The intensity of climate migration across South Asia will undergo a triple multiplier effect by 2050. Climate change-related disasters are amplifying channels of human trafficking and the consequent illicit economy of exploitation, with a particular increase in Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). India has been the epicenter of Trafficking in Persons across South Asia. This presentation questions how the double whammy of climate change and climate migration displacement can enmesh vulnerable stakeholders into a globalized illicit economic system within South Asia. Using desk-based secondary literature review of academic articles, news reports and grey literature from global and regional civil society publications, the study will be descriptive and qualitatively analyzed. In “Securitization Matrix in South Asia: Bangladeshi Migrants as an Enemy Alien”, Priyankar Upadhyaya elucidates how both forced and voluntary migration are ascending issues in the context of intra-regional demographic dynamics of South Asia, given the problematic cross-border flows of indigenous women being precariously positioned within the trafficking asymmetry of South Asia. One cannot categorize a preventive or anticipatory migration of a household due to the onset of a cascade of climate-disruptive events into a binary of voluntary and involuntary displacement. It reflects a reluctant dislocation, with the outer seemingness of willingness to undertake displacement. The nature of the classification of such migration is breaking binaries and thus can be called queering of studying climate disaster impacts. This particular lens must be applied to climate-related events in South Asia to consolidate changes in disaster management approaches in policy execution.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Establish the human trafficking nexus at the regional level exacerbated by climate-related voluntary and involuntary migration

•  Explore linkages between foreign policy objectives of the government in case of transnational displacement involved in human trafficking networks

•  Underline the gendered-disproportionate consequences of climate crises and disasters leading up to and consolidating illicit flows of human trafficking

Many survivors of human trafficking are parents who face unique needs and real challenges in dealing with child welfare and family court after exiting their trafficking situation due to the stigma and misunderstanding of their trafficking experiences that survivors face in these systems. In Polaris’s First National Survivor Study, sex and labor trafficking survivors participated in focus groups, interviews, and a final survey with 457 participants. In their analysis, the researchers looked at the unique needs of parenting survivors and their considerably higher service needs, notably in childcare, education, job training, and mental health services. The findings underscore the necessity for comprehensive support systems and policy reform to facilitate their recovery and safeguard their children’s welfare. Survivors made it clear that their children and maintaining custody of them were chief among their concerns, and many detailed disputes they had faced in keeping their children with them. In particular, custody disputes with child welfare and with their exploiters are exhausting and traumatizing. Traffickers have used the court system and custody disputes to discredit survivors of trafficking and as a result, the justice system is being exploited to further victimize survivors. This study is one of the first to highlight the need that survivors have reported themselves on issues with custody and to look at the unique needs parenting survivors face after exit. Attendees will learn how to effectively engage with survivor parents and to advocate for their needs in various anti-trafficking settings.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss the effect of systems on parenting survivors’ access to childcare, housing, education, and employment

•  Explain the needs of survivors as related to children after leaving exploitation experience

•  Discuss ways to address this issue including in support systems for survivors and policy reform

This presentation explores how the tool of narrative can be used to raise awareness, foster empathy, and ultimately combat human trafficking. When the author began her novel writing journey, she didn’t know how close to home the massively far-reaching and complex world of human trafficking lurked. What she learned about human trafficking enraged her, devastated her, and confused her. How could this nightmare scenario be a reality for so many? How could she know so little about it? She was at a crossroads: leave the story to someone else, or get involved in the fight against trafficking. Thanks to the shared stories of survivors, caregivers, and law enforcement, she began her journey of writing a story not her own in order to share the stories of many. Fiction offers a platform to amplify the often-unheard voices of the marginalized and vulnerable. Using storytelling as an advocacy tool opens the door to the world of human trafficking for an otherwise immobilized audience to join the fight happening just out of sight. Those wanting to learn more can become familiar with the crime and the impact on society, the economy, and the human race through “fictional” characters with common origins.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Explore the journey from uninformed, inspired, exploring, to advocate

•  Highlight how empathy can be used to bridge the gap between survivors and audience through storytelling

•  Discuss the potential of fiction to inspire connection and action

•  Explore real-world interventionists using storytelling as an aid in their fight against trafficking

•  Provide resources to help move one from exploring to advocacy

At last year’s IHTSJ Conference, a group of Kenyan Survivor Advocates shared insights about becoming and being survivor advocates. One year later, the counter-trafficking movement in Kenya is noticeably changing. Survivor advocates and leaders are building their own networks. More organizations cooperate with survivor leaders and advocates in a systematic way, putting survivor advocates at the center in community, media, internal, and political engagements. All presenters are volunteer members of the HAART Survivor Advocates Group and/or the HAART Survivor Advisory Board; the presentation draws from their experiences on that journey. The HAART Survivor Advisory Board built on previous programs for survivor advocates and took it one step further, systematically including experts with lived experience in organizational procedures, external interactions, and program designs. Other organizations have formed committees, and survivor networks receive more attention from donors. Yet, a lot more remains to be done. Based on their personal experiences and gained expertise, the presenters want to encourage fellow survivors to join the counter trafficking movement. They wish to share with them and other stakeholders the variety of survivor engagement that goes far beyond sharing of personal experiences. On an institutional level, they will give recommendations for counter trafficking organizations, donors, and academia on how to achieve more systematic inclusivity of experts with lived experience.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Promote more survivor inclusion and engagement

•  Show the impact of being an empowered survivor advocate/leader

•  Provide recommendations stakeholders on how to practically aim at more meaningful survivor inclusion

•  Give others the opportunity to get to know survivor leaders and advocates better

Human trafficking, a $140 billion global industry, preys on marginalized persons, treating them as commodities. Global Slavery Index estimates that 49.6 million people are in modern slavery, with 6.3 million (23%) trapped in sex trafficking, predominantly women from low socio-economic backgrounds. Drugs and sex trafficking are two complex forms of crimes, forming a complex criminal web that exploits vulnerable lives, with drugs coercing victims into transactional sex, fostering a cyclical relationship. This presentation delves into intricate methodological challenges in researching these crimes, drawing upon ongoing empirical research undertaken by a PhD scholar at TISS in Mumbai, India. Employing an exploratory qualitative design approach, the study utilizes in-depth interviews and unstructured focus group discussions to explore relationship between drug use and sex trafficking and subsequent victimization by involving diverse adult participants through purposive and snowball sampling including trafficked victims, offenders, caregivers, drug and law enforcement officials, and NGO/people servicing centers at exploitation sites. It delineates methodological challenges inherent in researching the concurrent complexities associated with drugs and sex trafficking. Challenges encompass ethical considerations; securing government permissions to access custodial settings; surmounting barriers to gain entry to victims through gatekeepers; and addressing participant’s fear, reluctance, reservations, and denial to engage in the study and hesitancy regarding interview recordings due to terminologies associating drugs and sex. Researcher’s struggles included establishing trust, reflexivity, navigating feelings of isolation, and negotiating complex systems for data collection. Field experience emphasize the importance of innovative research methods for sensitive topics, particularly in amplifying the voices of hard-to-reach populations.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Explain how field learnings and personal experiences are instrumental in shaping this research topic.

•  Explain the context of the study, significance, and concept used in the study

•  Discuss the importance of methods in researching sensitive topics.

•  Synthesize the insights from the field (i.e., “what is field teaching her as a researcher”)

This presentation will begin with defining sex and labor trafficking according to federal and state laws. Legislation related to the age of the human trafficking survivor will be reviewed as well as the obligations of mandated reporters. The Action, Means, Purpose Model will be shared along with details of who is recruiting trafficking survivors. Red flags and indicators of sex and labor trafficking will be discussed as well as how and where these types of trafficking can occur. Recruiters, customers, and traffickers and their roles “in the game” will be shared along with myths regarding “anybody can be trafficked.” Grooming practices will be shared along with a discussion of Stockholm syndrome. Myths will be reviewed about what is considered sex trafficking, labor trafficking, or both. The National Human Trafficking Hotline will be featured throughout the presentation. The presenter will define familial trafficking and who plays important roles in this type of trafficking. Online trafficking and protecting youth online will be discussed. Different types of apps, games, social media sites, the age of survivors, and their role in being trafficked will be reviewed as well as things parents can do to protect their youth from traffickers. Attendees will learn the basics regarding human trafficking and the importance traffickers place on building a relationship with their victims. Attendees will be able to go back to their communities and ensure that others receive training and can identify survivors.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide an overview of human trafficking focusing on sex and labor trafficking

•  Describe signs of trafficking and the indicators of trafficking

•  Explain why victims might not seek help and how everyone can join in anti-human trafficking efforts

Amidst the collective efforts to combat human trafficking, this presentation seeks to introduce a fresh perspective aimed at reducing the vulnerability of individuals to becoming traffickers. The concept of vulnerability has been applied to people who become victims of human trafficking, but rarely to the people who perpetrate the abuse, exploitation, and coercion that constitute human trafficking. Grounded in the acknowledgment of the complexity of the issue and the need for innovative approaches, this presentation develops an approach to identifying the underlying factors that drive individuals to perpetrate trafficking. Understanding that motivational ecology enables us to develop more effective prevention strategies. The anti-trafficking movement needs a paradigm shift towards perpetrator-focused interventions, emphasizing the importance of addressing both external and internal factors that contribute to perpetrator vulnerability. This presentation proposes what those key external and internal factors might be. Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs helps us understand how unmet physiological and safety needs contribute to vulnerability. Insights from the Global Slavery Index and an examination of vulnerabilities such as poverty and marginalization, highlight the interconnectedness of systemic and individual factors. The presentation calls for a holistic approach to combating human trafficking that integrates perpetrator-focused components into existing anti-trafficking efforts. By recognizing and addressing the vulnerabilities that lead individuals to become traffickers, we can more effectively prevent trafficking and protect vulnerable populations.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss the various uses of the term "vulnerability" in the context of human trafficking

•  Apply the notion of vulnerability to the people who abuse, exploit, and coerce

•  Propose a range of internal and external factors that contribute to the motivational ecology of human trafficking perpetrators

•  Suggest interventions that could reduce such vulnerability

Human trafficking remains a global issue, often overlooked due to misconceptions and biases. Among the marginalized victims, male trafficking victims and survivors face unique challenges, including legal and police biases and societal stigmatization. This presentation aims to shed light on the legal and law enforcement biases against male victims of human trafficking, propose strategies for building an intersectional legal and police response, and discuss best practices, challenges, and lessons learned in working with law enforcement and the legal system. Addressing legal and law enforcement biases against male victims of human trafficking in order to build an intersectional response require concerted efforts from policymakers, legal professionals, law enforcement agencies, and civil society. By adopting inclusive approaches, fostering collaborative partnerships, and prioritizing survivor-centered practices, we can enhance the legal protection and the frontline support available to male trafficking victims and survivors, ultimately contributing to a more just and equitable society.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss building an intersectional legal and police response

•  Explain how an effective response to male trafficking necessitates an intersectional approach that acknowledges the diverse identities and experiences of victims

•  Discuss intersecting factors such as gender, race, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status that influence vulnerability to trafficking and access to legal remedies

