“What Does It Matter How We Define It?”: Exploring Definitions of DMST Among Service Providers and Victims/Survivors

ABSTRACT

Domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) is one of the most prevalent yet hidden forms of child abuse in the United States. DMST victims are diverse in age, race, and socioeconomic status. Many DMST victims are involved in state-level systems including the child welfare and/or juvenile justice system. State-level systems are federally mandated to identify children who are at risk or survivors of DMST. Unfortunately, DMST victim/survivor identification is inconsistent and often ineffective and is based on service providers’ and DMST victims’/survivors’ de facto definitions of DMST. This study presents exploratory, qualitative findings regarding service provider and DMST victim/survivor de facto definitions of DMST. In addition, it explores how these definitions are different from and/or similar to extant federal and state legal definitions. Content analysis revealed three key qualitative themes, including force/fraud/coercion, commercialization, and DMST as a form of child sexual abuse. Importantly, DMST victim/survivor and service provider definitions of DMST are different, which may be contributing to ineffective DMST victim/survivor identification protocols. Furthermore, there are several important differences between participants’ definitions of DMST and extant federal and state legal definitions. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Domestic minor sex trafficking
• DMST definitions
• child sexual abuse
• victim/survivor identification

Acknowledgments

I would like acknowledge all of the participants in this study and to thank the survivors in particular for their time, patience, and candor. Survivors’ voices are often unheard and underrepresented in trafficking research; however, survivors are the only true experts of their experiences. Thank you for allowing me to bear witness to your truth.I would also like to thank Drs. Rebecca Macy, Dean Duncan, Noël Busch-Armendariz, Paul Lanier, and Cynthia Rizo for their feedback and mentorship throughout this study. Finally, I would like to thank Maya Porter for her edits on a previous version of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the Fahs-Beck Fund for Research and Experimentation, the NASW Eileen Blackey Fellowship, and Project NORESTFahs-Beck Fund for Research and Experimentation; National Association of Social Workers Foundation; and Project NOREST.