Familial trafficking looks different, has different outcomes, and needs different interventions than what is considered “traditional” human trafficking. In this session attendees will consider literature where the variations occur, and be given resources to try and address familial trafficking in their communities. A survivor’s case study will be given and several resources on familial trafficking vulnerabilities and outcomes will be discussed. Offender profiles and parental warning signs and contributing factors considered in a broad lens of trafficking and vulnerabilities will be given. General applicable information about working with youth and key signs of risk will be presented as well. Familial trafficking is more prevalent and more complicated than typically perceived. In this session, attendees will be equipped with resources to begin incorporating this reality into their work. Learning to distinguish the unique factors associated with familial trafficking can support wholistic service provision and comprehensive awareness in our communities.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss the risk factors in familial trafficking

•  Present a survivor case study

•  Describe parental risk/familial perpetrator risks

•  Explain the differences in “traditional” human trafficking narratives

Featuring two powerful and dynamic survivor leaders, Katie and Marjorie will share their journey on how they recovered from feeling hopeless as human trafficking victims to helping other survivors. Both will share their compelling stories about their trafficking experience. They will emphasize the force, fraud, and coercion that kept them psychologically stuck in the cycle of trafficking. They will capitalize the audience on their inspiration to leave their trafficking situation and describe their miraculous trauma recovery. In an interview style, Katie and Marjorie will focus on the importance of survivor engagement. They will highlight their experiences serving on the 3Strands Global Foundation Survivor Board and other survivor leader community involvement. They will highlight the magnitude of lived experience while working with law enforcement and community service providers. Marjorie will share her passion for advocating for survivor-driven policy reform, while Katie will provide essential components when engaging with human trafficking victims in trauma treatment. They will speak about the importance of providing trauma-informed care in mental health and healthcare settings and an emphasis on the psychological impact of trauma bonding with their traffickers. In a call to action, Katie and Marjorie hope to inspire other survivors to become survivor leaders in their own community.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Describe each of their strengths as survivor leaders

•  Detail the force, fraud, and coercion tactics that kept each survivor stuck in their trafficking experience

•  Explain the importance of survivor engagement

Metanoia Manor is a residential recovery program for adolescent survivors of human trafficking in the American Gulf South. Their instructor has implemented a trauma-informed, healing-centered educational model designed to promote academic success and emotional healing. Drawing on Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development, the instructor differentiated instruction and used scaffolding to help students progress academically, regardless of past disruptions in their education. The classroom environment was structured and predictable to foster psychological safety. Movement and sensory regulation activities were integrated throughout the day to support focus and emotional regulation. The instructor prioritized relationship-building, recognizing that consistent, affirming connections with adults are critical for students recovering from trauma. Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) were co-developed with counselors to include both academic and emotional goals. Progress monitoring was a collaborative process that kept students engaged and motivated. The instructor also worked to educate youth advocates on recognizing trauma responses, helping them understand that certain behaviors are often rooted in survival rather than defiance. Beyond direct instruction, the instructor actively challenged misconceptions about the academic potential of trafficking survivors. She promoted a strengths-based mindset and maintained high expectations. Her efforts contributed to the program’s state certification, enabling students to pursue higher education and access financial aid. Within two years, three students earned GPAs above 3.5 and were accepted into college. This work illustrates that, with the right support and belief in their potential, adolescent survivors can achieve academic success. This session calls for increased funding, research, and systemic commitment to trauma-informed education.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Inform educators about best practices to serve youth trafficking victims and others with adverse experiences in classrooms

·  Inform youth advocates about the root causes of behavior in children recovering from trauma so they may identify and respond better to students that may be facing exploitation or survival responses

·  Inform the public about the misconceptions surrounding attainment in youth trafficking survivors and promote a growth mindset and elevated expectations

This presentation will provide an overview of human trafficking, including the legal definitions and modifications of the law. The presenters will define and discuss sex trafficking, labor trafficking, and familial trafficking, with a focus on the most vulnerable populations (e.g., runaways, those with addictions, those with language barriers, etc.). They will also discuss the general profile of the trafficker and some ways in which

traffickers might approach victims. This will include a short video to help attendees recognize some signs of potential human trafficking. Information will be shared about updated human trafficking statistics and some common myths about trafficking. The presentation will include the growing social media component of human trafficking and how to make social media safer for children. The presenters will then provide attendees information on how they can take steps to prevent human trafficking (e.g., buying fair trade items, reporting suspicious activities, utilizing privacy tools on social media, etc.). Finally, the presenters will stress the importance of awareness and vigilance inside of communities and the importance of reporting suspicious activities. Information about agencies and resources will also be shared, giving attendees greater access to further education and information.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide a clear definition of human trafficking

•  Describe how to recognize human trafficking

•  Provide reliable resources for human trafficking information

•  Empower the audience to take action to help prevent human trafficking

This presentation focuses on a much under-studied aspect of sex trafficking: the survival strategies and resources used during trafficking. Data comprised 75 interviews with 44 survivors who were asked to define ‘resilience’ during trafficking, and to share their experiences of resilience during trafficking. Dr. Knight worked with a community co-researcher to conduct a thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) of these definitions and stories, present the themes to participants in subsequent interviews, and integrate their input into the results. Participants mainly defined ‘resilience’ during trafficking as ‘survival’, i.e., not giving up or committing suicide, and doing whatever it takes to continue surviving. The themes organized the processes and resources for survival into five clusters: (1) Surviving and hoping: Just surviving, inner voice of hope, refusing to die, deciding to survive, dreams or goals, curiosity, good memories; (2) Managing trauma: Dissociation, drugs and/or alcohol, self-harm; (3) Spiritual experiences: Encounters with God/spiritual beings, faith/spirituality; (4) Resistance: Staying kind, refusing to believe traffickers’ messages, negotiating with traffickers/clients, creating small moments of safety/rest, attempting/planning escape, obtaining services, and (5) Having people who matter: family members, traffickers, friends. The results highlight survivors’ strengths and wisdom and provide direction for service provision to survivors still being trafficked. For instance, outreach efforts could include talking with survivors about dreams and goals, acknowledging and honoring their ability to survive, and providing them with resources to help other individuals being trafficked. The presentation concludes with survivors’ recommendations for integrating this knowledge into trafficking discourse, practice, and for further research.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide an overview of the study

•  Describe survivors’ survival strategies of surviving and hoping, managing trauma, spiritual experiences, resistance, and having people who matter

•  Discuss implications and recommendations for integrating this knowledge into practice