Learn how Worthwhile Wear, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, has developed a platform fostering opportunities for partnerships among federal and local law enforcement, government, and social service providers to help break down the many barriers that exist between survivors of trafficking and the public sector. Worthwhile Wear’s ground-breaking “Worth It” initiative is a broad-reaching community-facilitated outreach program that invites survivors to participate in multidisciplinary educational sessions. “Worth It” utilizes an evidenced-based approach that addresses the most common underlying cause for recidivism, unresolved trauma. Trauma is the primary underlying factor that causes or perpetuates many societal issues like addiction, unemployment, fractured relationships, and maladaptive behaviors. When engaging with survivors enrolled in the “Worth It” program, Worthwhile Wear practices a three-stage model of trauma recovery as developed by Judith Herman’s extensive work in the field. Utilizing this methodology and employing evidence-based treatments such as TF-CBT, our therapist helps survivors establish coping skills and capacity to recognize their emotional state for self-regulation. Pre and post program data indicates participants' self-realization related to the exploitation that they have encountered and re-directs their framework from self-blame to survivorship. Attendees of this presentation will learn how survivors benefit most when public and private agencies work collaboratively, and how key healing factors aren’t reliant on good programming, but more so on trauma identification and developing healthy community relationships. This engaging presentation will have you laughing, learning, and considering how your organization can achieve a greater impact when serving survivors.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Explain how to engage with survivors of trafficking to know what unique needs and challenges survivors of this crime have

•  Discuss the importance of pursuing a proven method and utilizing the private sector to build/rebuild a healthy bridge to exploited individuals

This study examined the gap between the needs of trafficking victims in Zimbabwe and the country's National Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons 2023-2028 (NAPLAC) (re)integration strategy. This research employed a qualitative approach, focusing on in-depth interviews with key informants. To ensure reach to the most relevant participants, it used purposive sampling and a snowballing technique due to the sensitive nature of the topic to identify critical issues and needs largely unaddressed by NAPLAC’s superficial provisions. The research complemented the primary data by conducting document reviews of international and regional guidelines, policy frameworks and laws which will include the National Plan of Action 2023-2028, Trafficking in Persons Act, IOM Guideline for Assisting Victims of Trafficking, and Oxfam Good Practices on (Re)Integration of Victims of Trafficking. Findings highlighted the importance of a victim-centered approach recognizing unique experiences and vulnerabilities. Comprehensive support services are needed encompassing housing, healthcare, psychosocial support, education, vocational training, and livelihood opportunities. Targeted interventions to enhance economic empowerment and sustainable livelihoods were recommended. Regular needs assessments and incorporation of victim voices into reintegration strategies were also suggested. Strengthening legal frameworks consistent with international standards along with accessible services tailored to individual needs were identified as crucial. Addressing socio-economic contributing factors and implementing recommended measures will empower victims and facilitate successful (re)integration.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Present a critical analysis of the gap between the needs of trafficking victims in Zimbabwe and the reintegration strategy outlined in NAPLAC 2023-2028

•  Identify crucial needs of victims that are currently not adequately addressed by NAPLAC's provisions

•  Emphasize the importance of a victim-centered approach to reintegration, recognizing the unique experiences and vulnerabilities of each victim

•  Propose a framework for comprehensive support services encompassing housing, healthcare, psychosocial support, education, vocational training, livelihood opportunities, and economic empowerment initiatives

This presentation will help attendees understand the role of drugs and alcohol in the abduction and trafficking of missing and murdered Native Americans. Overall, 1.5 million Native American women have experienced violence in their lifetime. Indigenous people in the United States have rates of murder, rape, and violent crime higher than any other group. Indigenous women make up a significant portion of missing, murdered, and trafficked individuals. In many cases, alcohol and drug misuse, or the deliberate use of incapacitating substances by traffickers to aid abduction and compliance with abusers. Attendees will learn to recognize signs of trafficking, the prevalence of trafficking among missing and murdered indigenous persons in the United States and Canada, the identity and methods of traffickers, the role of substance misuse, and trauma-informed counseling strategies to aid survivors in recovery.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss dangers indigenous clients may be exposed to in terms of trafficking

•  Describe the significant types of trafficking and MMIP in their area

•  Identify the role forced and voluntary substance use plays in trafficking

The London Abused Women’s Centre and Salvation Army Correctional Justice Services in London, Ontario, Canada have partnered with the tertiary care facility, London Health Sciences Centre, London, Canada, to deliver tailored training to medical residents, as well as specialty-specific training to pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, emergency department, and psychiatry. Other providers present include nurses and social workers who may come in to contact with a victim of human trafficking. Research shows that a victim’s first point of supportive contact is often through a health agency. Through CARES (Consortium of Anti Human Trafficking Research and Education), this model demonstrates the importance of using a wraparound approach to leverage the skills, knowledge, and abilities in each respective profession to be able to identify signs of human trafficking and to know how to intervene. The CARE team trains front line workers on how to be aware of the signs of trafficking, how to respond, who to report to, and how to manage vicarious trauma. The team relies on both front-line workers and lived experience experts to inform the process and to ensure the community is knowledgeable of, and responsive to, the growing plague of human trafficking. The call to action of the CARE team is to inform and educate every sector that may come into contact with a victim of human trafficking with the goal of prevention and early intervention. Attendees will understand the benefit of a cross-sectoral collaborative approach to networking, educating, and training about human trafficking for front line workers in medical and other human service industries.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss the importance of educating health professionals and other first responders

•  Discuss risks and challenges for victims of sex trafficking who seek service, and what front line service providers need to know

•  Discuss wraparound service model to meet the needs of victims of sex trafficking

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a concerning rise in human trafficking cases involving online forced criminal activity resulting in dual victimization. The extent of criminal activity, thousands of human trafficking victims, and the number of countries where such operations have occurred are a cause for concern and necessitates increased regional and international action. The breadth and depth of such criminal activities are enabled by criminal networks’ exploitation of the pandemic, job losses, the culture of migrant work specifically in the Southeast Asia region, and the ease of conducting illegal activity in Special Economic Zones (SEZs). The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has passed a number of Conventions and Declarations to address the issue and follow-through has begun with implementation in various countries, but there is still much to do. The severity of the situation requires strengthening efforts at an international level including the financial and technology sectors to increase safety online and cooperate for the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators. An effective response requires the cooperation of various governments, regional and international efforts beyond Southeast Asia which include the financial and technology sectors to extend assistance and prosecute such criminal networks. This means having comprehensive efforts targeting both physical and online spaces as a better response for human trafficking prevention, protection and prosecution, effectively addressing not just sex trafficking but also labor trafficking.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss new risk factors of human trafficking

•  Describe ways to strengthen efforts to address this new type of human trafficking

•  Facilitate discussion on possible policy actions or measures that can be done from their states/locations

The presenter will use both personal experience and professional expertise to shed light on a subject that demands our attention. It’s precisely because of her journey that she will stir up a whirlwind of emotions, showing why it’s crucial to lean into those feelings. That is where change begins and where the harsh realities of why this happens to regular, everyday people become apparent. As a mother of a trafficking survivor, Lynda realized she missed three crucial elements and will share them in this presentation, not to dwell on past mistakes but to illuminate the blind spots we all might have and to learn from them to prevent similar tragedies. The primary part of her presentation will be unveiling domestic sex trafficking and abuse. Fueled by cinematic portrayals like ‘Taken’ or ‘Sound of Freedom,’ international sex trafficking captures headlines, while domestic sex trafficking often hides in plain sight. Once oblivious to the possibility of such horrors befalling her children, Lynda aims to debunk common misconceptions surrounding domestic sex trafficking, shedding light on how seemingly normal relationships can cancel trafficking dynamics. During the presentation, attendees will gain insight into: 1) the true identities of traffickers compared to the cinematic stereotypes, 2) the demographics targeted by the trafficker and their underlying motivations, 3) vulnerabilities exploited by traffickers and who manipulate them to control the victim, 4) subtle indicators of trafficking, empowering attendees to recognize potential trafficking situations effectively, and 5) how individuals who have endured trafficking often perceive themselves as having consented to their exploitation. Lynda will outline the four essential criteria to address this misconception of consent, giving relatable examples.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Explain how our belief in what we thought sex trafficking looked like was the cause of the presenter’s daughter being a victim

•  Discuss what the presenter learned about who the traffickers are

•  Explain the differences between international and domestic sex trafficking

•  Describe how the presenter has moved on by turning her pain into purpose by educating others on prevention

Initiatives such as “End Demand” oversimplify the multifaceted experiences of those involved in the sex trade. Rather than acknowledge the unique realities people have lived, the response is often to funnel them into the “Viminal Space.” This is a paradigm of state-imposed marginalization, situated between victimhood and criminality. Such black-and-white categories fail to recognize the diverse intersectionality within the sex-working communities, particularly among those from 2SLGBTQIA+ and BIPOC backgrounds. By over-policing individual livelihoods or trying to “save” people for their own good, “End Demand” fails to recognize victimization as it occurs in real-time. The presenters will speak to the limitations of initiatives such as “End Demand”. Outdated programs of this caliber have failed at meeting the complexity of individual needs for holistic recovery. They advocate for nuanced strategies that offer comprehensive support and viable pathways forward. In doing so, the presenters recognize and honor the diverse experiences of everyone involved in the sex trade. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the intersectionalities within sex work, as well as an awareness of the negative consequences that over-policing and rescue have on the well-being of citizens. As a call to action, the presenters advocate for policies and initiatives that integrate nuanced responses. Programs should honor the dignity, worth, and autonomy of the individuals they are representing. The presenters are committed to collaborations that provide comprehensive resources and support for individuals involved in or exiting the sex trade. Through education, they hope to inspire others to advocate for unbiased support and comprehensive resources for a brighter future.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide a basic overview of the four models of criminalization

•  Discuss why it is crucial to study the effects of the “End Demand” initiative on vulnerable populations within the context of complex social issues

•  Explain the economic theory of supply and demand as it applies to sex workers and trafficked individuals

•  Define and evaluate the importance of addressing the root causes of trafficking

Since the early 2000s, there has been a growing focus on human trafficking, with scholars, advocates, policy makers, and survivors increasingly contributing to the narrative. The International Human Trafficking & Social Justice Conference has encapsulated two decades of national and global discussions on human trafficking and social justice issues. For this presentation, conference abstracts from 2004 to 2023 were analyzed using thematic analysis. The researchers reviewed and coded each abstract. Using inter-coder reliability, differences were resolved through discussion to establish consensus. Themes were developed inductively as they emerged from the abstracts. The two presenters would like to thank Anna Schramm for her contribution to the analysis of conference data and findings. This presentation sheds light on those enduring narratives, the evolving discourse on intersectionality, and the changing landscape of national and international dialogues surrounding human trafficking. It prompts reflection on our collective learnings and encourages deliberation on the future trajectory of the international conversation in this crucial area.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Describe the trends and shifts in the narrative on human trafficking

•  Synthesize the lessons learned and identify gaps for the future years

Ethical survivor engagement is a necessity in the fight against human trafficking, be it in serving the sector as an advocate or in any other capacity that involves what constitutes “work” within the setting of prevention, intervention, or aftercare. Survivor voices are needed to expand community knowledge and to maintain accountability. In this presentation, attendees will hear from two survivors who will be sharing their experiences working in the anti-trafficking field; where they see strengths and where they see room to grow within the sector. Drawing from their experiences and observations, they will walk through some common pitfalls and ways that organizations can avoid these so that survivors can be strengthened by their time working in this space, instead of feeling re-exploited. This session will specifically highlight the ethics surrounding organizational preparedness, compensation, and the ongoing professional development of survivors. With a combined professional background of over 15 years in the anti-trafficking and domestic violence sphere, their experiences will illustrate progress that has been made and setbacks that have been experienced. Survivors help to create organizational resilience when they are empowered to use their voice in an ethical way. With a focus on shared accountability that educates and empowers organizations, attendees will leave this session better equipped for working and engaging with survivors.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss how ethical survivor engagement leads to organizational resilience

