A study now in its third year by the McCain Institute at Arizona State University found that about a third of homeless young adults self-identified as being sex trafficking victims.
The study, called the Youth Experience Study, or YES, surveyed homeless young adults ages 18 to 25 living in transitional house, on the streets, in a shelter, staying on a friend’s couch, or living in a hotel.
Out of more than 200 people surveyed, 66 (33.2 percent) said they had at some point been sex trafficked, forced or coerced into sexual acts for money, food, clothing, drugs, protection, or a place to stay.
One out of every three females reported being trafficked, and one out of every four males, according to the study.
The average age of the initial sex trafficking experience was 17.9 years old, and 36 percent reported a trafficking experience before age 18.
The homeless young adults who reported being trafficked had higher-than-average rates of alcohol and drug use and addiction, suicide attempts, self-harm activities, and all kinds of mental health diagnoses from depression to bipolar disorder.
More than half of the sex trafficking victims identified as LGBTQ, and many had been kicked out of their house when parents found out about their sexual orientation. Sex trafficking victims also were more likely to have had abusive childhoods or dating relationships or to have been sexually abused before becoming trafficked.
The study was conducted by the Office of Sex Trafficking Intervention Research at the ASU School of Social Work during the summer months of 2016.
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