The “Nordic Model” criminalizes sex buyers while treating individuals in prostitution as exploitation victims. It combines awareness campaigns with increased services for individuals in prostitution. Critics argue it hurts sex workers and increases vulnerability by pushing activities underground. In 2020, Israel became the 9th country to implement this model by passing a law prohibiting the consumption of prostitution. Offenders face a $550 fine or can attend a socio-educational program. A government program provides expanded services for those wishing to exit prostitution and public campaigns. This research sought to answer, “How were the law and the program implemented and what was their effect on consumers and on individuals in prostitution?” Methodology included repeated online surveys of Israeli men about prostitution consumption, analysis of Google Trends for prostitution-related terms, and review of police data on enforcement and fines. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals in prostitution, clients, police officers, and social workers to provide additional qualitative insights. Enforcement was carried out in only three police stations. It fluctuated but declined significantly and was minimal by 2023. Police challenges included resource limitations, difficulties establishing evidence, and difficulty in accessing discreet locations. Data revealed mixed results: surveys indicated increased consumption, while internet data suggested decreased demand with fluctuations correlating negatively with enforcement intensity during specific periods. Although some individuals in prostitution reported a temporary drop in income, most support the law. The presenter concludes that legislation alone proves insufficient to reduce prostitution or change norms; effective implementation requires consistent enforcement and education.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide background information on the context and significance of the research study

•  Provide an overview of the study, main questions, methodology, and findings

•  Describe the insights and recommendations based on the study

In 2024, the scope of exploitation following human trafficking has expanded in the European Union, yet ambiguity persists around when working conditions constitute criminal exploitation or fall under labour law enforcement. This distinction is critical in countries where coercion is not required for a human trafficking charge, making “exploitation” the key threshold. This study asks: What criteria do judges use to determine whether exploitation qualifies as human trafficking? Existing literature highlights challenges in victim identification by law enforcement, who frequently adjust their approach based on the likelihood of securing a conviction. Yet, research on the judicial perspective remains limited, even less across jurisdictions with varying labor standards and sex work regulations. To fill this gap, the researchers analyzed case laws from Belgium, Luxembourg, France, and Spain, examining criminal court decisions related to human trafficking and related offences (e.g., pimping, forced labor). National databases such as legifrance.fr and CENDOJ serve as primary sources. Using semiotic analysis, they assessed how judges articulate exploitation and compare these criteria with internationally recognized trafficking indicators. Preliminary findings reveal: (1) judicial focus remains on sexual and labor exploitation, with little precedent on other forms (e.g., organ removal, forced marriage); (2) divergent legal thresholds emerge—France often requires extreme coercion, while Belgium considers deviations from labor standards; and (3) international trafficking guidance emphasizes the process over the substance of exploitation, granting national judges broader interpretive discretion. Ultimately, it reflects how the law symbolically delineates acceptable working conditions and informs broader societal norms.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Present on 4 national definitions of human trafficking and exploitation offences

•  Provide an analysis of criteria used by judges in 4 EU countries to qualify exploitation

•  Provide a preliminary comparison between these criteria and international human trafficking indicators

The need for this project on Migrant Domestic Workers (MDWs) originating from minority source countries, arose due to the distinct challenges and barriers that this particular community faces. They are under-researched and often overlooked, and as such, specific needs and gaps are not taken into consideration. This hampers efforts to promote evidence-led recommendations based on the specific challenges faced by the community such as accessing and processing recruitment opportunities, undertaking their employment, and attempting to access support and redress should they experience exploitation. This research was undertaken using mixed methods, a quantitative survey with 36 MDWs from minority source countries, and qualitative semi-structured interviews for the stakeholder NGOS, churches, and unions that support MDWs. This led to a series of workshops and resource packs for MDWs based on specific needs within the community. This presentation will provide a macro view of the lived experiences of MDWs in Hong Kong in general, before focusing in on the particular difficulties faced by those stemming from minority source countries. Recommendations for future actions, particularly in light of the limited anti-trafficking legislation in Hong Kong will also be discussed.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Provide an overview of MDWs in Hong Kong

·  Discuss specific additional difficulties faced by MDWs from Minority Source Countries, as evidenced in new STOP research

·  Present resources generated through this project

Survivors of sex trafficking typically experience severe trauma that requires specialized mental health care. The lack of specialized training for mental health professionals working with trafficking survivors creates a critical gap in service provision, as most clinicians lack the comprehensive skill set needed to address the complex trauma experiences specific to this population. This deficiency extends across all mental health disciplines, highlighting the urgent need for standardized competency frameworks that ensure professionals from social work, counseling, psychology, and psychiatry develop technical expertise and appropriate confidence and cultural humility when working with survivors. Additionally, the isolated nature of these professions often impedes adequate service provisions, with limited cross-disciplinary communication preventing the holistic, integrated approach that trafficking survivors require. In this session, the presenters will discuss what foundational knowledge and practice skills are needed to work with this population that prioritizes the holistic well-being of survivors and trauma-informed care specific to human trafficking. They will explore establishing mentorship, collaboration, and peer support networks for clinicians working with trafficking survivors to reduce isolation, practice humility and resilience, and promote knowledge sharing. Finally, they will discuss the future of their study with the goal of creating a database of mental providers that are survivor-centered and have obtained foundational or advanced training in this area of practice.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Analyze current level of knowledge and training of mental health providers working with survivors of human trafficking

•  Generate ways to enhance training confidence and collaboration across mental health professions

•  Propose creation of a database for survivors to seek care from trained, knowledgeable providers with a trauma-informed lens

Victims of human trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) often experience complex trauma that can impact how they respond to services and interventions. Without a trauma-informed approach, professionals may unintentionally cause further harm or miss opportunities to build trust and support healing. This session will address the importance of trauma-informed, person-centered care in supporting these vulnerable populations and improving both survivor and case outcomes. Participants will gain an understanding of trauma’s impact on the brain, behavior, and relationships, and why traditional approaches may fall short. The session introduces practical strategies that can be applied immediately in the field that avoid re-traumatization. The training also emphasizes the importance of cultural humility, nonjudgmental language, and the power of small shifts in tone and approach. By enhancing self-awareness and prioritizing empathy, professionals can strengthen rapport, reduce burnout, and support long-term survivor stability. This session equips attendees with tools that are actionable, adaptable across disciplines, and proven to build safer, more effective interactions with trafficking survivors.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss the principles of trauma-informed, person-centered care and their importance in supporting victims of human trafficking and CSEC

•  Present strategies to minimize re-traumatization and adapt practical tools for effective engagement with survivors

•  Enhance attendees’ self-awareness and sensitivity to provide compassionate care that empowers survivors and improves outcomes for both survivors and cases