•  Discuss deficits and where there is opportunity for growth within various areas of the sector

•  Inspire survivors that their professional development is essential to the health of this space

Survivors of sex trafficking are resilient individuals capable of employing strategies when needed to manage situations of marginalization and oppression such as gender oppression, racism, and poverty. Nonetheless, trafficking-related research and services has most focused on risks, deficits, and vulnerabilities. This leaves researchers and practitioners with little knowledge for understanding and supporting survivors’ preferred resilience strategies. In this presentation, the researcher answers the question, “How do survivors manifest and maintain resilience?” through a participatory constructivist grounded theory method (Charmaz, 2014) where participants engaged in data interpretation. Data comprised 75 in-depth interviews with 44 other survivors of sex trafficking, and was analyzed with a community co-analyst. Findings showed that the core of resilience was the ability to make preferred choices amidst very limited options that: (1) brought participants closer to goals, (2) did not move them further away, or (3) moved them away as little as possible so they could recover as quickly as possible when there was an opportunity. Choices were facilitated by four elements: hope, purpose, values, and assets. These elements revealed how participants’ personal agency interacted with structural inequalities, foregrounding personal power, and implicating social services and other sectors in their experiences of risk and opportunity. Participants noted they needed the most support for making choices during the period immediately after trafficking. Participants recommended that this resilience knowledge be used to create training materials, self-help materials, and a resilience-enhancing app. The presentation concludes with recommendations for community-engaged, participatory research for improving resilience-enhancing services for survivors.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Describe the study and highlight the importance of acknowledging survivors’ resilience strategies and supporting and partnering with these strategies

•  Describe survivors’ strategies, (i.e., how they use hope, values, purpose, and assets) to navigate situations of constrained choices amidst structural inequities

•  Discuss implications and recommendations for integrating this into practice

Peel Region, Ontario is the second-largest municipality in the Greater Toronto Area. It’s located in Canada's largest economic area, borders the United States, has an airport, and has 5 major highways passing through. Peel continues to be a hot spot for sexual exploitation and is facing various economic crises, which have increased risks and vulnerabilities in its community. Housing continues to be a crisis, which adds to the challenges and increases risk and vulnerabilities for youth experiencing homelessness. Recognizing and understanding the intersectionality of youth homelessness and sexual exploitation, participants will take away a comprehensive understanding of the keys to providing intervention and establishing prevention for exploitation within youth shelters. Through operating Peel’s youth shelters and nCourage (Peel’s Anti-Human Trafficking Integrated Service Hub), Our Place Peel will shed light on the reality, risks, and vulnerabilities when youth experience homelessness. Youth continue to be an overrepresented group in homelessness and exploitation. The presenter will explore policies, interventions, and practices that support young people through their journey to healing and housing. Attendees will take with them the importance of community collaboration, client-centered/led work, and advocacy for systems change.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide an understanding of the intersectionality of youth homelessness and sexual exploitation

•  Discuss examples of intervention and prevention strategies and community collaborations to help support youth experiencing homelessness and sexual exploitation

•  Explain how to increase access to dedicated support and services for youth experiencing homelessness who are at risk of or identify as victims/survivors

•  Increase collaboration, coordination, and evidence-based practice across the system responding to human sex trafficking with the youth population

Children and young people voraciously consume technology and social media, expanding social connections and relationships far beyond previous generations. With such advances, it has been argued, young people are at greater risk of exposure to unwanted sexual material and advances via these media. Some youth appear to be particularly vulnerable to internet solicitation, placing them at significant risk of subsequent sexual victimization. This presentation is an extension of last year’s discussion at the IHTSJ Conference. It will serve to review basic theory and how early disruptions in attachment and developmental needs contribute to vulnerability to internet solicitation and sexual exploitation and trafficking. Using this information as a springboard, the discussion will highlight various avenues of improving prevention, detection, and intervention, ranging from parent education, to provider education, to greater system involvement and program development.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Explore how attachment and development may contribute to specific vulnerabilities to online grooming and solicitation

•  Discuss various applications of theory in improving prevention, detection and intervention

This presentation will outline the ups and downs in a decade long investigation into one of the biggest human traffickers in Dallas, Texas: Macc Bucc. This presentation will dive into the lives of those trafficked and the remaining scars that are still evident in their lives. This presentation will also show the loyalty that human trafficking victims have towards their trafficker. Detectives will show the different methods used to build evidence in this case that covered multiple jurisdictions. Attendees will see how other investigative techniques can be used to collect evidence and the small part it plays in the “big picture.” Attendees will see how perseverance in an investigation led to a greater outcome that benefits the public even more so than law enforcement. Attendees can use this case study as a means for successful investigations in the field of human trafficking. As human trafficking becomes an even bigger focus for law enforcement and the community, this session will show detectives the work involved in these types of prosecutions.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss the loyalty of trafficking victims and why they "choose" the life

•  Describe the different investigative techniques when faced with these type of investigations

•  Explain how thinking outside the investigative box and patience can pay off in the end

One would think that human trafficking victims are mostly kidnapped against their will by very powerful trafficking rings. However, this is not the case in a Southern Nigerian state known as Edo State. Majority of the sex trafficking victims in West Africa hail from this part of the country. Parents plead with traffickers to sponsor their daughters abroad to “hustle” as early as 16 years of age. What would make a parent consent to the trafficking of his or her own offspring? They claim they want the family to have a better financial life and to escape the harsh realities of a country where most youths are unemployed and majority of the population live below poverty level. The major push factor of sex trafficking in Africa has always been poverty. Victims, as well as parents, consent to their own trafficking in that part of the world. The victims even willingly participate in oath ceremonies orchestrated by traffickers through voodoo priests. This presentation will discuss the legal implication of a victim's consent to being trafficked (e.g., Does a victim's consent reduce a trafficker's culpability?). This presentation will conclude with initiatives and recommendations to the government of Africa as well as NGOs on how to curb this menace especially through providing a better economy for its people and through education.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss the legal implication of a victim's consent to being trafficked

•  Explain how most West African sex trafficking victims' parents recruit their own daughters into trafficking.

•  Provide insight into the role of poverty as a push factor of sex trafficking in Africa

•  Provide recommendations for prevention

Through the lens of complex trauma and posttraumatic growth, this workshop will share findings from a qualitative study focused on the impact and experiences of sex trafficking survivors. This study included in-depth interviews and photovoice methods and followed principles of trauma-informed research with 15 adult survivors who were all trafficked within the United States and had been separated from the trafficker for minimum one year. Using purposive convenience selection with snowball sampling, it answered the following research questions: What are the experiences of adult female domestic sex trafficking survivors? How do women view these experiences as influencing identity, sexuality, relationships, and seeking services after separation from trafficker? What factors do survivors believe contribute to community reintegration? Through rich data from interviews and photovoice captioned images, workshop participants will hear and see direct evidence of the aspects of complex trauma as well as the capacity for posttraumatic growth. This presentation will specifically emphasize the power of “bearing witness” to another’s pain through empathic listening and witness, as a mutual benefit for transforming traumatic experiences, and thus serving as a catalyst for societal change. Participants will listen to the voices and impact of sex trafficking through photography taken by survivors and practice having our listening inform our response. Finally, workshop participants will receive recommendations directly from the voices of survivors on what factors help or hinder community reintegration and posttraumatic growth. Key findings that will be explored include avoiding re-traumatization and re-exploitation and the integral role of relationship in the reintegration process for survivors.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Define the practice of bearing witness to complex trauma and posttraumatic growth and how it is observed in victims of domestic sex trafficking

•  Provide recommendations for post-trafficking community reintegration that come directly from survivors of sex trafficking

The world is harder for girls than it has ever been. Data released in 2023 from the CDC revealed that nearly 60% of high school girls reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless, 30% have seriously considered suicide, and 20% experienced sexual violence. While these statistics are alarming, there is increased concern when taken into consideration with vulnerabilities associated with exploitation. Research shows that when girls have low self-confidence, decreased connection and support, and lack of access to accurate information, they are at an increased risk for exploitation. The CDC findings are a signal that precise attention be paid to the health, safety, education, and empowerment of girls. Calls for programs, interventions, and efforts that increase girls’ connection to school, sense of belonging, and coping skills have made clear the necessity of programs and organizations like Ruling Our eXperiences, Inc. (ROX). ROX is the national leader in programming, research, and education focused on girls. Their mission is to create generations of confident girls who control their own relationships, experiences, decisions, and futures. ROX uses the best practices in research to implement evidence-based empowerment programming in schools, conduct large-scale national research, and educate the community on the issues impacting girls. This presentation will highlight the ROX 20-week evidence-based program which is delivered in schools across 33 states with girls in grades 5-12. Attendees will gain an understanding of the skills, competencies, and support needed to reduce vulnerabilities and will leave with specific strategies for protecting and empowering girls.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss risk factors for exploitation of girls

•  Describe the skills, competencies, and supports necessary for reducing girls’ vulnerabilities

•  Provide specific strategies for empowering and supporting girls

Attendees will learn the importance of shared language, building relationships, and fostering trust. They will gain knowledge about a collaborative communication approach that encourages input from victims and survivors to build safety and trust in relationships. By learning to communicate with commonly accepted terms across disciplines, attendees can adapt language that reduces stigma and bias to overcome barriers. They will also gain insight into advancing individual-centered outreach and support services through civic engagement, non-government, and government partnerships while combatting human trafficking at the local, state, and federal levels. Carolyn Kinkoph will explain how the victimization of her daughter, Courtney, and ongoing advocacy efforts as a co-founder of the Alliance Against Human Trafficking (AAHT) highlight the need to utilize meaningful shared language and individual-centered strategies that support victims of human trafficking without stigmatizing, revictimizing, and retraumatizing them. Carolyn’s experience, ability to collaborate, and education provide insight into various anti-trafficking strategies for human trafficking prevention from human rights, criminal justice, social justice, and healthcare perspectives. The complexities and intersections of human trafficking along with the failure of several systems drive Carolyn’s determination to command change. She will share how encounters with providers, law enforcement agencies, survivors, and professionals in several disciplines further her ability to educate and partner with others. Attendees will learn about the importance of utilizing a proactive approach to break silos, coordinate efforts within and across systems, build multidisciplinary teams, and use shared language to promote trauma-responsive comprehensive care for victims and survivors of human trafficking, exploitation, and abuse.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss the role of language relative to the victimization of individuals and interactions with others from different perspectives

•  Explain how to apply what individuals learn from experiences and the importance of using shared language

•  Describe the various resources that have the ability to assist a victim of trafficking using trauma-informed, individual-centered strategies

