The girls Epstein exploited were mostly young, poor, in foster care or on the verge of homelessness. This story is all too common: Those most vulnerable in our society are also most susceptible to abuse β and, in a cruel twist, often face criminal prosecution themselves as a result of that abuse.
The number of commercially sexually exploited children CSEC in the United States is notoriously hard to pinpoint, due in large part to the lack of standardized identification practices, the underground nature of the crime and the reluctance of victims to come forward. National estimates of CSEC range from , to 3 million.
But we do know who traffickers often target: children who have suffered trauma, poverty and family dysfunction. Indeed, a history of child mistreatment or abuse is the most common risk factor for commercial sexual exploitation.
Youth homelessness is another risk β with one study finding that at least one-fifth of homeless youth reported some form of labor or sex trafficking. Child welfare involvement has an even higher correlation. The TVPA specifies that children under the age of 18 cannot be prosecuted for the crime of prostitution: They are victims of sex trafficking. It rests on the states, however, to implement this provision. It recognized CSEC as victims, rather than perpetrators, of a crime. By , almost half the states in the country had passed some version of laws barring or limiting prostitution charges against trafficked minors.
In , Washington state positioned itself as a national leader in combatting sex trafficking. The passage of SB , known as Safe Harbor, gave law enforcement the ability to divert CSEC from the courts to programs specializing in housing and comprehensive services. In other words, despite federal law, minors in Washington could still be detained for their own abuse. Last year Washington took an important step to fix the contradictions in its Safe Harbor legislation.