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. Participants completed open-ended interviews, took photos, and participated in online focus groups to explore identity, sexuality, relationships, and factors of community reintegration. Data analysis included multi-level conceptual and thematic coding. Participants identified with all aspects of complex trauma and posttraumatic growth. Participants particularly highlighted relationship as both the primary need and greatest source of healing and growth, emphasizing the value of peer-based support and survivor leadership. The findings affirm the need for ecological and relational perspectives in care of survivors, and approaches using a trauma-informed, victim-centered lens. Findings affirm the value of understanding the nuances of complex trauma as well as celebrating the capacity for posttraumatic growth.  Furthermore, while relationships are most significantly impacted from the trafficking experience, they are also considered the greatest instrument of healing, offering long-term commitment and belief in the individual. This has great implications for our work as service providers. We must consider the barriers of traditional social services that are time-limited, often with rigid boundaries in the access and interaction with service providers. We must think creatively and explore nontraditional service models that provide trafficking survivors with a relational context that includes survivors, professionals, and community members who are committed to a long-term, empowering, trauma-informed approach. This workshop will not only provide survivors’ perspective of the integral role of relationship, but opportunity to explore ways to meet this immediate and long-term need.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Explore the role of relationship before, during, and after sexual exploitation

•  Discuss the impact of complex trauma on relationships

•  Identify ways survivors of trafficking exhibit posttraumatic growth through relationship

•  Explore the implications in service provision based on relationship being named the greatest need and greatest source of healing for sex trafficking survivors

The conversation around sex trafficking and modern slavery has never been more urgent. With legislative changes underway in both the U.S. and the U.K., the discussion comes at a crucial moment. Illinois is on the cusp of making history in the U.S. It could be the first state to decriminalize sex work and so strengthen protections against trafficking for sexual exploitation. Meanwhile, in the U.K., lawmakers are debating legislation that makes it an offence to pay for, or attempt to pay for, sex either for themselves or on behalf of others. It also includes measures to criminalize anyone who benefits or provides support related to the purchase of sex. This presentation aims to answer the most pressing questions in the conversation around how to address trafficking for sexual exploitation and how to improve protection for sex workers including: 1) Is increasing the policing of the sex industry an effective way to find and protect trafficking survivors? 2) How does the further criminalization of sex work affect trafficking victims and survivors? 3) How does this issue affect society at large? and 4) Why now? With lawmakers actively shaping the future of sex work policies in both the U.S. and U.K. to better protect people from exploitation, this presentation will provide crucial insights into the real impact of these and existing laws and what is the most effective path forward.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Present information supporting the idea that the decriminalization of sex work is the most impactful step law makers can take to stop sex trafficking globally

•  Discuss the reasons it is important to distinguish between sex work and sex trafficking/exploitation in discourse around finding solutions

•  Explain the differences between the concepts of decriminalization of sex work and the “Nordic Model” including the challenges around each

The Çîyako Adventure Therapy Programme serves the Syrian Refugee Children in the Kurdish Region of Iraq. These refugees are a forgotten community that were driven from their homeland by ISIS and face enormous hurdles in their quest to find hope in their context. The main research question of this project was, “Do outdoor activities, and especially rock climbing, help these young refugees improve their mental health and well-being?” The literature looks at the region's history, displacement from homelands, the history of adventure therapy, and its impact in the different parts of the world. A series of interviews and surveys were conducted with some of the young people who participated in the Çîyako program. The research showed that the program helps young people face fear and gives them a practical pathway to managing it. Many of the young people made the leap of imagination to see how it could help them manage and overcome fear in other areas of their lives. It also showed the importance of leaving the refugee camp, which helped buoy their spirits. This was closely associated with the beautiful mountain environment the young people enjoyed. Investment in friendship groups was also highlighted as a significant benefit of the program, along with feelings of pride in their achievements as they returned to worried parents. This research shows that the Çîyako program is effective, though it needs to be scaled up to reach its full potential. It also provides a model that could be replicated in other areas with many displaced people.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide an overview of the Çîyako Adventure Therapy Programme

•  Provide an overview of the research study, including main questions, methodology, and findings

•  Describe the implications and recommendations based on the research

Data is essential to understanding human trafficking patterns, and federal prosecutions data fills a critical gap in the existing ecosystem, shedding light on trends in minor sex trafficking. This presentation will: (i) highlight the importance of federal prosecutions data, (ii) describe the data and analysis developed by Allies Against Slavery in partnership (iii) illustrate key insights, and (iv) demonstrate compelling use cases. First, the presenters will discuss how federal prosecutions data enhances our understanding of minor sex trafficking. By analyzing prosecution trends alongside other data, we gain broader insights into prevention, protection, policy, and prosecution. Second, they will describe a dataset of over 2,500 federally prosecuted human trafficking cases spanning two decades. This includes information on case details, trafficking locations, and victim and defendant characteristics. They will briefly cover the methodology used to ensure data integrity. Third, key trends in minor sex trafficking, including federal prosecutions by state and year, trafficking locations, and demographic data on victims and defendants will be discussed. Data visualizations will illustrate these insights. Finally, the presenters will highlight how this data can be used to examine racial disparities in sentencing, coercive trafficking methods, and the prosecution of victims. Finally, advocacy applications and how this data can be paired with other sources to create a more nuanced narrative on minor sex trafficking in the U.S. will be provided.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide an overview of the importance of federal prosecutions data in understanding patterns of minor sex trafficking and its role in filling empirical gaps in human trafficking research

•  Describe the federal prosecutions dataset, including the methodology used for data collection and analysis, and its scope across more than two decades

•  Illustrate key trends and insights from federal prosecutions data, such as geographical distribution, prosecution disparities, and demographic patterns among defendants and victims

•  Demonstrate how the data can be used in practice, including its implications for policy, advocacy, and future research on human trafficking

Child trafficking is an ongoing health crisis that demands a paradigm shift from the current downstream, criminal-justice-based, crisis-intervention approach to an upstream, public-health-based, prevention model. Healthcare providers, particularly nurses who consistently rank as the most trusted professionals, are uniquely positioned to identify and respond to trafficking. However, many lack the education and training needed for effective intervention. Additionally, misinformation perpetuated by well-meaning advocates or sensationalized media often misguides efforts, leading to moral distress when awareness is raised without equipping providers for action. To address these challenges, healthcare environments must engage in proactive planning to identify risks early and implement prevention-focused strategies. Pediatric healthcare professionals play a vital role in identifying signs of trafficking, yet the challenges of modern contexts—such as the rise of social media, the effects of social distancing, and the growing emphasis on social justice—add complexity to this responsibility. This presentation highlights innovative, nurse-led programs designed to combat child trafficking, including the development of screening and response protocols across clinical settings, partnerships with schools to implement federally issued trafficking response toolkits, and advocacy for state legislation mandating continuing trafficking education for healthcare providers. Further initiatives include the creation of a train-the-trainer program to amplify evidence-based education, collaboration with a national nursing organization to produce toolkits on trauma-informed care, and the integration of simulation-based learning in academic nursing programs. These efforts showcase how nurses can drive systemic change, empowering healthcare systems to respond more effectively to child trafficking while fostering prevention through education and advocacy.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Identify gaps and opportunities in current approaches to human trafficking response

