Photo by Teah Dowling
The Clinton County Legislature approved the Child Advocacy Center’s request to accept the $18,500 Safe Harbour grant to help raise awareness of child trafficking.
PLATTSBURGH — A drug-addicted mother sold her child for sex.
Three New York City-area teens were recruited by a “pimp-like” figure and ventured 300 miles north to work.
Yes, child trafficking has a presence in Clinton County.
The Clinton County Legislature last week voted to allow the Child Advocacy Center to accept state funding to start raising awareness of this fairly unknown crisis.
“I didn’t really know that child trafficking was here and happening,” Area Six Legislator Patty Waldron said, who also the chairperson of the county’s children and family services committee. “It’s disturbing.”
Child trafficking, according to the state Office of Children and Family Services, is any labor or sexual exploitation acts involving victims 13 and older.
Here in Clinton County, several cases of sexual exploitation have been discovered, said Clinton County Director of Social Services Christine Peters, who said she couldn’t pinpoint an exact number due to difficulty in tracking cases.
But, she said, three instances took place late last year, which were mentioned above.
Currently, the county handles these situations by finding out where victims are from and giving them resources, like food, clothing and shelter until returning back home. Advice is also given on how to get out of that lifestyle.
“We work with these girls and get them back home, but we’re noticing that they’re coming back,” Peters said. “We want to stop that from happening.”
The recently awarded grant funds, $18,500, will go toward training foster families, teachers and law enforcement officials on how to better identify these kids.
Going into schools, motels and hotels to raise awareness of this type of lifestyle is another objective.
“Right now, we really don’t have a good handle on these occurrences because we can’t properly track it,” Clinton County Commissioner John Redden said. “This will help us start having a better understanding of what’s going on and help these children.”
Clinton County, so far, has identified similarities of the children exposed to this lifestyle.
Redden said a majority of the pre-teens and teenagers come out of foster care or homes with opioid abuse.
OPIOID CRISIS
Peters said the current opioid crisis is one of the main reasons toward the influx of child trafficking.
“We’re one of the worst county’s in the state,” she said.
A number of factors come into play, including being near the Canadian border and Vermont.
The county being stretched out makes it more difficult to police, said Peters said, and the highway is lightly traveled, making for easy transportation.
Peters said despite opioids being twice as expensive here than in city areas, North Country users find ways to pay for them.
Recovering addict Sean Ryan said at one point, he spent $1,000 a day on drugs.
The 30 year-old Plattsburgh resident said he’s heard of women and men selling their bodies for a fix, but he’s never come across any instances of child trafficking.
Peters said parents selling their young ones to older gentlemen for drugs or rent is becoming more common.
FOSTER CHILDREN
Not everything is forced, said Redden, as a majority of foster children are found to become prostitutes willingly.
The promise of money and other expensive gifts from a trafficker, also known as a “pimp,” is how they’re drawn in, said Redden.
Redden said there are about 80 certified foster families in Clinton County. Exactly 45 percent of the 95 children in foster care are from households with a record opioid abuse.
None of which have had any cases of child trafficking yet, he said. But through this initiative, some may be identified.
IDENTIFYING CHILDREN
These young ones can be identified in several ways.
Redden said some girls and boys are “marked” with a tattoo for identification purposes and can often be found with older gentleman.
Hotel keys and an excessive amount of cash are a few other red flags.
The youth sold for sexual acts will often show signs of abuse — like bruises.
Peters said all of the cases so far have been young females, but males are also at risk.
LONG-TERM GOAL
With the help of Love 146, an international human rights organization working to end child trafficking, the county’s goal is to spread awareness to everyone in Clinton County.
Clinton County is also in the midst of starting a program to provide care for kids affected.
Further details are yet to be discussed, said Peters, but it will be a more permanent expansion of what the county already offers.
These efforts will be covered by state funding over the next five years through the Safe Harbour initiative – a movement to protect and secure services for sexually exploited youth.
Several counties have jumped on this bandwagon so far, including Erie County, Monroe County, Westchester County, Onondaga County and New York City.
Clinton County will soon join that list.
“This process will take up to several years,” said Redden. “I don’t know if we can stop this, but we’re going to try.”
