Power, Prevention, and the Pathways We Miss: Understanding Youth Exploitation
Youth exploitation and trafficking rarely begin at the point of arrest or disclosure—they begin much earlier through grooming, coercion, unmet needs, and survival-based decision-making. This session explores the often-overlooked pathways that lead youth into exploitation long before formal system involvement occurs. Drawing from lived experience, academic training in criminology, and direct work with system-impacted youth, the presenter offers a prevention-focused framework for identifying early indicators of vulnerability related to gangs, trafficking, and exploitation. Participants will examine how trauma, identity development, and environmental pressures intersect with system responses, and how missed opportunities for early intervention can deepen harm. This session emphasizes practical strategies for educators, service providers, and justice professionals to recognize risk earlier, respond more effectively, and support youth agency before labels, criminalization, or exploitation.