“SAM” RAN AWAY after his father discovered he was gay and threw him out of the house. Arriving in Chicago’s “Boy’s Town,” he was drugged and kidnapped by a human trafficker. Sam was then sex-trafficked for about a week before escaping, only to find himself homeless again. Like many sex-trafficking survivors, he returned to the street to engage in survival sex, defined as prostitution in exchange for resources to meet basic physical needs (food, shelter). Survival sex can lead to re-victimization, as it did in Sam’s case.
A growing number of anti-trafficking nonprofit organizations and federal agencies have begun to recognize the high risk for GLBT youths of becoming victims of human trafficking.
No person, regardless of sexuality, should be forced to sell his or her body for sex in order to survive. It is only as a last resort that homeless young people turn to this life. Yet many sex trafficking victims, even after being “rescued,” are denied adequate resources, encountering barriers to securing residential placement, vocational services, and psychological counseling. Truly recovering from human trafficking victimization is even more difficult for GLBT survivors.
Take “Anna,” a young woman who was internationally trafficked for over ten years before finding refuge in the U.S. Like many survivors, her victimization has extended beyond her rescue. While currently free from physical abuse, she continues to deal with the collateral trauma from her victimization. Anna actively seeks out services to assist with her PTSD, but she and her wife quickly learned that trauma-related services are often limited or nonexistent for GLBT trafficking survivors. Anna’s wife told me: “Along our journey in seeking help, I realized that many of these organizations who could help my wife simply didn’t because we’re a lesbian couple. Many of these faith-based organizations rescue women and men, Bible in hand. When they offer help, it’s based on their religious beliefs.”
In my work as a human trafficking expert witness and researcher, I have become acutely aware of internationally acclaimed organizations that restrict resources based on a victim’s sexuality. This is especially disheartening due to the high rate of victimization in this community. If faith-based organizations are choosing to restrict their funding, public organizations at the federal, state, and local levels need to fill this gap in resources. Surviving human trafficking is arduous, but finding ways to thrive post-rescue should not be so hard.
Kimberly Mehlman-Orozco, PhD, is the author of the forthcoming book, Hidden in Plain Sight: America’s Slaves of the New Millennium.