•  Examine evidence-based, nurse-led initiatives for human trafficking response

•  Develop strategies for effective, trauma-informed human trafficking response in healthcare

This presentation examines the importance of qualitative data obtained directly from interactions with human trafficking (HT) service providers in Peel, Ontario, Canada in order to better understand human trafficking trends. Front-line service providers directly interact with victims/survivors of HT, and in doing so, they are knowledge-holders of anecdotal evidence that can be utilized to better understand emerging issues and trends in the HT sector beyond what is quantitatively captured and published. Some of these trends identified include complexities associated with victims/survivors over the age of 25, sextortion, forced pregnancy, stigma and shame associated with culturally imposed barriers to disclosure, and suicide. It examines an overreliance on quantitative data when determining service portfolios and programs for vulnerable populations even though there is a consensus that sex-based crimes, intimate partner crimes, and trafficking crimes are severely underreported. The presentation discusses these trends and the power of anecdotal information, interconnectivity of various service providers, and the importance of working together. Service providers who directly support victims/survivors are in a unique position to identify a “trend” and develop appropriate programs to address it. Oftentimes, trends require significant quantitative data to validate its existence, and by the time it becomes a statistic, it has already occurred albeit undetected. An analysis of emerging issues and trends obtained through qualitative data can inform service providers in the HT sector in the development and utilization of proactive programming.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Highlight the importance of qualitative evidence obtained by HT service providers to identify and address emerging issues and trends in human trafficking

•  Bring awareness to ongoing undocumented trends in trafficking

•  Explain strategies to address trends that may not be displayed in data

•  Provide potential solutions to protect clients who may be being trafficked

What if you were a victim of human trafficking but had no voice to tell your story? Marci works with "Strawberry Girls," 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 lured into sex trafficking through lies, deception, and empty promises. Once they step foot in a 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 sex trafficking line between Morocco and Spain. Unwilling to stay silent, Marci began writing and telling their stories. Marci's poetic words invite you to step into the shoes of the Strawberry Girls and journey with them on the road from slavery to freedom. Marci demonstrates how leveraging the power of storytelling can build a bridge directly to the heart of the listeners, triggering their emotions, and moving them to action. Marci explains the neuroscience of what is happening inside the storyteller and the listener, as well as the importance of ethical storytelling. Marci will encourage attendees to consider writing and telling their own stories of freedom to inspire people in their own communities and around the world to action.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Tell the first-hand story of a “Strawberry Girl”

•  Demonstrate how the telling of stories can raise awareness of human trafficking by building emotional bridges and moving people to action

•  Explain the neuroscience and what is happening in the storyteller and listener, as well as look at the concept of ethical storytelling

•  Invite attendees to consider telling their own stories of freedom to raise awareness and move people to action in their own communities and around the world

Human trafficking, mental health, and systemic oppression intersect, requiring a culturally responsive, individualized, and holistic approach to assessment, diagnosis, and intervention. Join clinical, culturally responsive human trafficking experts, Dr. Shobana Powell and Ashante Taylorcox, as they discuss commonly misdiagnosed and misunderstood mental health symptoms among survivors, as well as the co-occurring mental health needs that often accompany their experiences. This workshop is not only for mental health providers but anyone who works with survivors, as a deeper understanding of the intersections of trauma, mental health, and systemic oppression results in a deeper understanding of survivors. This workshop will also examine the impact of systemic oppression, bias, lack of cultural humility, and lack of language access on mental health diagnosis and treatment for survivors of human trafficking. Attendees will learn about the nuances of victim blaming, implicit bias, and adultification bias, and how these factors can shape access to and interactions with mental health support. By the end of the session, participants will have a better understanding of the complexities of human trafficking and mental health, and will be equipped with practical strategies for enhancing their trauma-informed, culturally responsive approaches to assessment, diagnosis, and intervention.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Describe misdiagnosed mental health conditions and misunderstood symptoms of survivors of trafficking

•  Explain co-occurring mental health needs of survivors of trafficking

•  Discuss the impact of systemic oppression, bias, and cultural insensitivity on mental health diagnosis and treatment for trafficking survivors

Emergencies and crises such as fires, floods, and earthquakes create unique opportunities to identify and support survivors of human trafficking. These radical events often disrupt control dynamics, allowing survivors to seek help when it might otherwise be unsafe or impossible. This presentation will explore how communities can leverage emergency situations to create safer pathways for survivors to access resources and escape trafficking. This session will provide actionable recommendations for improving outreach and intervention during emergencies, from raising awareness among emergency responders to equipping community organizations with tools to act effectively and sensitively. By fostering collaboration and proactive planning, communities can better support survivors during these critical moments. Through case studies, the presenter will highlight instances where survivors used emergencies to leave trafficking situations and find support. Practical strategies for communities to collaborate with state and local emergency response teams will be discussed, ensuring that critical information about resources reaches survivors—without compromising their safety. Emergencies are unanticipated but powerful opportunities to address trafficking. By acting decisively and safely during these times, we can make a tangible difference in the lives of survivors and help them break free from exploitation. Join this session to learn how we can turn moments of crisis into pathways for hope and healing.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Define and discuss what an emergency situation is and what may happen during a local emergency

•  Discuss how this can disrupt the normal pattern associated with trafficking and create a unique opportunity to support the survivor

•  Provide tangible real-life examples

•  Provide tools and discussion about how this can be applied in communities throughout the U.S. and abroad

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into anti-trafficking efforts presents both promising opportunities and significant ethical challenges. This presentation examines the dual potential of AI in qualitative research on human trafficking, particularly how these technologies affect marginalized communities. Drawing from interdisciplinary perspectives including Indigenous data sovereignty, critical data studies, and survivor-centered methodologies, the presenters analyze how AI systems can both amplify and silence vulnerable voices. This research reveals a troubling paradox: while AI tools are developed to protect vulnerable populations, they often reproduce what they term “algorithmic epistemicide”—the systematic erasure of non-Western knowledge systems through biased data practices. The presenters will introduce their framework for equity-centered AI-assisted qualitative research built on the Mi’kmaw concept of “Two-Eyed Seeing” (Etuaptmumk), which integrates Western technological approaches with Indigenous knowledge frameworks through four critical components: 1) integration of epistemological frameworks rather than prioritizing one over another; 2) centering survivor voices throughout the research process; 3) balancing efficiency with relationality; and 4) establishing collaborative research governance that distributes decision-making authority. The presentation emphasizes practical implementation considerations including technological infrastructure, approaches to preserving participant agency, and documentation for transparency and accountability. They conclude with a robust call to action for implementing the CARE principles (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, Ethics) in AI-assisted trafficking research, providing attendees with key questions to ask when evaluating AI systems and concrete examples of how these principles can be operationalized in research practice.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Analyze the ethical implications of AI technologies in qualitative trafficking research through the lens of what Smith calls "decolonizing methodologies"