In this presentation, Jarrett Davis and Wendy Stiver explore the ethical application of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance survivor-led research. The presentation begins by providing an overview of the critical ethical issues related to AI that must be addressed to responsibly incorporate this technology into research and society. Best-case and worst-case scenarios, likely outcomes, and necessary policies and processes to proactively address potential risks while harnessing AI's benefits are examined. The focus then shifts to practical applications of AI to enhance survivor-led research, particularly in qualitative data analysis. Using sample interviews, Davis and Stiver demonstrate how AI-powered thematic analysis tools can efficiently synthesize qualitative data while allowing for human verification and triangulation. This approach has immense potential to empower survivors to shape research and uncover impactful insights without the typical barriers in qualitative work. Attendees will gain an understanding of key ethical considerations in practical knowledge of leveraging AI to enhance qualitative research and inspiration for thoughtfully harnessing new technology for social good in a survivor-centered way. The accessible live demonstration aims to spark ideas for responsibly integrating AI into attendees' own work supporting and empowering survivors.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide an overview of key ethical considerations in applying AI to survivor-led research

•  Summarize currently available models and their differing approaches and applications, along with limitations applied to survivor and community led research in the development field

•  Demonstrate how AI can facilitate proposing qualitative research and analysis in a more accessible, holistic, and accurate developing survivor-led research

•  Inspire attendees to thoughtfully leverage AI for social good in a survivor-centered way

This training equips professionals with the skills to establish Peer-Led Support Groups tailored for survivors of trafficking, specifically focusing on leveraging virtual spaces to enhance accessibility. Participants will learn effective strategies for creating a supportive online environment where survivors can connect, share experiences, and foster a sense of community. Attendees will gain practical insights into facilitating meaningful discussions, utilizing virtual tools, and addressing potential challenges unique to online platforms. This training aims to empower participants with the tools needed to build a virtual community that enhances support, connectivity, and healing for survivors of trafficking.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Describe virtual tools for support groups

•  Discuss gains and challenges of virtual spaces for support groups and how to effectively facilitate using these platforms

•  Discuss ongoing program evaluation and lessons learned by Restoring Ivy Collective

The global sports industry is expected to grow from $388.28 billion in 2020 to $440.77 billion in 2021. Projected to outpace global GDP, the sports industry is a lavishly oiled, complex machine that is entirely dependent on exceptionally talented individuals with the skills, drive, and discipline to chase their dreams. Oftentimes, young, socially and financially vulnerable athletes are targets for traffickers who hold the deceptive promise of wealth, fame, and opportunity. Traffickers, regularly going by the alias “recruiter,” exploit young athletes through force, fraud, and coercion for social and economic power. There is a dearth of publications, information, and vocabulary surrounding the human trafficking of athletes despite its growing threat to human rights. Though the presenters have identified specific domestic and global legal cases surrounding the topic, they also recognize that the void of information perpetuates this growing and time-sensitive issue and seek to address it. This presentation is a much-needed examination and discourse of this emerging social and public health problem. The presenters will seek to define trafficking within the global sports industry as a human rights violation, identify and explore the push and pull migration factors, and center this call-to-action as an international human rights issue by utilizing methodologies such as case study analysis and systems thinking maps.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Define and conceptualize human trafficking within the sports industry through social work and public health epistemological approaches

•  Discuss the challenges of conceptualizing this multifaceted social problem

•  Identify the areas within the global sports industry where the human trafficking of athletes are the most prominent

•  Identify and define the key vulnerabilities of athletes through the recruitment process

•  Identify discuss potential solutions and next-steps to addressing this problem

Ritualistic abuse survivors have struggled to obtain adequate mental health and social support services for over twenty years. This problem has been exacerbated by a lack of trained providers and adequate social services to deal with the complex problems ritualistic abuse survivors present. Most clinicians do not receive proper training due to severe trauma topics and their symptomatology not being adequately covered in their master level training programs or in post continuing education training. Very few organizations are available to educate clinicians and survivors about the research in the field. Insurance companies often do not adequately cover services for long term treatment. Social services employees are not adequately trained to work with severe trauma survivors. There is a paucity of training regarding trauma informed services and ways to work with clients suffering from dissociative disorders. Application guidelines often make it very difficult for ritualistic abuse survivors to receive in the timelines given. Survivors may have difficulties getting to offices, getting on the Internet or filling out paperwork. This presentation will include the presenter’s own struggles receiving adequate services over the last thirty years. Issues to be discussed will include the symptomatology of dissociative disorders, attachment disorders, mood and anxiety disorders, economic problems, and social barriers. Solutions to decrease and eliminate these difficulties will be discussed. These will include public advocacy, public education, survivor training, and the building of a research base to help survivors and their helpers move forward to prevent these difficulties in the future.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss the four key concepts regarding the lack of education for those working with ritualistic abuse survivors

•  Describe reasons why ritualistic abuse survivors have difficulties obtaining services

•  Describe ways ritualistic abuse survivors and their helpers can change the present system to increase services for these survivors

Recent years have seen increased attention towards labor trafficking among scholars, policymakers, and advocates. However, gaps in understanding persist due to underreporting, terminological confusion, a focus on sex trafficking, legal inconsistencies, varied employment contexts, and inadequate training among anti-trafficking stakeholders. Consequently, the legal system often lacks the tools to prosecute such cases, resulting in dispositions that do not adequately reflect the seriousness of labor traffickers’ crimes. This study employs structured online searches and descriptive statistical analysis to address the following questions: 1) What are the general demographic characteristics of labor traffickers in the United States? 2) What are the means of control used by labor traffickers in the United States? and 3) What is the disposition outcome for labor trafficking cases in the United States? The findings focus on several key areas: 1) labor trafficker demographics, 2) typologies of labor trafficking settings, 3) recruitment strategies and techniques, 4) means of control, 5) locations of arrest, and 6) crime typologies and legal outcomes per trafficker. These findings highlight diverse demographics among traffickers, variations in labor trafficking settings, recruitment strategies, means of control, arrest locations, and legal outcomes. Legal outcomes revealed a mix of labor trafficking charges, immigration-related offenses, and white-collar crimes, with only one third of cases resulting in convictions for labor trafficking. These findings highlight several critical points: the inconsistency in labor trafficking prosecution across U.S. courts, the urgent need for improved data collection on labor trafficking, and the importance of addressing foreign-national traffickers exploiting their own cultural communities.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss ongoing factors resulting in limited understanding and research on labor trafficking, including underreporting, terminological confusion, a focus on sex trafficking, legal inconsistencies, varied employment contexts, and inadequate training among anti-trafficking stakeholders

•  Present key findings from the study regarding labor trafficking in the United States, including demographic characteristics of traffickers, means of control used, and disposition outcomes of labor trafficking cases

•  Discuss the implications of the findings, including the challenges in prosecuting labor trafficking cases, the need for improved data collection, and the need to address foreign-national traffickers targeting their own cultural communities

The MN Boys+ project, led by the presenter, investigates the overlooked issue of sexual exploitation and abuse of boys and gender-diverse youth (boys+) in Minnesota. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study employed an online survey, semi-structured interviews, and group learning workshops to examine individuals’ experiences within interconnected social systems, exploring the perspectives of frontline service providers (FSPs). The online survey gathered quantitative data from 40 diverse participants. 25 semi-structured interviews provided in-depth insights, with data analyzed using thematic analysis. Three interactive learning workshops with stakeholders generated actionable recommendations. The research covers the journeys of affected boys+ from risk factors and experiences of exploitation to help-seeking, accessing services, barriers faced, and the availability and quality of existing services. The study reveals a spectrum of interrelated vulnerabilities, the pivotal role of early adolescence, the prominence of offenders known to the young person, widespread stigma hindering disclosure, and major gaps in trauma-informed, gender-inclusive services. The project asserts the need to move beyond reductive assumptions about masculine invulnerability and deviance to develop a nuanced understanding of boys’ experiences. This requires investment in marginalized youths’ voices, trauma-informed practices, comprehensive services, and multi-sector coordination. The MN Boys+ project represents an initial step in establishing a foundation of data and insights to inform more extensive national research and analysis focused on boys across diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, and backgrounds, advocating for a substantial, national effort to advance knowledge of childhood sexual exploitation among male-identifying youth.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Highlight the often-overlooked issue of sexual exploitation and abuse faced by boys and gender-diverse youth

•  Showcase the spectrum of vulnerabilities these young people face and the prevalence of known offenders

•  Discuss the challenges faced by boys and gender-diverse youth when seeking help, including stigma and lack of trauma-informed services

•  Advocate for the importance of research and data collection to inform intervention and prevention strategies

Street prostitution is deeply intertwined with substance use. Women who attempt to exit both prostitution and substance use often lack sufficient resources to do so, and they end up returning to substance use, prostitution, or both. Such a relapse into drugs or a return to prostitution is still often viewed as a personal failure. Low recovery capital has been used to explain relapse among certain marginalized populations. Recovery capital is a recent framework which refers to the individual’s sum of all internal and external assets that may assist in their recovery process. It includes four categories: physical, human, social, and cultural capital. However, this framework does not relate to the role of actual relapses in the recovery process, despite their common occurrence. In-depth interviews with 29 women formerly engaged in street prostitution and substance use in a large urban area were used to probe women about their relapse and recovery experiences. This study demonstrates the value of repeat recovery setbacks, what the presenter terms “cumulative attempt capital”: lessons learned from previous recovery attempts. The presenter argues that previous attempts improve women’s social and professional networks, help them learn from past mistakes, improve and maintain their health, and provide them with a sense of self-efficacy. This research expands our understanding of the positive role failed attempts play in one’s recovery. Such reframing by service providers can alleviate a sense of shame and low self-worth for women in street prostitution and substance use and has implications for policy and program development.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide an overview of the study of the facilitators and challenges of women’s exiting journeys out of street prostitution and substance use

•  Describe the framework of recovery capital for people who are recovering from prostitution and substance use

•  Introduce the new tool of cumulative attempt capital, which can be used with clients at intake, and demonstrate its utility and benefits for women exiting street prostitution

We are at a conference dedicated to advocacy and social justice. Beyond people, populations, situations, and issues that demand advocacy and social justice, how do we actually do it? How do we go from seeing an issue needing addressed into positively doing something about it? How do we see people in need and effectively step up and help and/or support them? How do we start? Where do we start? What do we do? The Levels of Advocacy & Social Justice (LASJ) provide a framework to conceptualize and implement effective advocacy and social justice efforts. Expanding outward from a person or issue, the LASJ model depicts seven layers: individual, group, organizational, community, regional, state, and national. They further call upon us to take a self-inventory of our foci and abilities, coupled with our own self-care, in order to be the best advocates we can be. This presentation will aid direct service providers and concerned community members alike with foundational principles and practical tools to implement change through advocacy and social justice. The LASJ model will be provided in detail, with practical examples for each level. The accompanying self-assessment worksheet will also be provided for participants to evaluate their own strengths, goals, and self-care. All materials will be provided for free and can be immediately implemented. This in turn helps support conference attendees taking instantaneous action in areas they learn more about in other sessions of this conference.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Define and categorize the LASJ layers and their use in active engagement for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion

•  Distinguish and evaluate a personalized readiness self-assessment and strategies for self-care

•  Provide tangible tools and resources that can be used immediately to effective change

