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Mandated reporting and youth in the sex trade

Posted on Sep 11, 2007 by Claudine in sex trade, youth work | 0 Comments

Some of you have already heard that I’m working on a report on mandated reporting and how it affects youth workers working with youth impacted by the sex trade.

It’s a question I hear often - if you work with minors involved in trading sex for money - what do you do about mandated reporting?

Every state in the country has a mandated reporter law on the books. It requires professionals working with youth (under 18 years old) to report suspected or confirmed abuse or neglect. About 18 states make everyone a mandated reporter. Many of the laws even specifically include youth involved in prostitution or pornography.

However it gets more complicated since most child protective services only take reports about parents or guardians. And a lot of youth workers are convinced that making a report would only push an untrusting youth away.

If you have a perspective to share, comment here or contact me privately.

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