•  Present a framework for evaluating and designing AI systems based on the "Two-Eyed Seeing" approach that centers survivor agency and Indigenous knowledge systems

•  Examine case studies demonstrating both the protective applications of AI in anti-trafficking work and the exploitative adaptations by trafficking networks

•  Provide practical guidelines for implementing participatory data governance models that engage marginalized communities as co-designers rather than subjects of technological interventions

Whether and how students provide sexual services, acts, or materials for pay or compensation (SSAMP) while in university is not well understood. The purpose of this research is to identify and describe the typology of university students who report providing SSAMP. A cross-sectional survey was administered at a Midwestern public university using the SSAMP index that included items assessing perceived positive and negative SSAMP consequences. Participants were 900 students (Mage = 22.27 years [SD = 4.91). Descriptive statistics were conducted. Students who reported providing SSAMP were included for Latent Class Analysis using 21 indicator variables reflecting 5 financial, 10 health, and 6 social consequences. Class comparisons were conducted based on social and economic minoritization and frequency of and reasons for SSAMP. Almost 16% (n=143) reported ever providing SSAMP; 14.2% (n= 128) during university; 13% (n=118) prior. Students providing SSAMP before university generally reported more adverse experiences, income instability, and negative mental health consequences stemming from SSAMP than those providing SSAMP during university only. The retained two-class model revealed that the “more consequences” group (class 1) was distinguished from the “less consequences” group (class 2) on nearly all reported consequences, except increased self-esteem. Those with “more consequences” were more likely to be LGBTQ+, disabled, and to report (1) more SSAMP, (2) financial motivations, (3) being pressured to provide SSAMP, and (4) providing SSAMP to please others. Students’ consequences are shaped by coercion, economic needs/wants, and social minoritization. Practices and policies that reduce harm before and during university are crucial to reduce negative consequences.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide an overview of research study and other research focusing on university students who provide sexual acts and materials for compensation across diverse circumstances

•  Describe practice and policy implications along with future research directions related to the current study.

Stories matter. Voices matter. Experiences matter. Autonomy matters. In a time where our stories and our voices can be so quickly shared, widely accessed, and just as easily distorted, the See Me Project, is a platform for individuals who have been oppressed, marginalized, or exploited and gives them the reins on how they want to be seen, heard, understood, and supported. The See Me Project is a creative, collaborative piece with the intention of shining a light on the stories and experiences that are often ignored, forgotten, or altered and amplifies the voices of those who have been silenced by society or among their community. This presentation highlights the results collected and lessons learned from implementing the See Me Project with various populations. By exploring the intersection of theatre and therapy, this presentation shares tools on how to create spaces to amplify the voices of others, instead of telling the stories of others. Audience members will learn the personal and societal barriers that prevent us from truly seeing one another, while also exploring the concept of storytelling through a digital era, and will obtain a deeper level of understanding and connection across communities and populations. Participants will walk away with a greater ability to support clients, friends, peers, and strangers, through the process of claiming and sharing their stories. At a time when disenfranchisement is rife, the important elements of this program, such as informed consent, participants rights over their story, and egoless mentorship will be addressed.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide education on the concepts of Narrative Therapy, therapeutic storytelling, and the intersection of theatre and healing

•  Describe how to support clients in finding autonomy, authenticity, and purpose through the act of telling their story

•  Explore the ways in which increased digital connection has impacted storytelling in the global community

•  Explain the concepts, principles, and outcomes of the See Me Project(s)

The Toledo Legal Aid Society launched The Opportunity Project in 2018 as a public defender-led initiative to address mental health and recovery needs within the criminal justice system. This initiative enables attorneys to take a holistic approach to their practice, leading to better representation and improved outcomes. By promoting long-term stability for individuals facing charges, it strengthens connections, reduces the duration of involvement in the justice system, and fosters more effective legal advocacy. Many individuals repeatedly cycle through the justice system due to unmet needs, often facing minor charges like trespassing or disorderly conduct. Without access to services, they are effectively lost to the community as they risk further destabilization and re-arrest, perpetuating a costly and destructive cycle. This issue of access (and lack thereof) affects the entire community—driving up financial and social costs, fostering desensitization, and weakening social connections. A thriving community depends on the well-being of all its members. The Opportunity Project bridges service gaps by implementing data-driven, best-practice strategies. By improving access to care and resources, it helps individuals regain stability, build on their strengths, and contribute to community growth. In this session, the presenters will share recent data and findings that highlight innovative ways to create lasting change in the criminal justice system while expanding access to essential services for our community. They hope this will enlighten attendees and engage further discourse whilst promoting access to needed services.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Review current local Public Defender-led strategies for addressing needs at the intersection of criminal justice and behavioral health

•  Explain the need for addressing mental health and recovery needs within and around the criminal justice system to those lost to the community by lack of access

•  Review examples and impact surrounding lack of access to services and how to engage individuals and the community

•  Explain application and value of data-driven approaches geared at finding gaps and offering solutions to meet the needs of the community

Sex-trafficked individuals endure extreme traumatization, which disrupts brain development and engenders mental health struggles. One response can be reflexive and repetitive thinking about the trauma, through patterns of rumination. The purpose of this research project was to explore psychological rigidity in thought patterns of formerly sex-trafficked youth. Thematic coding of responses on the Rotter’s Incomplete Sentence Blank (RISB) provided a quantitative and qualitative understanding of rumination. Dysregulated activity of the prefrontal cortex and activation of negative emotion centers in the brain can induce negative thoughts and repetitive thinking. For women, interpersonal stressors and social anxiety can lead to rumination, which can be found in a context of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Participants included 22 female adolescents (aged 14 to 18) who were formerly sex trafficked. Rumination was measured by coding the RISB for negativity, repetition, and reference to trauma. Anxiety and depression were measured by the Anxiety and Depression Beck Youth Inventories. Rumination scores correlated with anxiety, r(18) = .50, p = .025, and depression, r(18) = .68, p = .001, which lends credibility to the thematic coding of rumination used in this study. Negativity was especially prominent in the RISB responses, with themes of anger/frustration as well as deep longings for things to be different. Projective measures, such as the RISB, can allow service providers to assess rumination, thus elucidating clients’ core beliefs. Attendees will learn potential ways to intervene when they detect themes of rumination in formerly sex trafficked adolescents, including patterns of negative thinking, repeated thoughts, and references to trauma.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Explore themes in the thinking patterns of formerly sex trafficked youth that reveal important facets of their functioning

