NY audit reveals state agencies still failing to track, protect child sex trafficking victims
The Turn To Tara team is providing a first look at a new state audit that raises serious questions about whether government leaders have fixed problems - first identified four years ago.
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Years after exposed gaps were found in New York's anti-trafficking efforts, a new state audit exclusively obtained by the Turn To Tara team reveals state agencies are still failing to track and protect child sex trafficking victims.
For years, News 12 senior reporter Tara Rosenblum exposed gaps in the fight against human trafficking - from a recent investigation into hotels ignoring state law to failures to protect children online.
The team is now providing a first look at a new state audit that raises serious questions about whether government leaders have fixed problems - first identified four years ago.
In 2022, New York's state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli found the city's Administration for Children's Services, or ACS, could not prove required trafficking screenings were happening for children in its care.
Auditors also discovered the Department of Youth and Community Development, or DYCD, lacked written procedures requiring providers to screen for signs of trafficking.
They warned those failures could mean victims were being missed or not getting the services they needed.
Four years later, this follow-up audit found that many of those problems remain.
"That follow-up suggests very strongly that more work needs to be done," said DiNapoli. "I think there are some real-life consequences."
The new report says ACS could not show auditors that it was actually enforcing its own screening policies.
Auditors also found New York City agencies still could not adequately support the trafficking numbers it reports to City Hall or document that identified youth received critical services, like safe housing, mental health care or legal assistance.
"It just seems that the agencies...are not doing all that they can," says DiNapoli.
Of the nine recommendations made in his original audit, Comptroller DiNapoli said that:
Two have been fully implemented
Three were only partially implemented
Four were not implemented at all.
"The fact that we find these gaps, it does raise the question as to whether or not they're really following through on their mandate," says DiNapoli.
News 12 reached out to both ACS and DYCD for their responses. Both agencies sent statements disputing the audit's findings.
ACS released the following statement:
"ACS is committed to identifying and supporting trafficked youth and those at-risk of being trafficked, which is why we have a unit dedicated to this important work. This audit fails to acknowledge the extensive programs we have in place that address trafficking, help screen at-risk children and ensure staff are trained in this work. We will continue to put programs and policies in place that are informed by experts in the field and grounded in evidence-based best practices."
The DYCD released the following statement:
“DYCD and our network of providers work diligently across the City to serve runaway and homeless youth holistically through counseling, case management services and referrals for education and housing. These case-specific services respond to the lived experience of vulnerable youth, with a goal of addressing the circumstances that lead to sexual exploitation or human trafficking. The audit does not acknowledge the evidence DYCD offered regarding policies and practices on identifying and reporting of trafficking, and implementation of all the audit recommendations. We are confident that existing practices by our providers accurately track and report youth who have been subject to sexual trafficking in a way that is sensitive to each participant’s needs. We also continue to monitor provider staff to ensure they are trained in screening, recognizing signs of trafficking, and providing appropriate support for youth and young adults.”
