Sex-trafficked kids are crime victims. In Las Vegas, they still go to jail.

Written By Madelyn S

The Washington Post, August 26, 2021: Sex-trafficked kids are crime victims. In Las Vegas, they still go to jail.

“Teenagers, especially those in poverty or the foster-care system, are particularly vulnerable. Traffickers pose as trusted adults or befriend them on social media, then manipulate them to be sold for sexual abuse.

Under federal law, these children are victims, not criminals.

Yet every year, kids who have been sex trafficked are detained and charged with crimes.

At least 290 minors were arrested for a prostitution-related offense in 2019, the most recent year national data is available. Forty were 14 or younger.”

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Additional reading:

Women’s History Network, March 30, 2014: Violating Human Rights by Criminalising Trafficking Victims/Survivors

Georgetown Law’s International Women's Human Rights Clinic

Madelyn S
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