Zambia's political institutions have publicly made declarations to dismantle the perpetuation of abuse and traumatization of children by ratifying several national and international treaties over the past several decades. The Anti-Human Trafficking Act No.11 of 2008 represents an attempt by the Zambian government to address the challenges of forced labor in a systematic way. It was designed to make human trafficking illegal, create preventative measures, and prosecute individuals who engage in the promotion of human trafficking. However, there is a disconnection between the magnitude of laws enacted and their subsequent implementation. Are these laws more performative in nature and how can the government effectively shift towards quality implementation? What are the long-term causes of failing to provide quality policy evaluation and policy analysis? With recent legislative developments, particularly the enactment of Amendment No. 16 in 2022 to the 2008 Anti-Human Trafficking Act, there is a pressing need for comprehensive research to assess its impact and identify areas for improvement. This presentation will uncover insights into the efficacy of implemented strategies, unintended consequences, and recommendations for enhancing the future outcomes of trafficked children. Attendees will walk away with a deep understanding of human trafficking in the Zambian context and how laws that are enacted without further implementation analysis do further harm than good for key stakeholders.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss risk factors of human trafficking for youth in Zambia

•  Highlight the Zambian government's attempt to address human trafficking

•  Suggest mechanisms to analyze policy implementation

•  Describe ways to mitigate human trafficking for child labor in Zambia

The FOCUS (Finding youth, Outreach, Comprehensive assessment and immediate services, Unified long-term services, and Service evaluation) Project is a collaborative program in Lucas County, Ohio that involves working with community agencies to identify youth at risk for human trafficking through assessment and to refer those at risk to a human trafficking intervention and other related services as needed. This presentation will provide an overview of the FOCUS Project, including validation of the FOCUS-S assessment for youth, an overview of building a continuum of care, and a review of de-identified assessment data. Attendees will learn about the process of creating a validated screening tool for youth, understand the steps and lessons learned to building a continuum of care in collaboration with community partners, and review descriptive information regarding who is at risk and what the most prevalent risk factors were for youth involved in the project.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Review the process of creating a validated screening tool for youth through the utilization of research and measurement strategies

•  Describe the steps and lessons learned when building a continuum of care in collaboration with community agencies who work with youth

•  Discuss who is at risk for trafficking and other related services and what risk factors were most prevalent through a review of deidentified assessment data

Dr. Kristen Szabla was born into darkness. Specifically, she was born into a black, cataclysmic web of sexual abuse and exploitation. Dr. Szabla will describe her story of overcoming, not only to bring societal awareness to these all-too-common nefarious acts against humanity, but to bring hope, healing, and ultimately social and policy change. This presentation will chronicle how Dr. Szabla used her knowledge of neurobiology to expedite her journey from the helpless victim state to an empowered survivor/thriver state. Participants will experientially learn not only how the brain functions but how trauma damages and maladaptively wires specific areas of the brain. By understanding the neurobiologic underpinnings of trauma, participants will discover how traumatized individuals are held in a victim-like state, seemingly incapable of change. In addition, the concept of the trauma triangle will be discussed. Using personal examples and visual illustrations, participants will explore strategies as to how to utilize the power of the brain to transform the trauma triangle, potentiate brain rewiring, and expedite healing. This presentation is designed to be accessible for all audiences, regardless of their familiarity with neurobiologic concepts.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide a synopsis of the survivor’s life experience

•  Provide an overview of the brain in action to explain the neurobiologic impact of trauma and how trauma keeps individuals in a victimized state

•  Introduce the concept of the Trauma Triangle

•  Teach tactics to overcome the Trauma Triangle to potentiate the transformation from victim to survivor/thriver

This presentation will explore the relationship between climate change and forms of forced and child labor. The role of extractive economic practices, war and conflict, and ongoing genocides will also be explored. This presentation utilizes community-based participatory research methods, including findings from grassroots and survivor-led organizations, to identify best and promising practices for the prevention and mitigation of forced labor and environmental plunder. Grounded in the theories of Fanon and Rodney, the presenter will draw upon the work of survivor-led organizations to explore solutions, including models for sustainability and community-based prevention models. Organizations discussed will include Friends of the Congo, the Free Alabama Movement, and Liyang Network. Case studies from U.S. national and international news sources will be used to contextualize the impact of forced labor and climate change on migrant workers, incarcerated peoples, youth, and frontline environmental defenders. Suggestions for research, policy, and practice will be explored at the end of the presentation. There will be opportunity at the end for discussion, including sharing out of commitments towards addressing the issue of forced labor, as well as partnering strategically with individuals and organizations working to combat labor trafficking and/or climate change. Resources will be included at the end, before opening up for a 15-minute Q&A with the panelist.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Investigate the relationship of climate change & forced labor

•  Explore the impacts of extractive economies on people and the land

•  Explore cross-sectoral solutions to human & environmental exploitation

•  Commit to at least one tangible action towards co-creating an abundant world

Foreign national survivors of human trafficking experience a variety of barriers and needs related to their foreign national status. Serving this population often demands comprehensive responses that attend to immigration status, culture, language, nationality, and more. Added barriers arise surrounding awareness of labor trafficking, as it is widely lesser-known and more difficult to identify but makes up over 70% of trafficking cases among foreign nationals, according to current data. Particularly for undocumented individuals, meaning those without legal immigration status (i.e., a visa), steep barriers to stability and recovery arise from inability to obtain immigration relief, lawful employment, public benefits, and state identification. These barriers exacerbate vulnerabilities that put them at risk of trafficking. Certain immigration remedies are available to this group, including specialized pathways to status. However, immigration applications can take years for approval, meanwhile leaving these barriers to stability and recovery in place. Consequently, supporting foreign national survivors of human trafficking, especially those of whom are undocumented, requires a long-term, comprehensive, and community-based approach. This presentation will discuss these barriers, examine labor trafficking for this population, and showcase several available remedies, including pathways to immigration status. This session will also examine ways we make certain populations more vulnerable to human trafficking and practices for removing barriers to relief.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Describe barriers to services facing foreign national survivors of human trafficking and provide them attendees with guidance on how to reduce them

•  Improve attendees’ ability to understand and identify labor trafficking, particularly as it may present in the cases involving foreign national survivors

•  Discuss key remedies available to foreign national survivors of trafficking, best practices, and innovative approaches

What if you were a victim of human trafficking but had no voice to tell your story? Kim and Marci—one artist, one writer, two voices for the Silent Ones. Let them introduce you to the Strawberry Girls. The Strawberry Girls are Moroccan women recruited each year to pick "red gold" in the strawberry fields of Spain. The shocking reality is that many of these vulnerable women are then lured into sex trafficking through lies, deception, and empty promises. Once they step foot in the brothel, they are trapped, and it will take a miracle for them to get out. But miracles do happen! One day, a safe house called and asked Marci to translate for a Moroccan woman who had just been rescued. This woman was a “Strawberry Girl.” In Marci’s continued work with these women, she began to identify a human trafficking line between Morocco and Spain. Unwilling to stay silent, Marci began writing their stories. Her friend and professional artist, Kim, began painting their stories. Through Kim's soulful artwork and Marci's poetic words from their Strawberry Girls Project, they invite you to step into the shoes of the Strawberry Girls and journey with them from slavery to freedom. Kim and Marci will guide participants through the experiences of the Strawberry Girls and inspire them to use their own unique talents and passions to join the anti-human trafficking movement in their own communities and around the world. What if you could make a difference right where you are?

Presentation Objectives:

•  Describe the 4-stage journey of The Strawberry Girls from Morocco to Spain, identifying common patterns of human trafficking victimization around the world, such as deception, lies, empty promises, and movement of people

•  Demonstrate how to use one’s passions and talents to raise awareness of trafficking

•  Invite participants to consider using their unique passions and talents to join the anti-human trafficking movement in their own communities and around the world

This presentation introduces an AI-based campaign aimed at raising awareness about the harms of prostitution and combating sex trafficking. At its core, the initiative is to raise awareness of the situation of women in prostitution and recognition of the harms of prostitution, to act by providing accurate information and education, and to reduce the demand and social legitimization of prostitution. This is based on the understanding that women in the cycle of prostitution are the affected party, and that prostitution creates lasting harm to women. The strategy involves collaborating with partners including Naama, Shiran, D-ID, and potentially others, employing AI technology combined with creative storytelling to authentically convey the survivors' experiences while ensuring their anonymity. This approach fosters empathy and compassion towards these women and also supports their recovery and societal reintegration. Furthermore, by educating the public to reduce the consumption of prostitution, the campaign directly contributes to the fight against human trafficking, particularly of women. Highlighting the critical need for such an initiative, the presentation discusses the significance of lighting the damages of prostitution. It underscores the potential for societal transformation through increased awareness, reduced stigma, and supports the rehabilitation of women exiting prostitution. By promoting a social environment that condemns prostitution and recognizes women as victims of  life circumstances, the campaign aims to encourage more women to seek help, and ultimately, to contribute to the prevention of prostitution and related issues such as human trafficking.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Illuminate the harms of prostitution and sex trafficking through an innovative AI-based campaign

•  Foster empathy and support for the recovery and reintegration of women affected by prostitution and sex trafficking

•  Educate and alter public perception, reducing the consumption of prostitution and combating sex trafficking

Work on the frontlines addressing human trafficking inevitably impacts the mind, body, and spirit. Being immersed in the impact of trauma, evil, and suffering will take a toll, but can also lead to a deeper understanding of self and others. Individuals working closely with trauma must be attuned to the impact of this work to remain in a position of effectiveness. The presenters believe that because vicarious trauma is an inevitability for anyone working with human trafficking or other forms of social injustice, having an understanding of it, being able to recognize symptoms in both individuals and organizations, and having a proactive plan for preventing and mitigating it is crucial. This presentation will define vicarious trauma, provide data from interviews conducted with service providers, and provide an opportunity for self-reflection as well as ideas for how to conceptualize and implement self-care and organizational-care.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss the nature of vicarious trauma in both individuals and organizations, including contributors and symptoms

•  Present data from interviews with providers on their described impact of vicarious trauma and what they have found helpful to reduce and mitigate impact

•  Identify personal symptoms of secondary trauma

•  Discuss the role of self-care and organizational care and present a practical way to conceptualize and practice self-care

People who have experienced a human rights violation are the ones who best know its root causes, consequences, implications, and solutions. Therefore, survivors should be at the heart of approaches to combat human trafficking. In fact, research in other human rights fields has documented successful outcomes of survivor inclusion. Free the Slaves and HAART Kenya initiated this research across East and Central Africa to better understand: 1) Which gaps and challenges limit inclusive survivor engagement in the counter trafficking sector? 2) How are organizations currently engaging survivors? and 3) How can organizations in East & Central Africa improve their inclusion of survivors? All presenters were part of the research team. From the start of the research, people with lived experience of trafficking were active as consultants, researchers, and interviewees. The research design followed a trauma-informed approach throughout.  Findings and recommendations are based on interviews with 18 survivor advocates and survivor leaders from Cameroon, DRC, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, and South Sudan. Additionally, the counter-trafficking organizations they engaged with answered an online survey. The research lead to practical recommendations on how organizations can enhance survivor inclusion. The report also hopes to strengthen and encourage survivors of trafficking, survivor advocates, and leaders in their engagements with organizations. While research and recommendations are particularly informative for survivor advocates/leaders and counter trafficking organizations in Central and East Africa, it may also inspire others who wish to work for human rights more inclusively.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Inspire and inform survivors of trafficking, survivor advocates, and leaders in their engagement with organizations

•  Share findings and recommendations with organizations and individuals who want to improve and professionalize their survivor engagement

