{"id":535,"date":"2017-08-23T15:31:00","date_gmt":"2017-08-23T15:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.couleedevserver.com\/exodus\/how-to-identify-signs-of-sex-trafficking-in-students\/"},"modified":"2021-05-08T03:13:36","modified_gmt":"2021-05-08T03:13:36","slug":"how-to-identify-signs-of-sex-trafficking-in-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.couleedevserver.com\/exodus\/how-to-identify-signs-of-sex-trafficking-in-students\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Identify Signs of Sex Trafficking in Students"},"content":{"rendered":"

She was a smart, athletic 17-year-old living with her single mother\u2014who worked two jobs to pay rent and keep food on the table. She was popular at school and excelled at sports. Her friends and teachers never suspected<\/span> she was secretly being trafficked by her own boyfriend.<\/span><\/p>\n

It all started when she and her mother had a fight that left her feeling hurt and angry. That night, she packed a suitcase and moved into her 22-year-old boyfriend’s apartment downtown. A couple of weeks later, he told her she needed to start earning her keep\u2014by having sex with his “friends.” When she refused, he threatened her safety and her reputation. <\/span><\/p>\n

A few tricks quickly turned into several a weekend. Every time, her boyfriend would take all the money and use it to pay his bills and cover his drug habit. The threats to harm her mother and the fear of being arrested forced her to silently endure the abuse.<\/span><\/p>\n

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More than 200,000 children and teenagers in the United States are victims of sex trafficking<\/a> every year.1 According to a police officer we spoke with, minors are often controlled by pimps\u2014who profit off their work\u2014and forced to perform an average of 5\u201310 tricks (sex acts) per day.<\/p>\n

Sex trafficking is a crime that often goes unseen and unpunished because of how difficult it can be to identify. Many children grow up believing lies about their lives. Some are told the abuse happens to everyone their age\u2014that it’s “normal.” Others are too humiliated to tell the truth or too terrified to speak out against their abusers.<\/p>\n

It’s imperative for those of us working and interacting with young people regularly to see the signs of human trafficking and to say something<\/em>\u2014to the right group of people\u2014as soon as we do.<\/p>\n

A Unique Opportunity<\/h2>\n

If you’re a teacher, administrator, coach, or you work with children in your community regularly, you have a unique opportunity in the fight against human trafficking. School personnel are the most common group to come into regular contact with young victims. More than likely, some of the students walking the halls of your school are secretly being abused at home or by someone close to them<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Kids at High Risk for trafficking<\/h2>\n

While it’s true that any child or teenager can become a victim of sex trafficking, certain demographics are at higher risk than others. The National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments<\/a> identified the following list of factors that make young people more susceptible to being targeted by traffickers.<\/p>\n

Those that…<\/h4>\n