Running Head: CULTURAL IMMERSION

Cultural Immersion:
Commercially Exploited Youth and the Gloucester County
Department of Health and Human Services
Kristen Wilson
Wilmington University

CULTURAL IMMERSION

History of Commercially Exploited Youth

Human Trafficking can best be described as modern day slavery. It is second only to
drug dealing in the criminal industry and equal to arms dealing. Force, coercion, and fraud are
used in obtaining its victims and movement from one place to another is not a requirement. In
the United States alone, it is speculated that there are 600,000-800,000 people trafficked
annually. Cities that have access to various modes of transportation are hotbeds for human
trafficking. The state of New Jersey has access to major highways going both north-south and
east-west, it has water ports, and major airports all of which are nationally and internationally
accessible (njhumantrafficking.org)
Victims of Human Trafficking are both foreign and domestically born. They can be used
for sex trafficking, typically found in massage parlors, brothels, or escort services. By federal
law, any person under the age of 18 involved in commercial sex trafficking is considered a
human trafficking victim whether they consider themselves a victim or not. Labor trafficking
involves farm workers, restaurant kitchen staff, nannies, or in hair/nail salons. These individuals
are often held as indentured servants, working off a never-ending debt cycle
(njhumantrafficking.org).
Victims of human trafficking have been violated in the cruelest ways possible. All of
their rights have been stripped away by their traffickers, leaving them vulnerable to violence and
further victimization. They are treated as material objects not humans. There is no specific
ethnicity or race that is primarily seen. Traffickers do not discriminate. The underground culture
of exploiting youth is one that needs to be discussed and combated. Traffickers can work alone
or be a part of an extensive criminal network (NHTRC 2015).

CULTURAL IMMERSION

Overview: A Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown

I had heard about this book when I was working at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation
facility, but did not read it until I found it on the list in the workbook. Many of the young
women in the facility talked about how this book told their story and I was stunned after I read it
that, not only is it a true story for Cupcake Brown, but for too many other children in our
country.
Cupcakes mother died when she was only eleven years old. This is where she is
introduced to the child welfare system. Her foster home was very abusive and one of the other
children she lived with was coerced (by the foster mother) to sexually assault her. Cupcake
eventually ran away from the foster home and took to living in the streets. It was at this time
when she met a prostitute who taught her how to drink and do drugs, also to charge for sexual
acts. Prostitution is what paid for her drug habit for quite a long time.
Cupcake eventually joined a gang in Los Angeles which was the first family she had truly
experienced since the passing of her mother. She suffered a gang-related gunshot wound and
that hospitalization is what placed her back into the child welfare system. At age 16, her
stepfather comes back into her life and helps her become legally emancipated. This freed her
from more abusive foster families. Now living with her stepfather as an emancipated teen, she
helps him managing his own prostitute and drug ring.
Throughout this time, Cupcake manages to maintain a serious drug problem and work
various jobs showing up despite her level of intoxication. One of her jobs was as a paralegal
at a law firm. She is mentored by one of the lawyers at the firm and slowly began to pull her life
together. Her new sobriety helps her make some new friends who help her catch up on the
education she missed while being in the streets and in the life. Cupcake eventually goes on

CULTURAL IMMERSION

law school and received many scholastic awards, despite never obtaining a high school diploma
or GED. She now has her own law practice and is a successful author and advocate.
Human Trafficking Coalition Meeting
The Rescue & Restore program is part of the agency that I currently work with, Center
for Family Services. I was able to get in contact with the Program Coordinator and attend one of
the Coalition meetings on November 9th. The program encompasses Camden, Gloucester, and
Cumberland Counties and their mission is to identify victims of human trafficking and refer them
to service providers who can shelter them and provide counseling and case management. Rescue
& Restore is designed specifically for foreign victims of human trafficking, but they will also
work with domestic victims as well. Other efforts include community education, awareness, and
outreach.
From this meeting, I learned that starting in 2016, each county will have their own
Coalition. They started by bringing all members together at the same meeting, but now that the
work has increased, they will be splitting the meetings. Also, January is Human Trafficking
Awareness Month and the Coalition members and staff have been working hard to plan
awareness events in each county.
Something that I learned from this meeting completely surprised me. Part of the events
upcoming in January will be screenings of the movie Frozen. Five takeaways from the movie
can be used with kids to teach them about Human Trafficking. Number one is, Not everyone
who claims to be interested in becoming your boyfriend is sincere. Number two is, Any
attempt to fast-track a relationship is a red flag. Number three is, There are people out there
looking to prey on your vulnerabilities. Number four is, True love does not always equal