•  Describe the inclusive and trauma-informed methodology used for this research

Survivor-Led Solutions (a nonprofit that focuses on leadership, professional development, and LeadHer Retreats for survivor leaders) is an opportunity to observe the lifespan of a survivor and find a safe space to continue leadership, professional development, and ongoing mental health services. Sharing the story from victim to survivor, from advocate to influencer, this presentation will help law enforcement agencies, mental health, and medical providers empower survivors to become the subject matter experts that they are. Understanding how to rally survivors holistically and stabilize and promote them in different areas within this work, survivor leaders are entrepreneurs in this field in a new way. The change is necessary, and the information is essential. This training will provide an advanced level of understanding of the psyche of the survivor from victim to warrior.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Explain the lifespan of a survivor from victim to warrior

•  Describe basic principles of the psyche and how to empower survivors

•  Provide critical key terms and points of transition that every survivor makes

•  Offer law enforcement, mental health, and medical teams tools for best practices

This presentation offers a comprehensive exploration of human trafficking through the lens of an ecosystem perspective, integrating thorough research, poignant case studies, and actionable solutions. By adopting a multi-dimensional approach, it seeks to provide a holistic strategy for combatting this pervasive issue. Central to this strategy is the implementation of a hub and spoke framework, strategically leveraging accurate data to unite diverse stakeholders in a concerted effort toward eradication. Key components of the presentation include a meticulous gap analysis to identify critical areas for intervention, as well as a PESTEL analysis to contextualize the socio-political landscape surrounding human trafficking. Moreover, it outlines a survivor-centered response within the hub and spoke framework, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing the needs and experiences of survivors in our collective efforts. The presentation elucidates the essential elements of successful coordination and collaboration among stakeholders, highlighting the significance of partnering and mutual support in achieving meaningful impact. By fostering a culture of collaboration and leveraging resources effectively, we can cultivate a unified front against human trafficking. Ultimately, this presentation advocates for a comprehensive and collaborative approach to tackling human trafficking, grounded in robust research, practical solutions, and a steadfast commitment to collective impact. It serves as a call to action for stakeholders across various sectors to unite in the fight against this grave violation of human rights.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Describe current gaps in the landscape hindering effective survivor identification and support

•  Explain the interconnected nature of areas of responsibility

•  Provide key tools for helping improve collective impact initiatives to serve survivors with excellence

The presenter met “Jane Doe” when she was a 13-year-old victim of human trafficking. It took almost two years of investigation, interviewing suspects, and collecting evidence until law enforcement arrested 170 men and women including her biological mother. There were over 50,000 pages of social media evidence with thousands of chats, pictures, and videos documenting her abuse. At the center of all this evidence was one little girl who needed to be protected. One of the teams’ biggest concerns was keeping Jane Doe safe and her identity protected. The team used the pseudonym “Jane Doe” in every single filing with the Court. They redacted the evidence to make sure that her privacy was protected and that she was safe before the prosecution began. Once the discovery process began, the presenter filed almost 100 protective orders to keep her identity hidden from the public. This included editing out every piece of information that could be used to identify her. This presentation will help prosecutors, law enforcement, and other allied professionals prepare for a human trafficking case. It will provide tips and ideas on how to prepare voluminous digital evidence for court while protecting your victim. The presenter will discuss the things she learned, what she would do differently, and some of the real difficulties she experienced moving forward. She will also talk about her trauma and how it influenced the case as it went through the criminal justice system.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Describe the types of privileged information that exists and why it should be protected

•  Discuss the type of preparation that goes into an investigation/prosecution of a case this size

•  Discuss and explain what worked, what didn’t, and what was learned in hindsight

Christian faith-based NGOs (CFBOs) are major players in caring for survivors, but public representation of female survivors can reinforce stigma and feelings of powerlessness among the women they aim to help. Interviews with CFBO representatives revealed perspectives attributing trafficking to cultural factors, parenting, and the Khmer Rouge legacy’s impact on families. However, these portrayals tend to be generalized rather than reflecting survivors’ individual experiences and neglect to address larger systemic inequities. Interviews with trafficking survivors were a sub-group of the Butterfly Longitudinal project. They found CFBO marketing, especially when identifying survivors, led to experiences of dishonor, lost agency over their stories, and increased societal stigma. Recommendations include CFBOs partnering with survivors on ethical representation, targeting messaging to local audiences to mobilize community-level change, and refraining from using rescue and slavery narratives. Faith-based NGOs have an opportunity and a responsibility to restore dignity and power to survivors in how their stories are shared.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Examine current practices in how CFBOs represent trafficking survivors in Cambodia

•  Discuss the impact of CFBO marketing on survivor experiences of stigma and agency

•  Provide recommendations for how faith-based NGOs can ethically portray survivors

In the decades since global and national measurement has proven elusive, communities have grappled with the challenge of measuring prevalence with imperfect data. Estimates of the scope of the problem continue to vary, with evolving systems perpetually adapting to turnover, funding fluctuations, and societal stereotypes. Understanding statewide and regional contexts beyond prosecution and other system counts have been possible through the Colorado Projects’ 10-year longitudinal community-based participatory research (CBPR). Using theoretical public health frameworks, this session focuses upon the key findings from the Colorado Projects to provide contextualized knowledge about the nature of human trafficking and who is counted, who has access to systems, who is overrepresented, and who is missing. Inclusive CBPR methods empower survivors, underserved community members, practitioners, and activists with data that help to answer the research question of how trust, equity, and effectiveness are reflected in anti-trafficking responses. Focusing upon Colorado Project 2023 findings, this session will illustrate ways communities of color including immigrant and tribal communities, individuals who hold LGBTQ+ identities, and youth experiencing homelessness continue to be more vulnerable to exploitation and human trafficking in Colorado. The session will focus on the nature of trust, equity, and effectiveness within the anti-trafficking partnerships across Colorado that contribute to these inequities, notably the lack of critical representation in partnerships necessary to be more effective. This session will engage participants in the Colorado Project research recommendations focused on inclusion, training, partnership actions, and housing needed to sustain survivor-centered trauma-informed anti- trafficking responses across urban, rural, and frontier communities.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide a brief overview of the community-based participatory research key questions and methodologies of the longitudinal Colorado Project to Comprehensively Combat Human Trafficking

•  Present research findings for participants to gain insights on the nature of trust, equity, and effectiveness within the anti-trafficking partnerships across Colorado,

•  Describe the implications of the recommendations within the Colorado Project 2023 Action Plan focused on inclusion, training, partnership actions, and housing needed to sustain survivor-centered trauma-informed anti-trafficking responses

The Region of Peel’s Anti-Human Sex Trafficking (AHST) Program is a unique, first of its kind program in Canada. With its three-pillar approach, the Peel AHST Program seeks to combat human trafficking through: 1) Prevention – aims to increase awareness and education of sex trafficking through advocacy and training initiatives, community engagement, and education/awareness events; 2) Intervention – aims to increase access to dedicated wrap-around services and supports for victims, survivors, and individuals at-risk through the integrated services hub; and 3) Exits/Housing – aims to increase access to dedicated, safe, and supportive housing for victims and survivors. The Peel AHST Survivor Remuneration Framework acknowledges that the voices of survivors and expertise of survivor leaders must be at the forefront of the anti-trafficking movement. In doing so, the framework advances an equitable and ethical approach to meaningfully engage with survivors by integrating a best practice model for remunerating those with lived experience based on the principles of being non-tokenistic, trauma informed, and preventing further harm. The framework provides guidelines based on identified best practices for compensating survivors of sex trafficking and maintains that organizations cannot expect survivors to offer their time and expertise pro bono. Ethical financial compensation is the only way anti-trafficking organizations can value and acquire vital survivor expertise. Increasing the ethical inclusion of survivor expertise in all aspects of programming, service delivery, policy development, and client pathways is critical to improving anti-trafficking efforts. At the same time, organizations must be cognizant of the ethical, equitable, and meaningful inclusion of survivors into organizational processes.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Promote recognition that an ethical and equitable approach which incorporates the expertise of survivor leaders must be at the forefront of the anti-trafficking movement

•  Discuss how to integrate a best practice model for remunerating those with lived experience based on the principles of being non-tokenistic, trauma informed, and preventing further harm

•  Explains the value and importance of meaningfully engaging with survivor leaders/ individuals with lived experience

Today’s online world has led to an epidemic of victimization of children. Offenders can locate, groom, and victimize children through numerous apps. Now, with artificial intelligence (AI), offenders can create AI versions of children, manipulate photos of children, and create child sexual abuse material. They can use AI at scale to machine learn victim behavior and utilize that technology to groom at scale. This presentation will highlight current trends and dangers that artificial intelligence poses to victims and the threat to society we now face. It will cover how machine learning can mimic children’s social media accounts to use their own information against them. The presenter will go over the open web and how a simple photo at a school event can be used to exploit children. Attendees will better understand the how AI is employed by how offenders exploit children for online child exploitation and trafficking. They will also learn some safe tips to protect their own social media platforms.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss what AI and machine learning is

•  Explain how offenders are using different technology to make it easier to groom victims

•  Explain how AI will be used by offenders in trafficking and child exploitation

Maya Tamang, 44, was born into a low-income family in a rural area of Nepal and is the mother of one daughter. She was trafficked to India when she was eight years old. 500 minor Nepalese girls were rescued during the 1996 Indian government raid on all brothels in the nation. When she returned to Kathmandu, WOREC granted her two years of shelter, and then they assisted her in reintegrating with her family in her village. She was forced to move to a different place because of the stigma and discrimination against her HIV condition. Later, she married a man from a different caste. She suffered violence from her husband, and sadly, their marriage was not able to withstand it. Maya started Shakti Samuha, the first organization in the world, founded by human trafficking survivors together with fifteen other survivors. She is employed with the organization. She faces a number of intersectional challenges in her reintegration. In 2013, she was given the opportunity to take part in a participatory action research study conducted by University of Calgary PhD candidate, Rita Dhungel. The study provided her with a safe and judgment-free platform to reflect on her own intersectional oppression and raise her voice, which had been silenced, through the use of photovoice and media conferences. Maya Tamang, who is currently working as a reintegration officer with Shakti Samuha, will share her journey from oppression to liberation. She will also discuss how engaging in participatory action research gave her more self-assurance and empowered her to support campaigns that aim to prevent, protect, and prosecute human trafficking.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Help participants critically understand the challenges of trafficking survivors in reintegration

•  Share the power of trafficking survivors in their reintegration

•  Highlight how participatory action research provided Maya with the opportunity to raise her silenced voice and become involved in advocacy practice

The Northern Ohio REACH Coalition rightly prides itself on helping victims grow to become survivors and then thrivers. We applaud these gains. Those of us with sexual convictions are never victims. However, we can be viewed as survivors of our prison journey even if that journey was due to our choices. This promotes community safety. Sexual offenders have the ability to learn how to thrive and make a difference in their communities. Everyone can feel safer and more productive when both survivors and those who have abused also thrive. This involves accepting the consequences of past behavior and advocating for humanity and recovery. The judgement of many people creates barriers. Many people believe that pedophilia is incurable and untreatable, but research and hard work allow many of us to thrive. Robert Longo lists seventeen areas where those of us with sexual convictions need to achieve for community safety, which will be examined in further detail in this presentation with the end goal of helping people thrive. In this session, the presenters will discuss the importance of involving mental health agencies to assist in confronting any denial or minimization. This also is important when family reunification takes place. A cooperative arrangement of individuals, family members, mental health, and law enforcement can work together to enhance community safety and a thriving population. The more we establish this sense of community, the better the opportunity to have restorative individuals all living together. The presentation will feature both discussion and slides to reinforce the concepts of healing.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Demonstrate the challenge of reentry and regaining trust