•  Define rumination, demonstrate its relevance to sex trafficked youth, and offer a method of measuring rumination that could be used by service providers

Recent statistics reveal that male victims of sex trafficking are more prevalent than previously thought, with their numbers approaching those of female victims. The primary distinction lies in the higher percentage of male victims aged 0 to 11 compared to their female counterparts. This narrative recounts Mike Chapman’s experience of being sexually trafficked by his father in Oregon during the 1970s, his journey of repressed memory recovery and healing, and his subsequent support for other male survivors. Beginning at age 30, Mike began to recall repressed memories of the sexual abuse he suffered by his father. He initiated a healing process to address the trauma but paused it while raising two children. At 54, he resumed his pursuit of healing and unearthed the additional trauma of having been sexually trafficked by his father. This discovery marked a new phase toward healing. Mike intends to share his personal account of uncovering the truths of his abusive past and how it led him to find healing, resilience, and hope for others, highlighting the decades-long issue of sexual exploitation of young boys by their white, middle-class family members in the U.S. He advocates for public and NGO services to include male survivors, especially those of family-controlled trafficking, in their plans and research, emphasizing the need to support both recent and long-ago survivors, including those who suppressed the events years or even decades later, in their healing journeys.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide a description of a male survivor who was sex trafficked as a young boy

•  Discuss the process of recovering repressed memories decades after the trauma

•  Discuss how male trafficking is an epidemic within the U.S. and often overlooked in anti-trafficking efforts

Indian female sex workers (FSWs) face a myriad of barriers (discrimination, illiteracy, stigma) that limit life options for themselves and their children. Using life-course developmental perspectives and ecological systems theory, the researchers sought to understand contextual and relational dynamics among FSWs as mothers (n = 19) and children of FSWs (n = 12) residing in an urban, brothel area (Hanuman Tekdi) in Mumbai. Interviews were conducted in private, translated, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis and constant comparison. Mothers: All from impoverished rural families. Most (53%) were trafficked into sex trade (median age = 13.5). Seven women were estranged from families because of their work in sex trade. They actively took steps to keep their children safe in the brothel district neighborhood. Children: Prior to the lockdown, only four lived in the brothel area full-time; others lived in hostels or part-time in rural villages. Children received emotional support from mothers, uncles, friends, and God. Children provided instrumental and emotional support to mothers. Schools were closed for 82 weeks and remote learning was nearly impossible. All reported having friends or “best friends”, but they were in villages, school, or hostels and so no contact in over a year.  Children viewed the brothel area as “dirty” and unsafe. Implications for policy, practice and continued research will be discussed. Attendees will have a clear understanding of the relational dynamics between vulnerable mothers and their children living in an urban red-light area, and the challenges they face and protective and survival strategies they employ.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss factors which compelled mothers into the commercial sex industry

•  Identify challenges for living in an impoverished, urban brothel district for both mothers and children

•  Discuss implications for policy, practice, and continued research

Since pushing heavily for the creation of the legal category of “human trafficking” in the early 2000s, the U.S. has self-described as a “hero” within the anti-trafficking movement. The U.S. has used this status to justify grading other countries on their anti-human trafficking efforts and threatening changes to trade and aid agreements if certain policy metrics are not met. What are the political, economic, and institutional factors that explain why the U.S. has chosen the anti-trafficking policy recommendations it pushes on other countries? This project conducts a comparative analysis of the Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report and the Department of Labor’s Worst Forms of Child Labor (TDA) Report. The researcher compiled and coded a dataset of more than 50,000 formal policy recommendations on human trafficking and forced labor made by the United States to more than 125 countries to chart differences between federal departments and presidential administrations, track changes over time, and examine differences between regions and countries. This analysis is rooted in feminist analysis of state coercion and informed by international relations and comparative politics theory of policy creation. The presenter concludes that the policy recommendations the U.S. makes to other countries force boundaries on what policies become acceptable for the U.S. to accept domestically, as the government risks reputational damage to repeal harmful policy models after the fact. This research concludes with an exploration of internationally coordinated, grassroots efforts to combat exploitation as an alternative to coercive state policy models.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide a descriptive overview of U.S. federal anti-trafficking policy recommendations, specifically comparing policy recommendations and country reports between the TIP and TDA Reports

•  Examine the political, economic, and institutional factors that influence policy recommendation creation

•  Explore how self-reinforcing institutional models, like the U.S. model examined, can be challenged and influenced by grassroots movements that organize internationally

This presentation will focus on forensic nursing and the medical forensic exam. It will begin with an overview of the forensic nursing specialty, highlighting the populations served—such as survivors of human trafficking, sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse, and other forms of intentional injury. The structure of forensic nursing programs will be explored, including the importance of collaboration with law enforcement, prosecution, victim advocates, and other community partners. The presentation will then delve into the medical forensic exam, a specialized and trauma-informed process conducted by trained forensic nurses. Key components include obtaining a medical history, conducting a physical assessment, taking forensic photographs, collecting and preserving evidence, and providing necessary medical care. These exams are crucial not only for supporting criminal investigations and potential prosecution, but also for ensuring that patients receive timely, compassionate, and holistic care during a vulnerable time. Additionally, the role of the forensic nurse in providing expert courtroom testimony will be discussed, underscoring the importance of accurate documentation and communication in the legal process. The presentation will conclude by emphasizing the importance of consulting a forensic nurse and the value they bring to cases of victims impacted by violence. These professionals are uniquely trained to balance medical care with forensic evidence collection, increasing the chances of achieving justice while prioritizing the survivor’s well-being. Resources will be shared to help viewers locate forensic nursing services in their area.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Identify the role of a forensic nurse in caring for those impacted by violence, including human trafficking

•  Discuss poly-victimization experienced by those being trafficked

•  Define the benefits of a medical forensic exam

•  Discuss how to find forensic nursing services in local areas and ways to develop partnerships

