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The term “sex trafficking” conjures the image of a victim being kidnapped, bound and caged against one’s will. In fact, more often, predators use lies and deception to entice vulnerable victims to trust them before engaging in sexual abuse. As an expert witness testified at the trial, the grooming process may involve giving gifts, building trust and attachment through expressions of concern, bringing up sexual topics in conversation, and slowly escalating sexual interactions.
In my experience as a prosecutor, I found that traffickers are usually expert manipulators who retain power over their victims with a variety of carrots, such as money, cell phones, clothing, and illicit drugs. They also use sticks, such as shame, and threats of disclosure or physical harm. For a troubled teenager, it is difficult to even describe what has happened to them, let alone have the courage to tell someone.