•  Describe how to challenge and refrain our assumptions about life

•  Demonstrate the importance of taking full responsibility for our past behaviors

Law enforcement, service providers, and medical responders experience sustained exposure to child maltreatment, sexual assaults, and human trafficking. The resulting effects can be devastating and include substance abuse, increased rates of suicide, marital distress, depression and anxiety, and decreased physical wellness. This presentation will focus on learning more about vicarious trauma and gaining tools to assess our personal experience with vicarious trauma to improve our wellbeing. The presenter will differentiate between vicarious trauma and secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, burn out, moral suffering, and post-traumatic stress disorder to understand the impact high-stress work environments have on the wellbeing of those in the profession. Discussion regarding personal experiences, cultural changes within the workplace, and the normalization of vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue will be a main priority during this session. The presenter will include various resilience strategies to assist attendees in self-care routines, which also ensures less turnover and better services provided to the victims they serve.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Assist attendees to recognize their own levels of compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma by learning about them and the related effects of high-stress work

•  Discuss the need to normalize vicarious trauma in high stress work and access tools and resources to improve their personal and professional lives

•  Describe how to advocate for culture change in the workplace by discussing the importance of leadership buy-in and tools to make a difference

Approximately 90 million migrants are living and working outside their home countries, many seeking security and sustainable livelihoods. These migrants often take on "3D jobs" characterized by low wages, little security, and hazardous conditions. Forced labor affects millions globally, with 49.6 million individuals trapped in modern slavery in 2021, including 27.6 million enduring forced labor. Of these, 17.3 million suffer exploitation in the private sector, and 3.9 million are victims of state-sanctioned forced labor. Shockingly, 6 million women and girls, along with 12% of children, are subjected to forced labor. Addressing decent work deficiencies in the informal economy is vital in combating this issue. This study aims to evaluate safeguarding strategies for individuals affected by forced labor exploitation-related human trafficking and child trafficking along the Mediterranean migration route, aligning with sustainable development goals. Semi-structured and qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with experts from Italy and Turkey. A total of 46 participants, including 15 from Italy and 31 from Turkey, were involved. Grounded theory guided data analysis using MAXQDA 2020 Pro Analytics software, revealing 2,942 codes, 17 sub-themes, and 4 main themes. These themes covered victim profiles, available services, challenges in service provision, and proposals for an effective protection system. The conclusion and discussion section compared results within the Council of Europe Convention framework, allowing for a comparative analysis between Italy and Turkey. Recommendations were made to address identified gaps in combating forced labor exploitation.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss protective measures for those impacted by forced labor exploitation, specifically human and child trafficking along the Mediterranean migration route

•  Describe how to seek alignment with sustainable development goals to ensure effective safeguarding strategies

This presentation will examine familial exploitation from a family-system perspective.  Take a deep dive into the behavioral indicators, family dynamics, and offender characteristics that contribute to family-controlled exploitation. Exploitation of this kind involves family members selling their minor children for money, drugs, or something else of value (e.g., access, prestige, or recreation) and typically includes manufacturing of child sex abuse material. Families who exploit their children commercially often have adversities, dysfunctions, and disorders that create a household dynamic of coercion and secrecy, making identification and intervention extremely difficult. These children often attend school, church, and other community functions, but go unnoticed as needing assistance. Exploitation of this kind causes severe psychological trauma, negatively impacting the individual throughout their lifespan. While identification is difficult, it is not impossible. Join this session for a closer look at familial exploitation, examine key identifiers, and discuss intervention strategies throughout the lifespan.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide a thorough understanding of familial trafficking, including dysfunctional household dynamics

•  Identify key behavioral indicators of the family system and victim/survivor

•  Explore survivor-informed intervention strategies across the lifespan

It is well known that individuals with complex trauma and especially those with marginalized identities have not received quality mental health care. Many of these reasons stem from budgeting and other systemic challenges of providing therapy in community mental health. However, with individuals connected to commercial sex, clinicians are also missing key cultural and trauma informed pieces. Therapists often even over focus on trauma in commercial sex, often fetishizing the individual, or they feel they cannot go near those experiences and discuss them and avoid them at all costs. This presentation will explore providing therapy as an ally and how to provide quality care. It will explore the benefits of trauma informed therapy, use of EMDR, and particularly Dolores Mosquera’s progressive approach theory to provide healing for individuals connected to commercial sex. She will discuss the challenges of using standard protocol of EMDR with individuals who have been connected to the commercial sex trade. She will explore common themes that occurred when attempting to provide EMDR. She will discuss her protocols that allowed individuals to benefit from therapy and experience relief. She will explore how to provide EMDR to individuals currently in the life without flooding or re-traumatization. She will provide case examples and discuss the benefits seen. Finally, she will explore the importance of culturally attuned care as well as having access to quality and thorough trauma treatment to survivors. She will expand on how providing quality care is a social justice and rights issue for individuals connected to commercial sex.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Increase knowledge regarding therapy provided to commercial sex trade survivors

•  Explore how EMDR can support healing for commercial sex trade survivors

•  Support attendees to identify how they can increase their clinical support of individuals in commercial sex through their organizations

•  Identify how providing quality care to individuals connected to commercial sex is a social justice issue

Effective partnerships between law enforcement and the communities they serve are a key component in effectively identifying and assisting victims of human trafficking and investigating and prosecuting traffickers. Agencies that focus on the three principles of community policing – partnerships, problem solving, and organizational change - have seen success in building trust and strengthening relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve; including populations that may be particularly vulnerable to trafficking. This session will focus on promising practices in community policing approaches to human trafficking with the goal to explore how the law enforcement response to human trafficking might be strengthened throughout the field. Panelists will also discuss available resources and technical assistance available to the field.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Identify promising practices for combatting human trafficking

•  Provide collaborative strategies for engaging with services providers and survivors

•  Identify investigative strategies using community policing approaches

Coercive control is a cornerstone of sex trafficking. It entraps survivors in the vicious cycle of abuse and keeps them under the trafficker’s power - even though the door is “wide open” for them to leave. Understanding coercive control and its deep impacts on survivors is key to understanding the nuances of sex trafficking and supporting survivors in a transformative way. Using an intersectional feminist approach that is trauma-informed and survivor-centric, Marissa will explore coercive control in the context of sex trafficking. This knowledge is a feature of Aura Freedom's award-winning human trafficking prevention work and their ground-breaking online Human Trafficking Info Hub. Through various examples, Marissa will examine the many forms that coercive control takes, as well as the different control tactics used by traffickers and how they affect survivors when accessing services. Pulling from her own experience supporting survivors, as well as from Aura Freedom’s survivor-informed curricula, Marissa will share how to provide trauma-informed survivor support that acknowledges, considers, and understands coercive control. She will examine the criminalization of survivors as a form of coercive control, and stress the importance of employing the UN Non-Punishment Principle in the anti-trafficking movement. Attendees will gain frontline strategies and grassroots community knowledge to inform their work, support survivors in a good way, and ultimately prevent human trafficking. Most importantly, attendees will learn how to flip the script from “Why don’t they just leave?” to truly understanding coercive control.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide insight into the complexities and nuances of sex trafficking by exploring coercive control and its intense effects on survivors

•  Present frontline survivor support strategies for successful human trafficking prevention rooted in human rights, intersectional feminism, equity, and empowerment

•  Highlight transformative, trauma-informed service provision to prevent re-exploitation and disrupt cycles of intergenerational trafficking

•  Examine the criminalization of sex trafficking survivors as a form of Coercive Control, and the importance of the UN Non-Punishment Principle in the anti-trafficking movement

Deaf individuals are at a higher risk of maltreatment and trafficking than the general population due to systemic vulnerabilities. Specifically, without culturally responsive and linguistically accessible services, Deaf clients (both adults and children) may struggle with reporting maltreatment and receiving services for trauma after experiencing maltreatment. There is an increased risk of commercial sexual exploitation of children and adults who have been maltreated, and as estimates show that deaf children have a high risk of abuse, it is likely that deaf children and adults experience CSEC at a high rate due to systemic issues. This training will discuss the needs of Deaf populations related to trafficking service provision and collaboration with interpreters, Deaf serving agencies, and other supports. Attendees will learn about Deaf community considerations in terms of risk and protective factors in anti-trafficking; cultural and linguistic accessibility; and specialized needs for safe houses, case management, and other types of service provision, including how to work with Deaf led organizations, interpreters, and consultants.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Explain how to reduce risk and safety issues with Deaf youth and adult clients as providers in anti-trafficking

•  Discuss how to engage with Deaf survivors from an empowerment framework and resources for support

•  Discuss how to find resources for accommodations and cultural competency building

Human trafficking has a complex relationship with artificial intelligence (AI). AI serves as both a powerful ally and potential adversary in the battle against modern-day slavery, with our prioritization of humanity determining the victor. While acting as Project Manager for a human trafficking abolition organization, Property Manager for the Anchorage, Alaska Emergency Women’s Shelter, and Criminal Justice Technician in the Sex Offender Registry for the Alaska Department of Safety, Sabrina faced sex traffickers preying on the vulnerable and learned how they run their businesses. The presenter will critically examine the darker side of AI and ethical considerations in the development and implementation of AI tools, with a call to prioritize human rights and privacy. While AI holds immense promise for bolstering anti-trafficking efforts, it simultaneously poses risks and ethical concerns that demand vigilant consideration. Highlighting the positive aspects, the presentation explores how AI technologies can enhance the identification, prevention, and intervention strategies employed by human trafficking advocates. From predictive analytics to data-driven awareness campaigns, the potential for AI to revolutionize the field is underscored. In conclusion, the presentation offers recommendations for a balanced approach, urging the integration of ethical guidelines into AI initiatives. It calls upon the audience to actively participate in shaping AI policies that prioritize the welfare of vulnerable populations. The talk serves as a thought-provoking exploration of the challenges and opportunities at the intersection of AI and the fight against human trafficking, urging a collective commitment to responsible and human-centric AI practices.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide a comprehensive exploration of the dual role played by artificial intelligence in the context of human trafficking

•  Highlight specific instances and applications where AI has positively impacted anti-trafficking efforts, showcasing how AI tools can be leveraged for identification, prevention, and intervention strategies

•  Actively engage the audience in a discussion about the ethical implications of using AI in anti-trafficking initiatives

•  Offer recommendations for a balanced and ethical approach to utilizing AI in the fight against human trafficking