Cisgender mental health professionals’ experiences providing services to sex workers identifying as transgender or gender non-conforming were explored in this research study. Providing nonbiased and culturally appropriate care is an ethical obligation of mental health professionals, including providing culturally competent care to the minority subpopulation of transgender and gender non-conforming sex workers. The main research question was “How do cisgender mental health professionals make meaning to experiences in providing services to transgender and gender non-conforming sex workers in the U.S.?” There was no current research on cisgender mental health workers’ experiences with providing services to transgender or gender non-conforming sex workers in the U.S. Providing non-biased and culturally appropriate care is an ethical obligation of counselors, including to this minority population. In this qualitative study, the researchers used semi-structured interviews and purposive sampling to understand the experiences of mental health professionals who have worked with the population. Cisgender mental health professionals providing services to transgender sex workers experience radical shifts in perspective and worldview. Work with the population often results in challenges because of a lack of resources, including counselors lacking specific training, education, or competent supervision. Providing training, education, and supervision surrounding the use of culturally specific language, building and maintaining rapport, practicing openness and affirming behavior, and increasing knowledge of resources, cisgender mental health professionals providing services to the population will have more support and awareness.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide an overview of the research study, including main questions, methodology, and findings

•  Describe the implications and recommendations based on the research

Alicia Tappan will provide a testimony of overcoming from CSEC and self-exploitation, to building a survivor-centered, led, and trauma-informed agency that builds capacity for leadership development and professional credibility for survivors. This session engages the need for long-term care for survivors, as well as creating a transformative justice system that includes survivors’ voices for victims coming out of trafficking. This session will provide milestones of the recovery journey, a basic understanding of psychological theories, concepts, and definitions of common trauma responses for survivors. The training will equip survivors to become independent through professional development and leadership in the anti- trafficking movement. The audience can expect to receive resources for de-escalation techniques, understanding the need for survivor-led public speaking/training, building contracts, and how to negotiate their skills as a professional tool for other agencies.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Empower survivors to change the narrative of human trafficking through lived experience and subject matter expertise

•  Provide ways to build credibility for survivors and take back their dignity at the expert level

•  Enhance a survivor's leadership and professional development skills

•  Discuss how to ensure restorative and transformative justice to their healing journey

Human trafficking is one of the fastest growing criminal industries with $150 billion in annual profits and an estimate of over 27.6 million victims exploited through commercial sex or forced labor activities. While transportation of a victim is not compulsory for a crime to be considered human trafficking, the transportation industry plays a crucial role in every stage of the trafficking process. This is especially true for labor trafficking victims, who generally have severely limited or no mobility during long periods of exploitation. As such, there is a great need for dedicated research focused exclusively on labor trafficking. Overwhelming evidence suggests that labor trafficking (without the presence of overlapping sex trafficking charges) is woefully under prosecuted in the U.S. This study seeks to close a gap in understanding the labor trafficking timeline by examining the role of transportation through a systematic review of labor trafficking cases. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate successfully litigated cases with respect to the role of transportation. The insights from the 16 opinions selected, issued at various points in the litigation process, shed light on ways the transportation network can disrupt the trafficking process, serve as a resource point for victims attempting escape, and support prosecution of traffickers.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Help the transportation industry and anti-trafficking practitioners understand the role of transportation in labor trafficking through a systematic review of labor trafficking in U.S. court records

•  Demonstrate how the transportation network can aid in disrupting the trafficking process, serving for safe exit strategies for victims attempting escape, and facilitating prosecution of traffickers

In this session, Brittany Dunn and Alia Azariah highlight the potential of AI-driven solutions to enhance early intervention and improve outcomes for survivors. The presentation begins with an overview of the urgent need to address reporting gaps that allow trafficking to persist undetected. Their central argument emphasizes that technology, particularly AI-enabled triage and survivor-led language, can empower bystanders, law enforcement, and service providers to identify and respond to trafficking swiftly. They illustrate these concepts through a discussion of innovative programs that incorporate round-the-clock reporting channels, robust data security, and trauma-informed communication. This approach ensures that survivors feel supported and understood, while stakeholders receive credible leads for effective intervention. Examples of successful cross-sector collaborations underscore the presentation’s core message that strategic partnerships, combined with accessible technology, can dismantle barriers preventing timely assistance. In conclusion, Dunn and Azariah recommend broader adoption of tested AI models and a unified framework for multi-agency coordination, encouraging participants to integrate these best practices in their communities. The call to action is clear: invest in trauma-informed, secure reporting systems, foster collaboration across disciplines, and amplify survivor voices to transform the fight against trafficking. This session reaffirms that AI technology, when ethically and thoughtfully deployed, holds promise for bridging the gap between silent exploitation and meaningful intervention.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Demonstrate how AI-driven tools can facilitate rapid, trauma-informed responses to suspected cases of human trafficking

•  Highlight successful cross-sector collaborations that enhance early intervention and resource allocation

•  Illustrate the potential for discreet 24/7 reporting channels to encourage earlier survivor engagement

•  Provide participants with practical strategies for implementing these solutions in diverse communities

The internet is now the front line of exploitation and human trafficking, and many parents and practitioners are ill-prepared to help youth navigate its challenges. The statistics are alarming: 80% of child sex crimes involve social media platforms which 94% of teens use daily, 36 million tips of online child enticement are reported annually in the U.S., and sextortion ranks as the fastest-growing crime against children in North America. To address this crisis, anti-trafficking organization, The Exodus Road (TER), created Influenced™, a research-driven prevention program designed for 6-12th grade students and their caregivers. This comprehensive approach uses Gen Z-approved presentations, video-based learning, and skills-building workshops to address sextortion, cyberbullying, privacy protection, grooming, and impacts of technology on mental health. Data from extensive pre/post surveys reveals the program's critical need and effectiveness. In one 2024 workshop, 68 Colorado students shockingly reported over 100 instances of online enticement. Similar findings were discovered across 54 workshops in 9 states, where 84% of teens report encountering predatory behavior through social media or gaming. Following the Influenced™ workshop, students express feeling empowered to refuse participation in online negativity (84%), engage more mindfully in relationships (85%), and implement practical skills to identify predators and protect themselves (87%). An overwhelming 92% believe the program is effectively helping peers stay safe online. This session offers evidence-based strategies for implementing digital safety education, proven approaches to engaging youth and caregivers in critical conversations, and practical resources for attendees to address online dangers within their communities.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Build a case for digital safety education

•  Present relevant learnings from the frontlines of youth online safety programming, as well as ongoing questions and challenges to be explored

•  Offer proven approaches to engaging students and caregivers in critical conversations related to recognizing, preventing, and responding to online dangers

•  Provide practical resources for attendees to engage in digital safety education on behalf of their own communities

