Grassley Discusses Domestic Trafficking of Foster Youth

I'd like to thank everyone for coming today and participating in today's event focused on foster youth.

This event is the third in the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth's speaker series. The idea for the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth came from the youth. They approached us and asked us to create this caucus as a place where the voices of older youth in foster care could be heard. The issues facing older youth in foster care are complex and span the jurisdiction of many congressional committees.

The caucus was also created to break through those barriers. Senator Landrieu and I take the goal of creating a place where youth voices can be heard and where issues that cross jurisdictional lines very seriously. We are also results driven. A number of policy suggestions from our "Call To Action" have found their way into legislation signed into law last year.

Today's event is consistent with the goals of the caucus and hopefully will result in policies that can improve outcomes for all youth in foster area. Today's topic, domestic trafficking of foster youth, is a difficult one. Yet, it's an issue we cannot ignore.

Domestic trafficking often occurs when a girl is targeted as vulnerable and is subsequently preyed upon by criminals seeking to exploit her. Girls in foster care, because of the trauma they have sustained and because they lack meaningful connections, are particularly vulnerable to the advances of predators. Often, the predator is the only person who pays attention, offers support and validation to these vulnerable young adults. The fact that they are so susceptible to being trafficked is a reflection of the systemic problems inherent in our child welfare system.

This afternoon we will hear from two incredibly brave survivors of trafficking, Tanee and T. These two have beaten the odds, escaped "the life," and are now working as mentors with other girls who have been trafficked or are at risk of being trafficked. I want to commend these courageous young women for being willing to share their stories with us. You're an inspiration to us, and many more people not in this room.

We will also hear from individuals connected with law enforcement about the challenges they face when these girls enter the juvenile justice system. For girls who are connected to both the child welfare and the juvenile justice systems, there are very few alternatives for placements and services. If they are returned to the foster home, more often than not, they will run away. On the other hand, incarceration or detention sends an inappropriate message to these girls that they are criminals, not victims. And also, in most cases, incarceration fails to connect these girls with the medical and psychological services they need.

Finally, we will learn about programs that offer alternatives for these girls. These alternatives, while new and not widespread, may be models for child welfare and law enforcement groups across the country.

As we listen to the stories of these girls and learn about the breadth and scope of the trauma they have endured, it's important to always bear in mind that these are our girls. They are not the sole problem of the juvenile justice systems. They are not criminals. They are girls who, because they were removed from their homes and placed in the foster care system as wards of the state, are uniquely our responsibility.

The failure to address the needs of these girls is symptomatic of the failure of the current child welfare system. We lack an adequate comprehensive strategy to address their victimization. Simply put, we need to improve the system in order to appropriately and effectively address the needs of all the children and youth who enter or have interaction with the child welfare system.

As we work over the next few years to enact comprehensive child welfare reform, we cannot neglect to include strategies to address the root causes and solutions to domestic trafficking of girls out of the foster care system.

Today's event will help highlight this need and lead us to solutions. Thank you, again, for coming. And, thanks to those on our panel for their willingness to engage in this tough, but important discussion.

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