Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear joined a UofL social work researcher, survivors and other advocates at the Survivors’ Corner nonprofit office recently to entreat the public to watch for signs of criminals who exploit victims for sex and to report their activities to protect their traumatized victims, who often are minors.

Jennifer Middleton, Kent School of Social Work associate professor and director of the Human Trafficking Research Initiative, shared research findings from Project Pivot (Prevention and Intervention for Victims of Trafficking), funded through a grant from the Kentucky Children’s Justice Act Task Force.

Analyzing 2013-2018 data from the Kentucky Department for Community-Based Services, the research team has preliminary results indicating 83% of the 698 alleged child-trafficking victims reported to the department were female, with the most commonly reported age of 16. Victims ranged from 2 weeks old to 17 years.

“Alarmingly, the majority (57%) were trafficked by a family member, often a biological parent,” Middleton said.

The Project Pivot research echoes some findings from previous research showing that homelessness, youth and adversity are factors that make children vulnerable to being trafficked and “serves as a call to action to our community and our state,” she said.

“However, despite the weight of these statistics, there is hope,” Middleton said. “By ramping up community education and awareness efforts and educating the community about the warning signs of human trafficking and what to look for, community members, parents, educators and first responders can help prevent child trafficking from occurring.”

Her team in this project includes research assistants Emily Edwards, a counseling psychology graduate student in the College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development, and Rianna Ayala, a graduate student in the Kent School of Social Work.

“It’s going to be impactful,” Ayala said.

Project Pivot aims to increase awareness of child trafficking in the state and to improve the ability of various systems to respond to victims in a manner that limits additional trauma to the children. The group should wrap up its report with data and focus-group findings by July and work with a local human trafficking task force and others to prioritize policy and practice recommendations.

When addressing issues such as trafficking, it’s important to understand the root causes, which is why research is important, said Beshear, who has made the fight against human trafficking a core mission of his office.

“The work out of the Kent School helps us do our job better. Jennifer (Middleton) is a warrior. We view her and the Kent School as partners,” he said.��

Survivor Summer Dickerson, founder of Women of the Well support ministry, told people at the April 22 news conference that four years ago she spent time at the track’s Millionaires Row after being flown in to be trafficked during Derby season.

“Four years ago I was being sold on Derby and Oaks. Now I’m part of the solution,” Dickerson said. “Please be aware it is happening. It’s happening everywhere.”

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“That is alarming. That is something that we have to fix,” said Beshear, who detailed several efforts in motion to combat trafficking, which he called “the world’s fastest growing criminal enterprise.”

“Human trafficking represents the worst form of abuse, often to children, and it is increasing in Kentucky,” the attorney general said. “That’s why my office is partnering with the public and private sectors to enhance and improve policy measures and training opportunities to increase resources and awareness to help end human trafficking. Research such as UofL’s study is important and will help our efforts to combat this form of modern-day slavery.”

The Youth Experiences Survey studied 132 homeless youth aged 12-25 during two weeks in October 2016 to determine the scope of sex trafficking in Kentuckiana. More than three-quarters were from the area. The study showed approximately one of every two females and one of every three males reported being sex-trafficked with the average age of their first such experience at 16.

Youths who reported being sex-trafficked were more likely to be drug-addicted, diagnosed with more than one mental health problem and participate in self-harming, including suicide attempts. They also reported a high level of childhood trauma and abuse.

More than 70 percent of the sex-trafficked youth reported that technology was used as part of their victimization with smartphones being the most common. Social media apps such as Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram also played a role in recruiting and selling.

The team hopes the findings will help communities better serve homeless youth through increased awareness of their specific experiences and needs, said Jennifer Middleton, assistant professor of social work and UofL Human Trafficking Research Initiative co-director.

The findings will be shared this month at the 2017 Central Kentucky Human Trafficking Summit at Georgetown College and next month at the Southern Indiana Human Trafficking Awareness Conference at Indiana University Southeast.

“This study provides us with a snapshot of the complexities homeless youth face, particularly youth who have experienced sex trafficking. The results highlight the need for early identification and screening of sex-trafficked youth as well as enhanced, trauma-informed services to help them,” Middleton said.

Middleton said the team’s goal is to expand the study to the entire states of Kentucky and Indiana. The next wave of data collection is underway with youth involved with the justice system.

“This work by the Kent School and the University of Louisville is going to make a difference, and I know it’s just getting started,” Beshear said.

The UofL Human Trafficking Research Initiative at the Kent School of Social Work conducted the initial survey with the aid of eight agencies that helped collect the information: YMCA Safe Place Services, Transition Age Youth Launching Realized Dreams (TAYLRD), Home of the Innocents, Haven House, Center for Women and Families, Clark County Youth Shelter, Floyd County Youth Services and the Kristy Love Foundation.��

Angela Renfro, a trafficking survivor who is founder and executive director of the Kristy Love Foundation, said the research confirms “what we have known for a very long time.”

“Human trafficking is a crime and its victims are often hidden, which makes awareness important and difficult to achieve,” she said.

“It’s very important and I really thank the University of Louisville for helping us.”