Includes bibliographical references (pages 167-175) and index.

Introduction: Researching and writing about child trafficking -- "Tidal waves" of trafficking -- Old and new abolitionists -- Snakeheads, coyotes, and ... mothers -- Not chained to a bed in a brothel -- Hidden in plain sight -- Jail the offender, protect the victim -- Idealized childhoods -- Healing the wounded -- Epilogue: Everyday struggles.

"Basing her observations on research with 140 children, most of them girls, from countries all over the globe, Gozdziak debunks many myths and uncovers the realities of the captivity, rescue, and rehabilitation of trafficked children. She shows, for instance, that none of the girls and boys portrayed in this book were kidnapped or physically forced to accompany their traffickers. In many instances, parents, or smugglers paid by family members, brought the girls to the United States. Following them from the time they were trafficked to their years as young adults, Gozdziak gives the children a voice so they can offer their own perspective on rebuilding their lives. She looks too at how the children's perspectives compare to the ideas of child welfare programs, noting that the children focus on survival techniques while the institutions focus, not helpfully, on vulnerability and pathology."--Provided by publisher.