The Tragic Link Between Foster Care & Human Trafficking

While trafficking can happen to any person, some populations are more vulnerable than others. Let’s never be guilty of mistaking injustice for simply bad luck.

According to the National Foster Youth Institute, more than 60% of child trafficking victims were or are in the foster care system.

Unfortunately, individuals who have been or are in the foster care system are more vulnerable to human trafficking than those who have not been in foster care because they may be without a support system and may also be seeking belonging and connection, which of course, traffickers are happy to pretend to provide.

For these reasons, some of our staff will be up at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe on February 24, 2023 for Foster Care and Child Welfare Day.

We will be asking our representatives to pass HB196,  “Stability for Out-of-Home Placements,” directing CYFD to ensure the least restrictive placement for our youth who must experience out-of–home care. HB196 also works to decrease placement instability once the child has been placed in state custody. This proposed legislation is modeled after national best practices.

Many of us have probably seen the recent headlines of foster children sleeping in CYFD offices. This is simply unacceptable, and our hope is that legislation such as HB196 will help to hold CYFD accountable.

You can help by sending an email to the senate health committee asking them to support this bill.

We’ve written a draft of an email for you to send here.

Feel free to copy/paste the following letter to send.

Dear Members of the New Mexico Senate Health Committee,

I am writing to urge you to support and pass HB196, the "Stability for Out-of-Home Placements" bill. As a concerned citizen, I strongly believe that this legislation is essential for ensuring the safety and well-being of New Mexico's vulnerable children and youth.

HB196 proposes significant changes to the current laws regarding foster care placements. It seeks to enhance the stability of placements for children and youth in the foster care system by implementing several important measures.

Moreover, HB196 will require the state to prioritize placing children with relatives or kinship caregivers whenever possible. Research has shown that children placed with relatives tend to experience fewer disruptions and better long-term outcomes than those placed with non-related foster families.

I strongly believe that the provisions of HB196 will make a significant positive impact on the lives of children and youth in the foster care system. I, therefore, urge you to pass this important piece of legislation without delay.

Thank you for your attention to this matter, and for your commitment to improving the lives of New Mexico's children and families.

Sincerely,
[include your name here]