." "[Social workers and other service providers] need to be aware of the scope of the problem, who they need to screen, and how to screen," says Rabbitt, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin and a youth abuse pediatrician at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. "Such knowledge is vital because [these providers] are often the first people to have the chance to talk to the youth alone and can identify victims." "As a social work profession, it's well past time for social workers to rise up and be very proud of social work," she says. "[Social workers] may be survivors' only advocates. We need to walk alongside them and facilitate a process where they move from a place of pain to holistic prosperity. Rather than being the professional with all of the answers, you need to be willing to put the survivor at the center and they get to be the expert of their own lives."

Slide 20: Discussion Questions # 4 In the Portland State University case study, why do you think it took so long for the detention center to recognize the indicators and vulnerabilities of the trafficked youth? Sample Answers: Due to the complex nature of the crime, perpetrators often operate unnoticed, and those who suffer are not likely to self-identify as victims of human trafficking. Trafficking victims do not always see themselves as victims, often blaming themselves for their situation. This makes discovering this crime more difficult because victims rarely self-report, and the time and resources required to uncover violations can be significant. Too many victims are misidentified and treated as criminals or undocumented migrants. In some cases, victims are hidden behind doors in domestic servitude in a home. In other cases, victims live in plain view and interact with people on a daily basis, yet they experience commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor under extreme circumstances in public settings such as exotic dance clubs, factories, or restaurants, and are not identified due to a lack of identification training and awareness.

Slide 20: Discussion Questions # 4continued In the James Mozie case study, what can your community do better to help runaway teens, before they are targeted by traffickers? Sample Answers: Below is a summary of the advice to people hoping to make a difference in the lives of homeless and runaway youth: Keep your promises in order to build trust. Create a safe space for the youth to open up to others. Listen. Try to put yourself in their shoes and accept them as they are. Develop a personal relationship with the youth rather than keeping them at a professional distance. Forget the pity. Instead, give them boundaries and hold them accountable for their actions. It is important to remember that it is never too late to reach out to runaway and homeless youth. Even friends and family members that are currently estranged may be positive supporters for a troubled adolescent in the future.

Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY Read the following story to your students: Jenna is 13 years old. She loves to paint and listen to her iPod. She grew up in a Michigan suburb. While Jenna was at the mall with friends last summer, a middle-aged man told her, you re beautiful. Flattered, she stopped to chat. 10 months later, the police reunited Jenna with her parents due to a tip from a person who knew the signs of human trafficking. She was found bruised and drugged in a basement where she had been forced to have sex with 8-10 men a day. Jenna has a long process of healing ahead of her, but due to the action of a person who recognized the signs, Jenna s life was saved and she has a hopeful future. Ask students to express their feelings, acquired knowledge, plan of action in any fashion they choose (poem, essay, journal entry, drawing, collage etc.). Display each student s expression in the classroom for everyone to view.