Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Criminal Justice and Homeland Security (D.P.S.)

Department

Division of Criminal Justice and Homeland Security

First Advisor

Jie Xu

Second Advisor

Keith Cozine

Third Advisor

Bernard Jones

Abstract

“The true character of society is revealed in how it treats its children.” – Nelson Mandela Human trafficking has always existed. It spans the globe and has always been an epidemic. It is often referred to as a crime hidden in plain sight. The sexual exploitation of children in foster care is a topic within the field of sex trafficking that has not been explored enough in research. This research study focuses on the question, “How can placing a child in foster care make them susceptible to becoming a victim of child sex trafficking?” This research study has 132 female minor participants aged 12 to 17. This secondary data was collected in 2016-2018 with a mixed-method survey questionnaire, The Teen Sex Trafficking and Dating Violence Survey. This questionnaire from Arizona State University (ASU) was co-created with a psychologist with 14 years of experience working with girls in delinquency programs and a social work Ph.D. with 18 years of experience working with victims of sex trafficking. These clinical staff recruited the adolescent girls due to their high risk of being sex trafficked, as identified by the clinical staff during their intake assessment. The findings reveal that children who had been placed in foster care were significantly more likely (157% higher odds) to have experienced child sex trafficking victimization than those not in foster care. Through data analysis and findings in this research study, this dissertation provides critical information and valuable findings that placing children in foster care elevates their vulnerability to child sex trafficking and carries profound implications for child welfare systems, policymakers, social workers, law enforcement, and communities.

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