The Runaway And Homeless Youth Act (RHYA)

Great Essays
Introduction
Individuals who are taken involuntarily and then controlled or exploited are victims of human trafficking. The term “human trafficking” includes sex trafficking, labor trafficking, or both (sex and labor). It is essentially modern-day slavery, where the victims are treated as possessions or physical property. The policy that will be discussed is the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA). The RHYA specifically focuses on youth who are homeless, runaways, or street-based, conditions which make them a target for violence, trafficking, or sexual exploitation. The goal of the RHYA is to prevent such acts against youth. The Act provides services such as safe shelters, trauma services for youth and/or family, transitional living programs,
…show more content…
Moreover, the legislation that currently exists does not always favor the victims, and many courts sentence or release the trafficker on a lesser offense. (H.R. 3244, 2000)
Since 1974, the RHYA has been recognized as the major federal law that oversees and supports the funding of programs aimed at aiding homeless and runaway youth. The RHYA provides for transition centers, research about the needs and characteristics of homeless youth, services and mental health providers to exploited and trafficked youth, and educational grants geared towards street outreach to reduce sexual abuse of runaway youth. The RHYA promotes partnerships among schools, families, businesses, volunteers, community-based organizations, faith communities, and law enforcement. (RHYA, 2015)
In reference to the NASW Code of Ethics, this policy displays a multitude of values. These particular values will be addressed: Service, Social Justice, Importance of Human Relationships, and
…show more content…
This gives the youth longer-term residential services, education, life skills, and employment support. The Act also modifies the Basic Center Grant (BCG) program and extends the maximum stay in a BGC shelter from twenty-one to thirty days. The shelter is required to provide suicide prevention services. The Sexual Abuse Prevention program authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to public agencies and provide services to runaway and homeless youth that are street-based, including youth at risk for sexual abuse, violence, sexual exploitation, or

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Sex Trafficking Thesis

    • 1483 Words
    • 6 Pages

    This large discrepancy unfortunately often occurs to our youth. More often. children who are victims of sex trafficking are misidentified as prostitutes and as a result, are unjustly arrested, charged, and re-victimized rather than rescued. Although some states have begun to make great strides in correctly identifying a trafficked youth as a victim who needs protection and specialized services through new legistation such as the Safe Harbor Law, there are still numerous states such as Pennsylvania where the Safe Harbor Bill has not been passed and children continue to be prosecuted rather that protected. Sex trafficking is a form of human trafficking in which an individual is forced to provide sexual services against their will through the use of intimidation, coercion, manipulation, and violence or in which the person induced to perform such acts has not attained 18 years of age (U.S. Department of State, 2012).…

    • 1483 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Analysis of The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 Overview of the Act The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 was created with the intent to ameliorate homelessness and address it as a national problem in need of federal response. The need for this extensive law arose out of increased demand for recognition of widespread and increasing homelessness as well as an acknowledgment that the causes of homelessness are many that go beyond moral fault in the person (McKinney, 1987). Prior to the enactment of the McKinney-Vento Act, homelessness was a problem that was seen primarily as a moral flaw in the individual as opposed to a structural problem and homelessness was…

    • 1778 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The emergency shelters are ideal for runaways who need only a short stay – those that find that their household problems resolve far more easily than expected. However, there also exists youth who cannot return home, “either because they are unwelcome or because returning would place them in danger of continued physical or sexual abuse” (Shane, as cited in Murphy & Tobin 2012). For these adolescents, staying at the shelters is unfeasible for there is a constant influx of newly homeless youth searching for a reprieve. Foster care is not a great alternative, as the response from this system has been overwhelmingly negative; many foster children claim that life with their foster family is even bleaker than life on the streets (Murphy & Tobin 2012). The last, although more scarce housing solution comes in the form of permanent housing - “long-term facilities where youth can live independently while pursuing counselling and other supportive services” (Murphy & Tobin 2012).…

    • 1419 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Gangs In Spokane Essay

    • 898 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Knowing I had a better chance at finding some services in Spokane rather than North Idaho, I started my journey there. I went to many police websites, including that of the Spokane Police Department, Spokane Sheriff’s department, and the Washington State Patrol. I was shocked to not find any real assistance for youth outreach at these locations. As I expanded my search beyond law enforcement, I still could not locate any valuable community outreach programs for at-risk youth. The one resource which did keep popping up in my Internet searches was a website called “StopSpokaneGangs.…

    • 898 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Homelessness preventions have been a huge problem in Fresno the last few years. Many of the homeless are individuals that have been laid off from jobs, veterans, drug addicts, and/ or individuals that simply do not want to better their lives. Regardless of all the shelters and programs that help the homeless, homelessness is increasing in the city of fresno. In the last few months alone, fresno has been changing due to economic and social issues. With the increase of homelessness in the city, these issues have begun to target the homeless individuals by establishing a 10 year plan and creating new laws that affect the homeless.…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Sex Trafficking Case Study