CULTURAL IMMERSION

romance. Women are full of many forms of love. A girls value is not found in romantic love.
Lastly, number five is, Do not make a decision based off of emotion.
I have never seen the movie, but if I choose to watch it in the future, I will think about
these points that were raised in the meeting. I was able to think about them in terms of my
conversation with Natasha specifically the first three. She was so convinced that Carlos
was sincere and wanted to help her and potentially date her, but sadly he was just a pawn in her
recruitment.
Interview with Natasha
I had the opportunity to speak with a sex trafficking survivor in a residential program in
Cape May County. Natasha is a now 17 year old girl, who was being trafficked by two
individuals in the Camden and Gloucester County area. Her family of origin was not neglectful
or abusive, but simply unaware of the activities into which she was coerced. She is of African
American decent and was raised in a Christian household. She was raised by a single mother and
has 3 other younger siblings. As the oldest, Natasha had to take on the responsibility of
looking after her younger siblings and had to help her mother with household activities. Gender
roles were much more fluid in her household compared to her other peers it consisted of three
females and two males, who were the youngest in the family.
In her family, patriarchs typically ran the household, but because Natashas mother was
single, her grandfather micromanaged the family much to her mothers frustration. Even
though she was given the responsibility of caring for her younger siblings, she was also still seen
as a child and was reminded of this often. Natasha admits that the lack of power she felt in her
family is where her acting out started.

CULTURAL IMMERSION

Natasha was solicited online through her Facebook page. The profile of a cute, 20 year
old male from the next county over befriended her and said she was beautiful and could be a
model. Carlos said that he had older cousins that lived in New York City and were model
scouts. Natasha was 16 at the time and knew her mother would never let her get to New York,
but Carlos told her that they would come down just to see her. The flirty exchanges went on
for about two weeks she told me before they agreed to meet. He told her that his two cousins
were staying at a hotel by the local mall and he would pick her up from the mall to come and
meet them. Natasha admitted that she was skeptical of the model scout cousins, but trusted
Carlos.
Once in the hotel room, Carlos left her alone with two men that she estimated were
probably 27-30. They showed her lingerie and told her that she had to put it on for the test
shoot; Natasha complied on the grounds that she said her bikinis in the summer showed more
skin. She stated that they offered her alcohol and marijuana in the hotel room so she would feel
more comfortable. After a couple hours of test shooting, drinking, and smoking, Carlos came
back with three older men. Without hesitation, the three men took Natasha (who was
intoxicated), to a different hotel room where she was beaten and raped. This was the first assault
of many during the next few months of being trafficked.
Natasha cried a little bit when she told her story, but she said, Im not sad at what
happened to me because I know those men had hurt other girls worse than me. Im mad at
myself because I knew better before I went to the hotel, but I did it anyway. What surprised me
most by our conversation was that she still went home and attended school! Natasha started
lying to her mother about studying and going out with girlfriends, but instead she was reporting
to that same hotel to see Johns. After that first night, she never saw Carlos again, but his

CULTURAL IMMERSION

cousins knew where to find her and threatened to abduct her younger sister if she did not
comply with their demands.
Natasha will be completing her 90 day stay in a youth facility for girls in the next
month. She will then be allowed to live at home with her family and go about her life. She
wants to attend college and is thinking about mentoring other girls who were trafficked. In this
facility, she had to complete a curriculum for girls who either have been trafficked or are at-risk
for being trafficked. Natasha is the only actual trafficking survivor in the facility (Natasha,
personal communication, November 2015).
Agency Assessment of Ethical Compliance
The Community surrounding The Gloucester County Department of Health and Human
Services is very family-friendly. Even though not everything is in West Deptford specifically,
Woodbury, Deptford Township, and Mantua are all within a five mile radius. There is Inspira
Hospital, K-12 schools, a few different social service agencies (including a homeless shelter for
women and children and a drug and alcohol outreach facility), and many different shopping
centers. Main roads and highways are accessible, including Route 42, Route 55, I-295, and the
New Jersey Turnpike. New Jersey Transit bus routes are also everywhere in this area since it is
such a hub for the county. A new shuttle is also available for residents to use, the Pureland EastWest shuttle. Gloucester County roads have mostly North-South roadways, so this shuttle has
been very successful. Any of these types of transportation can be used as part of the Access of
the Department; most people will use their own transportation to get to the Department. The
Gloucester County website is also accessible via the internet.
In regards to Receptivity, the waiting area in the Department is welcoming to guests.
There are plants in the vestibule area and about six chairs and a receptionist as soon as you enter

