On this episode of the Ending Human Trafficking Podcast, GCWJ Director Sandra Morgan and Board Member Dave Stachowiak discuss how statistics should be perceived as within the issue of ending human trafficking. There is a push for data driven decision making when discussing and combating human trafficking. How and what data is being used in the agenda to fight human trafficking? The Washington Post addresses how data driven decision making is impacted, how it is arrived, and what data is being used. Glenn Kessler, the Washington Post Fact-Checker, raises the question about the agenda to fight human trafficking in an article entitled, “The false claim that human trafficking is a ‘9.5 billion business’ in the United States“. Kessler is drawing attention to how these statistics in arrived at and how it has made it’s way into the legislative floor in Washington D.C. Statistics becomes a complicated issue within the area of trafficking and individuals need to be careful about using statistics that are reliable and trustworthy.
In a 2008 report released by Crimes Against Children Research Center called, “How Many Juveniles Are Involved in Prostitution in the U.S.?”, it provides educated guesses or extrapolations of the number of statistics of juvenile prostitutes but the report cautions and advices in bold letters to not cite these numbers. The use of statistics must be used with caution and accuracy because it can at times hurt the argument in the fight to end human trafficking.
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Resources:
Washington Post: The false claim that human trafficking is a ‘9.5 billion business’ in the United States
Crimes Against Children Research Center Report: How Many Juveniles Are Involved in Prostitution in the U.S.?
Covenant House Report: Homeless, Sexual Sex and Human Trafficking
Orange County Human Trafficking Taskforce
Podcast 15: Homelessness and Human Trafficking – How They Connect
Podcast 41: Preventing Trafficking by Preventing Homelessness
Child Abuse Statistics in Orange County
Global Center for Women and Justice
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