Human trafficking in children is often part of a larger constellation of childhood adversity. Many trafficked youth have been exposed to multiple layers of traumatic stress, including physical, sexual, and/or verbal abuse; witnessing violence; emotional neglect; and family dysfunction. This paper is a qualitative analysis of the charts of 32 youth who were sex trafficked as minors, including both foreign national and domestic youth. It explores their history of early adversity and polyvictimization and reviews common coercive strategies used by the traffickers, including manipulation of these children’s unmet physical and emotional needs. It identifies developmental trauma adaptations in these youth, including affect dysregulation and impulsivity; alterations in attention and consciousness; issues in interpersonal relationships; and impairments in self-perception and attributions. It concludes with recommendations based on these findings, including the development of developmentally and culturally appropriate trauma-informed services for sex trafficked children and youth. © 2016, Springer International Publishing.

youth Developmental trauma Polyvictimization sex trafficking Children trauma-informed Human trafficking complex trauma

perception attention deficit disorder human polyvictimization attributional bias human relation sex trafficking physical abuse Adolescent male consciousness disorder female juvenile emotional disorder victim sexual abuse Article behavior disorder adult family stress exposure to violence impulsiveness emotional attachment Child