Pipeline from Sex Abuse to Jail

Do we really believe that youth are our future? If so, then it is important to stop the cruel funneling of sex trafficking victims into prisons.

The Ms. Foundation for Women, the Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality, and the Human Rights Project for Girls just sent out a report called “The Sexual Abuse to Prison Pipeline: The Girls’ Story.” It includes new information that indicates that sexual abuse can predict a young person’s increased likelihood of jail/prison time. Girls of color–African-American girls in particular are most affected. The report reveals: “Native American girls are in residential placements at a rate of 179 per 100,000; African-American girls at a rate of 123 per 100,000; and Latinas at a rate of 47 per 100,000. By comparison, 37 per 100,000 of non-Hispanic white girls are confined.”

Girls are going into juvenile systems as a result of being sexually abused as well as other related behaviors like truancy or substance abuse. Girls who are forced into sex work are often arrested for prostitution, even though they are not old enough to consent to sex.

View article on Education Week

Chip in and help end modern slavery once and for all.