Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Apr 30;13(2):97-108.
doi: 10.1108/ijhrh-07-2019-0055. Epub 2020 Feb 25.

Minor sex trafficking of girls with disabilities

Hannabeth Franchino-Olsen  1 , Hannah A Silverstein  1 , Nicole F Kahn  1 , Sandra L Martin  1
Affiliations

Minor sex trafficking of girls with disabilities

Hannabeth Franchino-Olsen et al. Int J Hum Rights Healthc. .

Abstract

Purpose –: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the associations between minor women' (girls') disability status and victimization via minor sex trafficking.

Design/methodology/approach –: This investigation used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, a large, nationally-representative sample of in-school adolescents in the USA that began in 1994. The analysis included bivariate associations between physical disability status or low cognitive ability and minor sex trafficking among female survey respondents (n = 5,430).

Findings –: Girls with any disability had a higher prevalence of minor sex trafficking than their peers without disabilities. Odds of minor sex trafficking were significantly higher for those with severe physical disabilities (5.83) and for those with low cognitive abilities (4.86) compared to the odds of their peers without their respective disabilities. Results for girls with mild or moderate physical disabilities were not statistically significant compared to peers without disabilities.

Social implications –: These nationally-representative survey data reinforce the trends present in smaller populations and case study research: female adolescents with disabilities are at a heightened risk for sex trafficking. On both a national and global scale, the human rights gaps in policy and practice must be addressed to adequately reach, intervene and protect this vulnerable population.

Originality/value –: Research about minor sex trafficking typically relies on small-scale surveys and/or convenience samples. This study used a nationally-representative survey to demonstrate the link between disability status and women's experiences with minor sex trafficking.

Keywords: Add health; Adolescent; Disability; Female; Girl; Intellectual; Minor; Physical; Sexual exploitation.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Add Health Codebook Explorer (ACE) (2020), available at: www.cpc.unc.edu/projects/addhealth/documentation/ace/tool/topics (accessed 6 January 2018).
    1. Administration for Children, Youth and Families (2013), “Guidance to states and services on addressing human trafficking of children and youth in the United States”, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, available at: www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/acyf_human_trafficking_guidance.pdf
    1. American Psychiatric Association (2016), “Neurodevelopmental disabilities: intellectual disabilities”, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed., American Psychiatric Association, available at: https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.dsm01 - DOI
    1. Barger E, Wacker J, Macy R and Parish S (2009), “Sexual assault prevention for women with intellectual disabilities: a critical review of the evidence”, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Vol. 47 No. 4, pp. 249–262, available at: 10.1352/1934-9556-47.4.249 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Barnartt SN and Altman B (Eds) (2013), Disability and Intersecting Statuses, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

LinkOut - more resources