Relationship Violence and Sexual Exploitation

When Tina was 14, she was forced to work the streets by an older “boyfriend.” In testimony to a congressional subcommittee, Tina, now a street outreach coordinator for an anti-human-trafficking organization, detailed the beatings and emotional trauma she suffered at the hands of the man who initially won her over with love and attention before humiliating her and forcing her and three...
Every day, approximately 1.3 million runaway, thrownaway, and homeless youth live on the streets of America. Children, both boys and girls, are solicited for sex, on average, within 72 hours of being on the street. Approximately 55 percent of street girls engage in formal prostitution; 75 percent of those work for a pimp. About one in five of these children becomes entangled in nationally...
Not too long ago, protecting the women of the Pine Ridge Reservation from domestic violence wasn't such an easy task. With a domestic violence center, but no residential facilities, program staff were often forced to drive nearly a hundred miles to transport women seeking safe housing to the nearest shelter in Rapid City, SD. And the problems didn't stop there. Take one morning, for example, when...
Here are some ways you can better serve Native women and children exposed to domestic violence: Research the unique history of Native Americans in the United States for an understanding of the underlying issues around domestic violence in Tribal communities. For an excellent introduction, download Introductory Manual to Domestic Violence in Indian Country (2003) by Mending the Sacred Hoop...
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