    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In the book, Human Trafficking Interdisciplinary Perspective McCabe cited, “The US State Department’s Trafficking Protection Act (2000) further identifies severe forms of human trafficking as: (1) sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age…” (p. 134). This is a pretty self-explanatory definition; it appears to easily identify what a victim of sex trafficking is, however, sex trafficking can be extremely difficult to recognize due to the victim often times being mistaken for a prostitute that has willingly entered into the sex trade. In this case study, I will cover what is being done to prevent sex trafficking, programs…

    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Assignment List C4 – Youth Homelessness in Canada Homeless youths are teens that have no place to live. They live on the streets instead wandering around for food and money and in today’s society, shelter is considered to be a basic human right. Even today a very basic home can be unaffordable for people who don’t make enough money like elders and disabled people who are on a fixed pension or young people who lack the required education or experience to gain the desired income. This is problematic to society because these homeless youths have the right to live in a home and get education in schools, but instead they are on the road getting involved in the criminal activities, becoming violent, developing addictions, and suffering from mental…

    • 738 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Homelessness is a huge problem in the United States, roughly about 2 million (Covenant House) teenagers that are facing homelessness. Everyday people pass by homeless teenagers in every state that are living on the streets, in abandoned places, or even by a river. Teenagers are homeless for many different reasons. There are too many young adults in troubled families around the United States that are homeless; reasons such as a lack of parental support and substance abuse; but there are certain ways that the communities in the United States could help to eradicate the problem.…

    • 1502 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The results suggest that it is important for early intervention for youth who are new to the streets to occur, increased funding for safe-houses, and drop-in shelters. However, the results are based on youth self-reports and there may have been some over or underreporting that occurred (Tyler, Whitbeck, Hoyt, & Cauce,…

    • 1485 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Homelessness Intervention

    • 746 Words
    • 3 Pages

    While there are more than a few groups of people who experience homelessness in the United States and other parts of the world different ways, their homelessness is usually characterized by lack of stable housing coupled with extreme poverty (Henslin, 2013). I realized this after reading the author’s research concerning the homeless population in the United States. However, in my career as a human services professional, I would like to work with the mentally ill and the runaways. The mentally ill are people who’re rendered homeless upon discharge from mental hospitals, or rather persons with mental illnesses who become homeless due to lack of a family or lack of treatment for their problems. The first possible intervention that I would undertake…

    • 746 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Proposal For Homelessness

    • 2455 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Problem and Background There is a growing rate of homelessness in the United States and it is happening to individuals from all walks of life. Sub groups including veterans, children, families, senior citizens are the collection of homeless individuals. In the 2015 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, 564,708 people were homeless on a given January night. Majority of these individuals (69 percent) were staying in residential programs for homeless people, and 31 percent were found in unsheltered locations. Twenty-three percent (127,786) of all homeless people were children, under the age of 18, nine percent (52,973) were between the ages of 18 and 24, and 68 percent (383,948) were 25 years or older.…

    • 2455 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Glass Castle Response

    • 1020 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Jeannette Wall’s memoir “The Glass Castle” written in 2005, talks about her unique childhood sharing memories of her father, mother and siblings. She retells her personal story growing up with irresponsible and neglectful parents. Mr. and Mrs. Walls left their children to fend for themselves for the basic needs, such as food and shelter. Even though Rose and Rex were unfit parents, I believe the children should remain in their parents care because through their experience and various lifestyles; they gained a lot of knowledge and intelligence that could be used later in life. If the Walls’ children were removed from their parents care and placed into foster care they could develop behavioral problems, attachment disorder, experience trauma…

    • 1020 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Introduction In this reflection paper, the NASW Code of Ethics that governs the behavior of social worker to ensure objectivity and effectiveness in their duties of alleviating the conditions that instigate harm and suffering, along with its importance to the social workers is described. Also, a particular ethical code is explained in relation to why it is of certain personal interest. Lastly, individual thoughts on the NASW Code of Ethics, particularly with respect to the how it enlightens the personal comprehension of social work practice, are presented. NASW Code of Ethics…

    • 875 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Acts that occur behind closed doors in our community can be shocking to many, but they occur every day and night in our own neighborhoods. Human trafficking is the manufacturing of children for the sex trade a form of modern day slavery where people profit from the control and exploitation of others. Commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors are often-overlooked forms of child abuse a serious problems in the United States with long-term adverse consequences for children and society as a whole. Minors who are prostituted or sexually exploited in other ways should be treated as victims rather than arrested and prosecuted as criminals.…

    • 1739 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Human trafficking is a growing epidemic in our country and surrounding areas. It is sweeping across our nation and stealing the innocence that once resided in all of the children of the world. There are also many factors that play a part in certain individuals being at risk for human trafficking more than others, who are not at a high risk of becoming a victim of this crime. These are risks that we can, in fact, help to eliminate. Everyone can come together and work to eliminate this heinous crime, in its entirety, which is flooding our streets, homes, and public recreational locations.…

    • 770 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics