Human trafficking and runaway girls in foster care
According to a report filed by Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), about six percent of youths in care have attempted runway or have been described to be chronic runway (Morewitz, 2016). Most girls, to lesser degree boys presented in state care, have an increased risk of sex trafficking (Latzman et al., 2019). For example, a report revealed that over seventy percent of girls who were placed at central Florida state care have been in cases of sex trafficking. The majority of young girls that are placed in state foster care have attempted runway for their safety. Such behavior increases the risk of sexual exploitation further in their lives. While most cases of sex trafficking are involuntary, a selected number of girls in foster care choose to recruit into sex business voluntarily due to economic reasons. Life in foster care is not always favorable, and such girls come under the influence of experienced members in the business. In most cases, new recruits form foster care gets convinced by fellow members in foster care who were recruited before (Balchan, 2018).
Based on the risk factors associated with sex trafficking and runways, it is a collective responsibility of individuals and the child welfare agencies to protect young girls from sexual exploitation. Even though some girls voluntarily recruit into sex trafficking, they lack relevant knowledge concerning the perilous behavior. Another concern that raises the issue is the lack of proper responsibility in caring for black girls as compared to other races in the same foster care (Morewitz, 2016). Such discrimination has a greater impact on the lives of those black girls placed in foster care. Therefore, a call for change in strategy is vital in controlling cases of runways and sex trafficking.
References
Latzman, N. E., Gibbs, D. A., Feinberg, R., Kluckman, M. N., & Aboul-Hosn, S. (2019). Human trafficking victimization among youth who run away from foster care. Children and Youth Services Review, 98, 113-124.
Morewitz, S. J. (2016). Running Away from Substitute Care. In Runaway and Homeless Youth (pp. 17-26). Springer, Cham.
Balchan, B. (2018). Identifying Youth at Risk for Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) in a Foster Care Clinic.