Adopted at the 121st Annual Conference

Orlando, Florida

October 21, 2014

Sex Trafficking of Children and Minors Nationally and Internationally

Sponsored by: Juvenile Justice and Child Protection Committee, Victim Services Committee and Committee on Homeland Security

JUV.006.T14

WHEREAS, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) recognizes that sex trafficking of children and minors is a severe form of Human Trafficking, that, according to federal law, involves "(t)he recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age ¹ and

WHEREAS, the IACP recognizes that any child (under the age of 18) engaged in commercial sex should be treated as a potential and likely victim of trafficking; and

WHEREAS, IACP recognizes that, while there is a lack of reliable statistics on the incidence and prevalence of sex trafficking of children and minors within the United States,² it is a crime that is affecting children nationally and internationally; and

WHEREAS, IACP recognizes that sex trafficking of children and minors within the United States impacts law enforcement agencies at the local, state, and federal levels and often has agency-wide impact on law enforcement organizations, involving multiple divisions such as Criminal Investigations, Vice, Gangs, Narcotics, Missing Juveniles/Runaways, Computer Crime, Organized Crime, and Sex Crimes and Human Trafficking; and

WHEREAS, child victims of sex trafficking suffer chronic sexual abuse and exploitation, as well as emotional, psychological, and/or physical abuse; endure threats, coercion, and/or manipulation by traffickers which often leads to the victim forming a psychological bond with the trafficker similar to the trauma-bond in domestic violence and hostage situations (e.g. Stockholm Syndrome), which prevents the victims from identifying themselves as victims and asking for help (which may make the victims appear complicit in their own victimization); and

WHEREAS, traffickers, often referred to as "pimps," include males and females of all types, who are coercive and skilled at manipulating victims and the criminal justice system in order to gain power and control to ensure the continued operation of their criminal enterprise; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the IACP calls for sex trafficking of children and minors to be understood as acts of abuse and violence against children and adolescents; that minors who are trafficked for sexual purposes should not be considered criminally responsible for the commercial sex act that they are the victims of; and that identification of victims as well as any interventions should do no further harm to these victims; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the IACP opposes the criminalization of victims of sex trafficking as it relates to the commercial sex acts that they are the victims of; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the IACP calls for training at all levels of law enforcement, nationally and internationally, including educating front line officers on how to recognize and respond to it in the field; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the IACP calls on law enforcement to investigate both the supply side (pimps/traffickers) as well as the demand side (buyers) of sex trafficking; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the IACP supports building and strengthening relationships between law enforcement, the community, and victim service organizations to recognize, respond, refer, and assist victims; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the IACP calls for collaboration between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to share information and resources to identify and respond to victims and hold traffickers accountable; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the IACP calls for the law enforcement community to advocate at the local, state and federal legislative levels to increase the priority and allocation of local, state and federal resources to combat the sex trafficking of children and minors; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the IACP, assembled at the 121st Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, strongly encourages law enforcement agencies to develop a coordinated response and protocol on sex trafficking of children and minors in their communities.

¹ Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act

² Institute of Medicine, "Confronting Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors in the United States." (2013)