Familial sex trafficking is uniquely harmful to those affected. Sexual exploitation and/or trafficking by an adult family member violates a most sacred trust, especially when it breaches the parent-child relationship. This presentation will highlight what we know about these cases, current risk and protective factors, and how judges and child-serving professionals can identify and respond to these youth to promote stabilization and recovery. Specific issues related to gender, geography and trauma severity will be discussed to provide context and further tailoring of response strategies.
Ginny Sprang, Ph.D., is a professor in the College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry at the University of Kentucky, and executive director of the UK Center on Trauma and Children. Dr. Sprang is one of two principal investigators of a CDC funded randomized control trial to prevent child sex trafficking in middle schools. She is the Principal Investigator of the SAMHSA funded Category II Secondary Traumatic Stress Innovations and Solutions Center, the Category III Child and Adolescent Trauma Treatment and Training Institute, and Chair Emeritus of the Secondary Traumatic Stress Collaborative group. She is a member of the College of Medicine’s executive committee, and serves as a member of the Appointment, Promotion and Tenure Council for the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Sprang has published extensively on topics such as child trauma, trauma informed care, the commercial sexual exploitation of minors, implementation and sustainability, disaster response and secondary traumatic stress. Her work involves the creation of translational tools, and the development, testing and implementation of evidence-based treatments and practices to treat those exposed to these traumatic experiences.