The dearth of available information on early onset commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) is a serious knowledge gap. This study sought to identify common patterns and variations in the life histories of adults who experienced CSE prior to the age 11. A community-based participatory research approach was used to conduct interviews at two and three timepoints with 10 adults whose CSE began below age 11. Most participants (n = 8) identified as cis women (Mage = 38). The average age of CSE onset was 4.78 years. Primary traffickers were biological family, step/adoptive caregivers, daycare provider, and a neighbor. Reflective thematic analysis was used to identify six themes: (1) Stolen identities and isolated childhoods; (2) Hidden lives amid severe, chronic abuse; (3) Indifferent to bad to worse family dynamics; (4) Structural oppression: Churches, cults, and patriarchy; (5) Surviving complex trauma; and (6) In the pursuit of justice. Surviving chaotic and unpredictable childhoods that included caregivers’ severe mental illness and chronic abuse resulted in a range of cognitive, somatic, and behavioral responses, such as dissociation and self-injurious behaviors. Although participants were not offered services after exiting CSE and traffickers were never prosecuted, they displayed a strong commitment to help prevent and stop future child exploitation. This is the first study to center the experiences of adults initiated into CSE at very young ages and to use a community-engaged approach to do so. Implications for research, policy, and practice will be discussed.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Describe pathways into CSE that were initiated at very young ages by trusted adults

•  Explore differences in CSE pathways and life course development as compared to those initiated into exploitation during adolescence

•  Evaluate gaps in current prevention and intervention strategies in the anti-trafficking field

•  Consider policies and programs that could better support those who experience early onset CSE

Familial trafficking has only recently been brought into the mainstream conversations around human trafficking, but there is still a lot we don’t understand. The barriers a child faces that has been trafficked by a family member starts with identification and continues throughout the “system.” What happens when they hit a barrier and either fall through the cracks or are placed in a more harmful situation? These are some of our most vulnerable youth. Join the presenters to find out more about these barriers, the sporadic safety nets that are in place, and their suggestions for systemic change to better address these issues.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Define familial trafficking and the difficulties in identification

•  Discuss the barriers throughout the system that a child trafficked by a family member might encounter

•  Challenge the traditional system as it relates to the child and consider alternatives to better serve them

At Bon Secours Mercy Health, (BSMH) their mission is to extend the compassionate ministry of Jesus by improving the health and well-being of the community and bringing good help to those in need, especially people who are poor, dying, and underserved. This is never more evident than in their trauma informed care of those being trafficked. A case presentation will be offered, along with a discussion of a healthcare system’s approach to this care including the role of forensic nurses and the trauma recovery center. Presenters will share insight into the development of training and education of health system associates located across four states, along with providing educational offerings to increase awareness of trafficking within the communities the health system serves, while developing partnerships within those areas. Additionally, presenters will discuss successes and lessons learned by a health system while developing a trauma informed care approach for those patients experiencing trafficking.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Define a trauma informed care approach for those being trafficked using the “4 R’s” of realizing, recognizing, responding, and resisting re-traumatization

•  Discuss a healthcare system’s approach to the holistic needs and care of those being trafficked, including the role of forensic nurses and the trauma recovery center

•  Describe two methods for building community partnerships and how their respective role contributes to the overall success of this approach

In the ever-evolving landscape of human trafficking research, the allure of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) often dominates the discourse, promising precision and rigor. Despite the numerous ethical, legal, and methodological concerns raised by researchers and communities, and known viable alternatives, RCTs continue to be the preferred, if not the required, method for many large-scale funders to combat human trafficking around the globe. Using real-world examples, the presenters will acknowledge the history and utility of RCTs while also addressing concerns regarding their misapplication, and examples of the harm the overreliance on RCTs has caused to the anti-human trafficking effort. Specifically, they will explore how the overreliance on RCTs 1) reflects a Western-centric view of development, inconsistent with the decolonial goal of empowering communities, 2) can create coercion and power imbalance between academics/researchers who know RCTs and the service providers who need funds, 3) sets back the anti-trafficking field by focusing on researcher-originated priorities, 4) perpetuates known methodological concerns, and 5) has created an overabundance of micro-level interventions conducive to an RCT design that have little practical application or applicability to the systemic concerns that perpetuate trafficking. Finally, they will present some of the many rigorous alternative methods to the RCT that center community knowledge and agency and emphasize the need for careful consideration of ethical implications, impact, and cultural sensitivities.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss the history, utility of, and reliance on RCTs in the human trafficking field

•  Understand the limitations and concerns regarding RCT application

•  Discuss rigorous alternatives to RCT in combatting human trafficking

Federal funds for human trafficking victim programs and services in the United States have increased from approximately $10 million in 2002 to more than $90 million in 2022. This increase in fund availability, however, has not necessarily translated into meaningful or accessible services for survivors. This research examines the distribution of Department of Justice anti-trafficking funds through the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), particularly looking at OVC recipients in Alaska. This case study of Alaska - which received more than $10 million since 2019 - highlights certain trends in OVC funding, including changes in distribution over time, emphasis on task force engagement between service providers and law enforcement, and discussions of equity and inclusion, while the reality faced by survivors can be quite different. What institutional accountability explains how the $10.7 million in federal funds have been spent in Alaska over the last decade? What do a plethora of victim service funds mean if survivors cannot access them? The presenters explore institutional mechanisms of exclusion and harm, particularly around concepts of ideal victims, complexities in collaborating with law enforcement, criminalization of trafficking survivors, and criteria to qualify for services. The implications of this research for policymakers and service providers are further explored, and suggestions are made for federal funding distribution and accountability and institutional engagement with federal funds and survivors.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide a descriptive overview of OVC funding distribution over different types of projects and different areas of the U.S. over time

•  Dive into Alaska’s case study, understanding the role of federal funding in institutional behavior and policies and exploring survivor’s experiences with these federally funded groups

•  Describe the recommendations for federal funding and institutional policies based on this research

Existing literature on sex trafficking in the United States has extensively discussed the varied profiles of traffickers. However, there is a lack of research on minors trafficking other minors. In this study, data was collected from a Las Vegas police department and 27 cases were found between January 11 to December 2021 where the sex trafficker was under the age of 18. This data was collected to address the following research questions: 1) What are the socio-demographic profiles of minors involved in sex trafficking as offenders, including their age, race/ethnicity, and gender? 2) Whom do minor offenders of sex trafficking typically target or traffic, and what are the characteristics of these victims? and 3) What are the primary methods used by minor offenders to recruit victims into sex trafficking? Results show limited variation in gender and race, and include how victims were identified by law enforcement, behaviors of the traffickers including how they were recruiting and trafficking their victims, the means of control employed by the minor offenders, and case outcomes including arrest information and dispositions. These findings urge action, especially involving schools and youth safety training. School staff can aid in prevention and intervention by recognizing trafficking signs, identifying at-risk students, and reporting suspicions properly. Collaboration between law enforcement, schools, social services, and communities is crucial. It ensures comprehensive support for victims and offenders, offering counseling, rehabilitation, and legal aid. Prevention efforts should educate on healthy relationships, online safety, critical thinking, and digital literacy to empower youth against exploitation.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss the background and gaps in existing literature regarding minors trafficking other minors in the context of sex trafficking in the U.S.

•  Present the key findings from the study, including limited variations in gender and race among minor offenders, methods of victim identification by law enforcement, trafficker behaviors, means of control used, case outcomes, and implications for action, particularly involving schools and youth safety training

In 2017, founded by Kenyette Tisha Barnes and Oronike Odeleye, #MuteRKelly used a hybrid organizing strategy to hold accountable R&B singer Robert Sylvester Kelly, “R. Kelly”, for over 30 years of unchecked sexual violence, sex trafficking, and violence against adolescent and young adult Black women and girls. As a result of the campaign, there was a marked economic loss of approximately $4 Million in lost ticket sales, bans from urban radio, canceled concerts, media and entertainment scrutiny (most notably the docuseries, “Surviving R. Kelly”), and a Federal conviction. #MuteRKelly, created a paradigm shift and exposed how the intersections of power, misogynoir, and adultification, created a breeding ground for corruption, sex trafficking, and abuse. #MuteRKelly approached activism from an intersectional lens, understanding that the dominant players within the anti-trafficking movement often neglect the unique experiences of Black female victims of sexual violence. Next, the campaign sought to organize a diverse coalition of legislative, judicial, mental health, media, entertainment, and community partners. Finally, #MuteRKelly employed traditional grassroots organizing, including protests, rallies, and the formulation of 13 global chapters, including Berlin and Amsterdam. In this session, the presenter will provide a call to action for intersectionality in programming, reporting, and agency leadership and to divest from the systemic marginalization of BIPOC thought leaders and survivors' voices in the anti-trafficking discourse.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Introduce attendees to the genesis, coalition partners, and historic progression of the #MuteRKelly Campaign

•  Reinforce the concepts of intersectionality, misogynoir, and adultification and synthesize how these concepts underpinned R. Kelly's 30-year sexual abuse and sex trafficking behaviors

•  Discuss how the intersections of power, race, misogynoir, and adultification underpinned the vilification of #MuteRKelly organizers and secondary trauma of R Kelly's survivors and their family members

•  Discuss the weaponization of social media and lack of response by social media moderators to address the abuse, doxxing, and harassment of #MuteRKelly organizers and survivors

Join Dr. Shobana Powell and Cristian Eduardo in an exploration of the dynamics of psychological coercion in sex trafficking. They will present on how research on Biderman's Framework and cultic theory demonstrate the shared psychological coercion tactics used in sex trafficking, torture, and cults. The presenters will also discuss the practical applications for working with survivors. This workshop is beneficial to all who work in the anti-trafficking field, as psychological coercion can be one of the most common forms of control and yet one of the most difficult to identify, name, and heal from. The presenters will go beyond the basics of human trafficking, delving into the subtle manipulation tactics utilized by exploiters and providing culturally relevant case examples. The goal of this workshop is to 1) validate and normalize survivors’ experiences of psychological coercion, 2) empower mental health, law enforcement, legal, and other service providers with shared language around psychological coercion, and 3) replace movement-wide minimizing of the harms of psychological coercion with believing and supporting survivors.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Identify shared coercion tactics in sex trafficking and torture

•  Identify shared coercion tactics in sex trafficking and cults

•  Learn tips for working with survivors who have experienced coercive control

Working in the field of trauma can be emotionally and mentally taxing for direct service providers. In order to be empathetic and ethical practitioners, it is crucial for professionals to prioritize their own self-care in order to effectively support survivors. With over two decades of experience in anti-trafficking and social justice work between the two of them, Brianne and Nora have seen how critical self-care is for providers in the field. Direct service providers often experience high levels of stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout due to the emotional and physical demands of their work. Throughout this presentation, the importance of self-compassion and self-awareness are emphasized as essential components of self-care. Various forms of self-care practices will be explored during this presentation; including mindfulness, breathing exercises, and self-reflection tools to better understand one’s own thought process and triggers. Trauma informed yoga combines movement, breath, and mindfulness to help providers release tension and build resilience. Overall, this presentation provides practical tools and strategies for direct service providers to cultivate self-care habits, enhance their reflective practices, and address inner conflict in a trauma-informed manner. By prioritizing their own well-being, service providers can continue to effectively support those they work with from a place of compassion and abundance. In conclusion, it is essential for direct service providers to prioritize self-care in order to prevent burnout and compassion fatigue. By incorporating regular self-care practices into their routines, providers better support others and continue doing the work they are passionate about.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Increase awareness and understanding of self-care practices among direct service providers, including educating direct service providers on the importance of self-care practices in preventing burnout and compassion fatigue

•  Explore the benefits and strategies of incorporating trauma-informed yoga as a self-care tool for both direct service providers and survivors, with a focus on promoting healing and empowerment through mind-body connection

•  Empower direct service providers with practical strategies and resources for self-care that they can integrate into their daily routines in order to maintain their well-being, decrease stress, and continue serving survivors with compassion and effectiveness