Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking

Human trafficking is a thriving and growing business; by some estimates it is second only to drug trafficking as the most profitable illegal industry in the world. The first comprehensive study of the practice of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST) was conducted in 2006 and found that anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 American children fit this unfortunate definition. And yet, to date, this topic has been largely overlooked or included as a footnote in larger studies on global human trafficking.

Pulling together scholarly information from diverse fields including social work, psychology, and biology, Susan Mapp explores the particular risk factors (such as poverty, child maltreatment, and being a sexual minority) that place children at higher risk for being trafficked. The different methods of DMST -- pimp-controlled, gang-controlled, familial, and survival -- are explained, including how children come to be involved in them and the mechanisms for how they occur. Assisting those being trafficked to leave the life is a difficult process, and this book explains why. It is important for everyone to act on what can be done to fight this crime; suggestions for professionals, as well as "everyday citizens," are offered, together with a list of resources.

Susan Mapp, PhD, MSSW, Professor, heads the Social Work Department at Elizabethtown College. She has written two books in the area of human rights: Human Rights and Social Justice in a Global Perspective: An Introduction to International Social Work and Global Child Welfare and Well-Being. She is the author of numerous book chapters and peer-reviewed articles on a variety of topics, including the impact of war on children, violations of women's human rights, human trafficking, and issues relating to the child welfare system.