Sex Trafficking
The prevention and treatment of the complex issues connected with sexual exploitation and sex trafficking is a mainstay of the Milwaukee Academy programming. We currently combine the nationally known curriculum of My Life My Choice with other proven methods in treatment of trauma, abuse and attachment issues.In an effort to continually seek best practices, Milwaukee Academy maintains close relationships with community based treatment resources from throughout the home communities of the youth in our care. Claudine O’Leary not only consults with and trains Milwaukee Academy staff, she is instrumental in helping screen and connect with girls at risk as well as in the life, so as to best reach each resident’s individual needs. We also stay engaged in community networking by having a representative on the CAYSE (a Milwaukee County service provider group working with children-Comprehensive Approaches to Youth who Have Been Sexually Exploited) as well as the larger Human Trafficking of Greater Milwaukee Task Force.
Due to national trends constantly changing, Milwaukee Academy stays in contact with national CSEC service providers as well to bring in new ideas and programming that works with the recovery from and prevention of sexual exploitation.
Research in this field is fairly new about best practices. Milwaukee Academy has a mixed population of both young women recovering from the life as well as young women placed for other trauma needs who are a great risk for being groomed into the life. This has been decided very purposely, taking into account safety and risk when accepting any resident into the Academy. The young women recovering from the life become leaders and mentors to their peers, and have been very influential in helping their peers heal from their traumas, regardless of what they are.
Our sexual exploitation treatment consists of the following:
- Overall medical and sexual health needs assessment
- Mental health and Trauma assessments
- The survivor led RISE group for girls recovering from the life
- Prevention groups
- Trauma Recovery Group
- DBT programming
- AODA programming
- ILS programming
Sadly, children placed in out of home treatment programs are highly targeted by those who sexually exploit youth. For girls that enter our program without a history of sexual exploitation, they minimally will receive prevention programing so that they will leave our program with tools that will help them keep themselves safe back in their home community.