Chestnut Health Systems is partnering with McLean County community organizations to host a training session exploring the connection between children exposed to drug use in their homes and familial child sex trafficking.
The session, titled Hidden Risks: Drug endangered children and family human trafficking training, is co-sponsored by Allies Against Trafficking and the Logan/Mason County and McLean County Recovery Oriented Systems of Care, also known as ROSC. It will take place Jan. 27 at Illinois State University's Alumni Center in Normal.
Training and questions on sex trafficking will be addressed by Allies Against Trafficking, which was founded after working directly with survivors of sex trafficking.
The session aims to reveal “…both the hidden nature of the crime and gaps in community awareness,” said Nancy Bollegar, co-founder of the organization. “Survivors shared their stories showing unimaginable hardships and remarkable strength in reclaiming their lives.
“So, our mission is to educate communities, prevent exploitation and provide survivor centered care, creating a future where every survivor can heal and every community is prepared to stand against trafficking.”
Co-founder Kelly Schwamberger said it is important to address what trafficking actually looks like, instead of what media may promote.
“Human trafficking is shown as kind of sensationalized and people are afraid of the people in the white van that are going to grab them off the street,” Schwamberger said. “And although those kinds of things can happen, more likely it’s a situation of unsafe people and grooming, where a perpetrator looks for someone that has a need and a vulnerability, and they take advantage of that.”
Those who have the most vulnerabilities to be exploited are children, according to Schwamberger. In some cases, they may be subject to familial sex trafficking, or trafficking facilitated by a close family member, often a parent.
Risk is high in rural homes, where drug use is present
The training will also help recognize the ways in which a drug endangered home—where children are exposed to substance use by a caregiver—or familial sex trafficking persists in rural areas. While it does happen in urban areas, Schwamberger said research suggests it is most prevalent in rural areas due to the isolation and difficulty in intervention.
“Familial sex trafficking occurs across all socio-economic classes, races and community types,” she said. “However, it’s most frequently associated with, and it thrives in communities that are characterized by severe poverty, especially those with a high prevalence of substance abuse and those dysfunctional or abusive homes that children can be found in.”
Signs of familial sex trafficking and drug endangerment for children can be hard to identify, largely because of the lack of awareness. Schwamberger said the victims themselves may have a hard time recognizing the abuse.
“Parents can be in a situation where they have a need for drugs, they’re trying to fuel that…and it can sometimes look like they’re just maybe going to take a picture of their child and they’re going to sell it online,” said Schwamberger. “Sometimes they can get involved with child sex rings where they’re selling their children and it’s all for survival. Sometimes it can look like offering a child to a landlord to keep the home for a little while.”
Schwamberger said her organization often sees a similar reaction to the realities of child sex trafficking. Often times, she said people have a visceral reaction to the taboo subject.
“People want to understand it, but it is a hard topic to understand, and to want to believe that it’s happening in our community or that it’s something that could happen to us,” she said. “What we tell people is, instead of shying away from a difficult topic like this, it’s better to educate yourself and learn, especially when we’re talking with youth.”
Schwamberger said young people should understand the aspects of a healthy relationship and be equipped with the skills to identify an unsafe situation.
Drug endangerment and substance abuse is also a subject that can be hard to discuss. Barb Brumleve, a community health specialist at Chestnut Heath Systems, said recovery of a child’s parent is also important to wellbeing.
"[W]ith the intersectionality of drug endangered children, we also want to let people know that recovery is possible,” said Brumleve. “If something is found out, [we] try to get help for the parent, but ultimately the child needs to be taken care of and be put in a safe environment. But I also just want to let people know that there is hope out there for substance use disorders and mental health and recovery is possible.”
The training is open to any and all interested professionals whose work intersects with children. Allies Against Trafficking is hoping teachers, public health workers, law enforcement and more professions show an interest.
“[C]hild-welfare, family services, healthcare, education, victim advocacy—anyone that is going to be in touch with a child’s life can benefit from this training,” she said.
Anyone interested in the training session can RSVP on Chestnut Health System’s website. Walk-ins are also welcome.