CULTURAL IMMERSION

to provide direction. Sometimes the receptionist gets caught up with the phones, so there will be
a wait for assistance, but the ladies are very nice and helpful. The area is mostly plain, but there
is an entire wall dedicated to displaying agency and program brochures. Current flyers are
placed out on the desk. If I were a commercially exploited youth, I do not know that I would feel
completely comfortable coming in to inquire about services. The Department covers so many
different services and considering that the level of trauma involved with human trafficking, I do
not believe that this office would be the best place for these individuals.
From my understanding of Administration and Staff Training, unless the staff work with
child behavioral health, most staff will be unlikely to have training with human trafficking. The
Department does offer training, but not specifically on this topic unless you will be in this field.
Transportation and Senior Services are out of this location and will most likely be unfamiliar
with this population. Social Services and Public Health are out of different buildings, but should
have more access to trainings on this topic. As far as employing survivors of human trafficking,
this is information that we would not necessarily know, since it is confidential and private
information. However, the opportunity for these individuals is there. Funding is not directed
specifically to training and recruiting a diverse workforce it is to be allocated to direct service
providers. There may be occasions when Requests for Proposal may be specifically directed
toward exploited youth, for which agencies can bid and apply.
Staff Sensitivity was something that was somewhat concerning during my time at the
Department. Directs over certain Divisions were very sensitive and knowledgeable about many
different types of cultures, including human trafficking, but the support and clerical staff were
not. Not to say that they were insensitive or unprofessional, but just unaware of how trauma

CULTURAL IMMERSION

impacts individuals and not to judge or place blame on the survivors. Since the Department does
not provide direct services, this was not a major issue, but still something that concerned me.
Effort is definitely a strong suit of the Department of Health and Human Services. Each
county is required as part of their Human Services Advisory Council, to have a subcommittee
that addresses missing and abused children Committee on Missing and Abused (COMA). Not
only does the committee exist, but I had the opportunity to sit in a few of the meetings and get to
know the members. They are very dedicated to the mission. In the past, they have held countywide conferences on both human trafficking and gaming technology as a tool to recruit and
exploit youth.
As far as Quality and Effectiveness, I feel that there could be more done. Survivors of
human trafficking are not involved in evaluation processes. At this time, there is no designated
agency in Gloucester County that is exclusively dedicated to providing services for commercially
exploited youth. The Together Youth Shelter and Robins Nest both have small programs that
address the needs, but not holistically or specifically for them. They are part of other counseling
programs or homeless youth shelters. At this time, the Department does not have anything in
place to enhance services for this population, but the COMA could advocate for those funds
through the Human Services Advisory Council. The major barrier would be convincing local
legislators that there is a need in our county.
Agencies are forced to become Efficient to address the needs of commercially exploited
youth. Since there are no programs to exclusively provide services for them, partnerships with
other county providers has become a staple. If the Department were to get a phone call from
either an agency or resident about suspicions of human trafficking, they would be directed to the
New Jersey Human Trafficking hotline that is operated through the state Department of Law &

