Patchwork Of Programs Serve Child Sex-Trafficking Victims
DALLAS (AP) — The need for long-term and specialized care to treat child sex-trafficking victims is increasing as the focus across the U.S. shifts from punishment to treatment.
Just this past week, a residential facility in Texas began taking in girls amid a makeshift response nationwide to a growing population of child sex-trafficking victims.
Cecilia Roberts went to such a facility in Georgia when she was 17. She says it was all she needed at that age, "just peace, and a little bit of attention and love."
Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia have eliminated criminal liability for minors — with all but one state making the change since 2010. Experts say some other states are reluctant to follow suit due to a lack of services for the children.
(© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)