Estimating the Prevalence of Trafficking Among Homeless and Runaway Youth, Georgia, 2017-2018 (ICPSR 37628)
Version Date: Feb 13, 2024 View help for published
Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s)
Eric R. Wright, Georgia State University
https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR37628.v1
Version V1
Alternate Title View help for Alternate Title
Summary View help for Summary
The 2018 Atlanta Youth Count (AYC18), a follow-up to the 2015 Atlanta Youth Count and Needs Assessment (AYCNA), was expanded in 2018 to specifically address sex and labor trafficking among youth experiencing homelessness in metro Atlanta. This project was designed to provide impact on court, law enforcement, and victim service practices at the jurisdictional level in Georgia, and beyond.
Homeless youth in metro Atlanta and surrounding counties were contacted through outreach efforts at youth shelters, motels, and street locations where homeless youth tend to congregate. Data collection focused on basic demographic information, history of homelessness, health, sexual experiences, and social supports.
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Funding View help for Funding
Subject Terms View help for Subject Terms
Geographic Coverage View help for Geographic Coverage
Smallest Geographic Unit View help for Smallest Geographic Unit
None
Restrictions View help for Restrictions
Access to these data is restricted. Users interested in obtaining these data must complete a Restricted Data Use Agreement, specify the reasons for the request, and obtain IRB approval or notice of exemption for their research.
Distributor(s) View help for Distributor(s)
Time Period(s) View help for Time Period(s)
Date of Collection View help for Date of Collection
Data Collection Notes View help for Data Collection Notes
- For more information about this study please visit the Atlanta Youth Count web site.
Study Purpose View help for Study Purpose
The purpose of the study was to:
- Provide metro Atlanta service providers, policymakers, and youth advocates with practical information on the size, nature, and needs of the homeless and runaway youth in this community who are involved in various forms of sex and labor trafficking;
- Collect information that can be used to develop and refine policies, programs, and interventions to help these youth in this community; and
- Encourage a community-wide dialogue about the needs and social determinants of youth homelessness and human trafficking.
Study Design View help for Study Design
Members of the study team conducted a street based survey with youth in five metro counties - Cobb, Clayton, Dekalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett. Interviews were conducted contacting homeless youth in shelters, motels, and other street and community locations where homeless youth live and spend time. Youth were contacted during three distinct 10-day sweeps. Screened-in youth had to meet the following characteristics:
- age 14 to 25
- live independently of any consistent support
- no stable, permanent residence of their own
All surveys were conducted completely anonymously in order to encourage honesty and protect respondents from any harm or negative consequences stemming from their answers. No information was collected that could be used to identify or trace participants. Upon completion of the survey, respondents received a $10 Visa card, a list of useful resources available to them in the community, and assorted offerings (hygiene kits, condoms, snacks).
Time Method View help for Time Method
Universe View help for Universe
Persons residing in the metro-Atlanta area who were 14-25 years of age who did not have a permanent, stable residence of their own, and who were living independently without consistent parental or familial support.
Unit(s) of Observation View help for Unit(s) of Observation
Data Type(s) View help for Data Type(s)
Mode of Data Collection View help for Mode of Data Collection
Description of Variables View help for Description of Variables
The dataset contains 564 youth respondents and has 116 variables. Major sections of the survey included:
- Homeless history
- Demographics
- Physical and mental health
- Drug and alcohol use
- Traumatic life experiences
- Sex
- Law enforcement interaction
- Social support
The Principal Investigator left some questions in these sections out of the dataset, and excluded the final two sections of the survey - work experience and attitudes towards the future.
Response Rates View help for Response Rates
The study team made 736 "contacts" with homeless youth on the street. From those contacts 641 surveys were completed. Surveys were conducted anonymously, and youth could complete the survey more than once. After data cleaning 77 respondents were deemed to be duplicates. This resulted in a final sample of 564 youth respondents.
Presence of Common Scales View help for Presence of Common Scales
- CRAFFT (substance use screener)
- ACES (childhood trauma)
Original Release Date View help for Original Release Date
2024-02-13
Version History View help for Version History
2024-02-13 ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:
- Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.
Notes
The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.
One or more files in this data collection have special restrictions. Restricted data files are not available for direct download from the website; click on the Restricted Data button to learn more.
This dataset is maintained and distributed by the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD), the criminal justice archive within ICPSR. NACJD is primarily sponsored by three agencies within the U.S. Department of Justice: the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.