Journal of Law and Criminal Justice

Caught in the Middle: Domestic Minor Sex Trafficked Persons
Paula Songs

Abstract
The United States has long paid attention to foreign persons trafficked into the country for illicit sexual purposes. Domestic minors who are sex trafficked have not had as much legal regard. At the heart of the matter,is the difference in legal positions federally and in states regarding the response to domestic minors who are sex trafficked. Federal law, namely, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 has undergone reauthorizations to better serve domestic minor sex trafficked victims. Several states in the United States antitrafficking laws however, conflict with the federal TVPA policy. The federal versus state legal inconsistency can harm as oppose to helping sex trafficked victims. Most local prosecutors do not understand how to identify sex trafficked victims. The misidentification of a minor victim causes setbacks for the victim. In addition, services for victims are inadequate, despite provisions in the TVPA. These points contribute to the criminalization of domestic minor sex trafficked victims.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jlcj.v5n1a2