There are a lot more boys who are victims of human trafficking than previously thought in Florida. That’s according to Bethany Gilot, the statewide human trafficking director of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. She says it’s because the disclosure rate among boys is extremely low.
“They just don’t disclose this victimization for many reasons,” she said, during the recent Florida Faith Symposium. “The shame wrapped around it, feeling like they might be in trouble for what has happened to them—not what they’ve done, but what has happened to them in that exploitation. So, just really low disclosure rates.”
She says typically, boys ages 11 to 14 are exploited through pornography, and older teens are usually victimized through “survival sex,” or trading sexual favors for basic needs, like food.
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