Case Study #4Case of a Sex Trafficking Ring

Background:

Age, gender, demographics (ethnicity, sexual identity), living situation

  • High school girls and boys. Refugee boys from various countries who needed money

How victim was recruited/trafficking:

Girls from other school campuses would convince the victims to work together. Students were unaware of what they were agreeing to do.

Narrative:

A school guidance counselor uncovered a sex trafficking ring that was victimizing a couple of girls from the counselor’s own school. Two female students from a different school had scanned and copied some schools IDs, which is how they got onto the school counselor’s campus to recruit. They recruited not only girls to work but refugee boys who needed extra money to be the lookouts. The lookouts would intimidate the girls and tell on them if they were seen talking to adults or other boys on campus.  One of the students reported that the “pimps” would circle her house and threaten to beat her and her parents if she told or tried to escape. Another school counselor who had experience working in jails figured out who the victims were– both had to change schools to escape.

Resolution:

Students had to change school and some families actually moved to get away from the situation. Police/detectives were involved and supported both the families and the students.

Discussion for Case Studies:

  1. What were some 1of the victim’s vulnerabilities?
  2. How did the sex trafficker exploit those vulnerabilities?
  3. What changes happened in the victim’s life?
  4. Who in the victim’s life should have noticed these changes? What could they have done?
  5. What were the missed opportunities to prevent this victim’s sex trafficking experiences?
  6. If there is no resolution: how many different ways could this story end?
  7. How could this victim’s peers have noticed these changes? Who could they have told?
  8. If this student came to your school, how can the students support them?
  9. If this student came to your school, how can the staff support them?
  10. How can you as a class, help develop awareness about sex trafficking and prevent more victimization?