CULTURAL IMMERSION

10

Public Safety by the Division of Criminal Justice. Each county has their own liaisons who will
assist in rescuing and connecting survivors to services. There will also be potential involvement
by the Department of Children and Families. The Center for Family Services Together Youth
Shelter and Robins Nest could provide services for them, pending availability and space. Center
for Family Services Service Empowering Rights of Victims program could provide counseling
services for youth over the age of 13, but would not be able to shelter an unaccompanied minor.
The Atlantic County Womens Center also has their Dream Catcher program which provides
statewide assistance for victims of human trafficking.
When looking at both the National Association of Social Workers and National
Organization for Human Services Codes of Ethics, I chose one from each. From NOHS, under
Responsibility to the Profession, I chose Standard 26 which reads,
Human service professionals seek the training, experience, education and supervision
necessary to ensure their effectiveness in working with culturally diverse individuals
based on age, ethnicity, culture, race, ability, gender, language preference, religion, sexual
orientation, socioeconomic status, nationality, or other historically oppressive groups. In
addition, they will strive to increase their competence in methods which are known to be
the best fit for the population(s) with whom they work (National Organization for
Human Services 2015).
What I appreciate about this standard is that it emphasizes continued education and training to
ensure effectiveness for all culturally diverse individuals. The Gloucester County Department of
Health and Human Services does meet this standard, through the work of the COMA. Not only
does the committee seek to educate themselves on best practices and services for commercially
exploited youth, but they also bring training opportunities to county professionals and residents.

CULTURAL IMMERSION

11

While there is still work to be done as far as direct services, the Department is doing their part in
educating agencies and providers. For my personal competencies, I was somewhat familiar with
this population, but I never actually worked directly with these victims or programs. It took
some research to see what is actually being done in my community. While commercially
exploited youth may not be an ethnicity or race, these survivors are systemically oppressed in
society and all ethnicities and races are at-risk for being trafficked. Not only do human service
workers need to be sensitive to their trauma, but they need to also be sensitive to any other
cultural minority they may also identify as. After completing this assignment, I feel confident
that I would know how to be sensitive and access services for commercially exploited youth.
From the NASW, I chose 1.05 Cultural Competence and Social Diversity. It states,
(a) Social workers should understand culture and its function in human behavior and
society, recognizing the strengths that exist in all cultures.
(b) Social workers should have a knowledge base of their clients cultures and be able to
demonstrate competence in the provision of services that are sensitive to clients cultures
and to differences among people and cultural groups.
(c) Social workers should obtain education about and seek to understand the nature of
social diversity and oppression with respect to race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex,
sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief,
religion, immigration status, and mental or physical disability.
While this reads very similar to the Standard I chose from NOHS, what I feel is a little different
and takes it a step further is part b that states workers SHOULD have a knowledge base of their
clients cultures. How this reads to me is that social workers have an expectation of already
being familiar with a potential culture they could come in contact with not learning about them

CULTURAL IMMERSION

12

during or after the interaction. I believe that this is more proactive that the first Standard. Again,
I believe that the COMA is doing a great job of this for the county. For my personal
competencies, to be truly proactive, I need to continuously seek educational opportunities. In
reference to my research with commercially exploited youth, having this new knowledge will
benefit me in my career because I already have a familiarity with it instead of later being
blindsided by an unexpected need for services. If I continue to push myself as a human service
worker, continuing my education when the opportunity arises instead of when needed, I believe I
will be an asset to any organization that I may have employment with.

CULTURAL IMMERSION

13
References

Bender, R. (2014). How Disneys Frozen Can Teach Your Kids About Human Trafficking.
Retrieved from http://www.rebeccabender.org/blog/2014/5/8/what-disneys-frozen-canteach-our-kids-about-trafficking
Brown, C. (2007). A Piece of Cake. New Work: Three Rivers Press
Center for Family Services (2015). Rescue & Restore. Retrieved from
https://www.centerffs.org/programs/rescue-restore
Cupcake Brown (2015). About Cup. Retrieved from http://cupcakebrown.com/about-me/
National Human Trafficking Resource Center (2007). The Traffickers. Retrieved from
http://traffickingresourcecenter.org/what-human-trafficking/human-trafficking/traffickers
National Association of Social Workers (2008). Code of Ethics. Retrieved from
http://socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp
National Organization of Human Services (2015). Code of Ethics. Retrieved from
http://www.nationalhumanservices.org/ethical-standards-for-hs-professionals
New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking (2015). HT Awareness: What is Human
Trafficking? Retrieved from http://www.njhumantrafficking.org/#!new-what-is-humantrafficking/cit5