Trafficked Children and Youth in the United States

ELZBIETA M. GOZDZIAK is the professor of research at the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. She was formerly the editor of the journal International Migration and is co-editor of three books including Children and Migration: At the Crossroads of Resiliency and Vulnerability.

• AcknowledgmentsPrologue: Afong Means StrengthIntroduction: Researching and Writing about Child TraffickingPart IMoral Panics1         “Tidal Waves” of Trafficking2         The Old and New AbolitionistsPart II       “Captured”3         Snakeheads, Coyotes, and . . . Mothers4         Not Chained to a Bed in a BrothelPart III       “Rescued”5         Hidden in Plain Sight6         Jail the Offender, Protect the VictimPart IV       “Restored”  7         Idealized Childhoods8         Healing the WoundedEpilogue: Everyday Struggles          Notes          Bibliography          Index

"This is a thoughtful and important book about victims of child trafficking.  Its strength lies in the juxtaposition of programmatic responses to trafficking with child survivors’ own perceptions of their experiences and needs." - Alicia Peters (University of New England) "This highly readable, informative text recounts the story of 140 trafficked children as well as the history of this criminal act and its consequences … Goz´dziak recognized the need for a well-researched, objective point of view and presents the challenges and the facts that victims of trafficking face even when identified and rescued from their horrific situations ... Recommended." (Choice) "Gozdziak's work is a welcome addition to the critical study of anti-trafficking institutions and services, a nuanced and compassionate portrayal of the complex lived realities of young people who move and migrate, however precariously, in search of better opportunities and futures." (Refuge) "By centering trafficked youth's voices and experiences, Gozdziak demonstrates the importance of survivor-centered approaches, even when their narratives contradict and complicate current antitrafficking discourse." (Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books) "This is a thoughtful and important book about victims of child trafficking.  Its strength lies in the juxtaposition of programmatic responses to trafficking with child survivors’ own perceptions of their experiences and needs." - Alicia Peters (University of New England) "This highly readable, informative text recounts the story of 140 trafficked children as well as the history of this criminal act and its consequences … Goździak recognized the need for a well-researched, objective point of view and presents the challenges and the facts that victims of trafficking face even when identified and rescued from their horrific situations ... Recommended." (Choice) "Gozdziak's work is a welcome addition to the critical study of anti-trafficking institutions and services, a nuanced and compassionate portrayal of the complex lived realities of young people who move and migrate, however precariously, in search of better opportunities and futures." (Refuge) "By centering trafficked youth's voices and experiences, Gozdziak demonstrates the importance of survivor-centered approaches, even when their narratives contradict and complicate current antitrafficking discourse." (Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books)