Systemic and Structural Roots of Child Sex Trafficking: The Role of Gender, Race, and Sexual Orientation in Disproportionate Victimization

Children from every demographic have experienced sex trafficking; however, research has repeatedly shown that girls, children who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color), and children who identify as LGBTQ2S+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, Two-Spirit, and other) are overrepresented among this population. Historically, the anti-trafficking field has referred to this overrepresentation by identifying gender, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation as individual risk factors. However, less attention has been paid to the identity trauma and historical trauma often experienced by these populations, or the role that systemic and internalized oppression (sexism, racism, ethnocentrism, homophobia, and transphobia) plays in these children’s vulnerabilities. This chapter addresses gaps in current literature by discussing the role of trauma and oppression as risk factors for child sex trafficking and the disproportionate impact trauma and oppression have on girls, children who identify as BIPOC, and children who identify as LGBTQ2S+. It then examines the role that child-serving systems have played in responding to childhood trauma and the manner in which current responses may further contribute to the oppression of these populations and their overrepresentation among trafficked children. Finally, recommendations are made for how the anti-trafficking field and child-serving systems can move forward to address trauma and oppression, especially among overrepresented populations and provide better foundational prevention so that children are not trafficked in the first place.