What is the Level of Exposure to Recruitment and Self-Perceived Risk to Human Trafficking Among Young Adults in the U.S.?
Sarbinaz Bekmuratova, PhD; Rochelle Dalla, PhD; Yongyue Qi, PhD; Daniela Mena Ameijeiras; Nick Nondorf & Emma Dubitz | September 18 | 3:15-4:15 pm EDT
Topic: Research | Knowledge Level: Intermediate
Despite extensive research on human trafficking (HT), relatively little is known about individuals’ exposure to HT recruitment or self-perceived risk in the United States. This study is part of a larger, cross-country investigation in which a similar survey was administered among youth in Uzbekistan (UZB) and Kyrgyzstan (KZ). The current study is equivalent to research conducted in KZ and UZB. An anonymous national online survey was administered among U.S. youth ages 19-35 through social media platforms. It included 46 questions on domains such as awareness, knowledge, exposure to recruitment, perceived risk, and ACE questions. Based on the preliminary data, there were significant associations between ACE questions and exposure to recruitment and victimization. Young adults who reported not having enough to eat, wore dirty clothes and had no one to protect or take care of them in childhood (37.5% vs, 1.4%, p<0.001) or lost a parent (25% vs. 1.5%, p=0.001) or being hit, punched, beaten or threatened to harm by parents (29.4% vs. 2.7%, p=0.002) were more likely to report being a victim of sex trafficking. Those who reported being hit, beaten, kicked or physically hurt in any way (23.1% vs. 1.6%, p=0.002) or felt that no one in their family loved them or thought they were special (33.3% vs. 1.4%, p<0.001) were more likely to report being a victim of sex trafficking or labor trafficking. The findings will have a noteworthy impact on scholarly work on cross-country comparison and facilitate the development of targeted preventive interventions among vulnerable U.S. youth.
Presentation Objectives:
• Describe the extent of exposure of young adults to recruitment (both online and in person) to human trafficking in the U.S.
• Describe self-perceived risk to human trafficking victimization among young adults in the U.S.
• Describe the connections between ACE and the extent of exposure to recruitment and self-perceived risk