Anneke Lucas is a survivor of extreme child abuse and was trafficked in exclusive, international circles. Because her perpetrators were both powerful and organized and the abuse was extreme, she has spent decades working through the countless emotionally triggering events related to power and empowerment. Relating her own experiences of power abuse both in her childhood as well as on her long healing journey, she shows that the need to substitute wounded self-esteem with power, position, or status is present everywhere, and that societal hierarchy is in fact trauma-based. She evokes emotional resonance with her approach of intertwining her personal experiences with the larger societal questions around power. She introduces a psychological application she has developed and teaches, which looks at power dynamics between victims and perpetrators both on the personal and global levels. She addresses the psychological mechanisms which underlie human interactions and which shape the global hierarchy. Attendees will walk away with a new awareness of how we each participate in the toxic power structure through our own projections of power and tools to use our own upward or downward projections as a lens into unresolved trauma or unmet emotional needs. This talk invites everyone to become empowered from within, in the context of healing the world.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Describe the survivor's experience with power abuse, both in childhood as in the healing process

•  Explain what was learned about power dynamics as a result of this experience

•  Address what each person can do to even out power imbalances in themselves, and in reflection, in the world

Integrating data from two qualitative studies, this presentation will explore the often unidentified and unaddressed impact of shame on sex trafficking survivors. The first study focused on the impact and experiences of sex trafficking survivors through the lens of complex trauma and posttraumatic growth. Participants completed open-ended interviews, took photos, and participated in online focus groups to explore identity, sexuality, relationships, and factors of community reintegration including what survivors described as helpful in their aftercare and healing process. Data analysis included multi-level conceptual and thematic coding. Data revealed how experiences before, during, and after being trafficked perpetuated shame, which in turn, impacted the shaping of their identity. The second study was a recent mixed-methods study that explored the potential impact of trauma related shame on survivors of child sex trafficking and identified the influence shame has on the pathology of complex post-traumatic stress disorder. Additionally, the study aimed to provide insight to best practices in supporting survivors as they receive interventions, especially in their mental health recovery. This research also explores how survivors of child trafficking define shame and complex trauma from their own lived experience. The findings from both of these studies will be interwoven and presented to participants in such a way that they will leave with a greater understanding of survivors’ expression of how they define and experience shame, how it shows up in their identity formation, and contributors of healing to inform how we approach interaction and services with survivors.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss the impact and presentation of shame in sex trafficking survivors

•  Discuss the impact of sex trafficking on identity formation

•  Present key factors important for healing from shame, as expressed by survivors of sex trafficking

•  Explore ways service providers can contribute to identity formation in relating with trafficking survivors

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. Conference attendees will begin to recognize the signs of trafficking of athletes from this newly gained information and initiate social justice changes in the sports industry.

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

•  Discuss potential solutions and next-steps to addressing this problem

Makwa Dodem is an Indigenous-led program of Ally Global Foundation that works to equip Indigenous communities in Canada to prevent sexual exploitation through culturally safe, trauma-informed, and strengths-based approaches. Indigenous peoples are disproportionately impacted by human trafficking, representing over 50% of the reported cases in Canada. When it comes to the prevention of trafficking and exploitation, there is a lack of resources available that are grounded in Indigenous culture. To address this, the Makwa Dodem team works through various stages to build relationships with communities, collaborate to gather community insights, train members of the community in the Makwa Dodem prevention curriculum, and support the implementation of these curricula in a community-led manner. This approach focuses on upstream prevention by promoting consent, healthy relationships, cultural connection, and overall well-being. This presentation will unpack the lessons learned from piloting these approaches, specifically with two communities on Treaty 4 in Saskatchewan. Key insights will be shared from the program’s application of Dr. Dustin Louie’s academic research on sexual exploitation prevention education for Indigenous women and girls and the experiences gained from international collaboration. This presentation will not only reflect on the program’s methodological insights but also celebrate its impacts, demonstrated through community testimonials and improved prevention outcomes. The session aims to inspire attendees to consider how these insights can be applied to enhance their own community engagement projects. The focus will be on facilitating a deep and meaningful exchange of knowledge that respects and honors the diverse experiences and wisdom of each attendee.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Describe how Makwa Dodem has prioritized culturally grounded community engagement

•  Explain the importance of community-led solutions and Indigenous leadership in designing and implementing prevention strategies

•  Discuss the challenges faced in program implementation and the solutions developed to overcome them

•  Highlight the successes and measurable impacts of the program, showcasing how these approaches can be modeled in other contexts

At the heart of this discussion is the complex and often arbitrary distinction between sex workers and sex trafficking victims. Current criminalization models fail to address the nuanced realities of individuals involved in the sex trade, frequently treating victims of trafficking as criminals—perpetuating cycles of trauma and impeding access to justice and support services. Criminalization perpetuates generational harm by compounding trauma, reinforcing stigma, and maintaining systemic inequities that disproportionately affect sex workers and trafficking survivors. This presentation offers a concrete objective for case workers, service providers, and law enforcement working directly with incarcerated or recently released victims: to shift from punitive frameworks to trauma-informed, survivor-centered approaches in one-on-one interactions. "Boots on the ground" can play a crucial role by validating survivor experiences, minimizing retraumatization, and ensuring pathways to resources without requiring cooperation with law enforcement or penal systems as a precondition for support. Case workers and first responders can also become powerful allies in the push for decriminalization by documenting systemic harm, offering diversion alternatives rooted in dignity rather than discipline, and challenging internal protocols that criminalize survival. Additionally, the fear of criminal penalties discourages sex workers from reporting violence or exploitation, leaving them vulnerable to abuse and further victimization. Evidence increasingly shows that decriminalization offers a path toward reducing violence, improving safety, and empowering individuals to seek help without fear of legal repercussions. The session calls for the full decriminalization of prostitution, immunity laws protecting sex workers who report violence, and improved care standards for women reentering society after incarceration. Attendees are urged to act not only as advocates, but as implementers—bringing these values into their daily interactions with justice-impacted individuals.

Presentation Objectives:

•       Define the 4 models of criminalization and how they influence the mental and physical health and well-being of criminalized survivors and sex workers

•       Promote immunity policies that protect sex workers who report violence, without requiring cooperation with law enforcement

•       Identify how reentry systems can support formerly incarcerated women through trauma-informed, rights-based approaches

•       Help advocates, first responders, and jail/prison reentry staff to better understand the complicated nuance of criminalized victims-and to respond with empathy, flexibility, and survivor-centered support

•       Encourage on-the-ground professionals to become agents of change within their institutions by aligning daily practices with de-carceral and harm reduction principles

Health professionals have an opportunity to assist patients who are experiencing many types of violence, including human trafficking; however, current approaches are often not person-centered. The Provide privacy, Educate, Ask, Respect and Respond (PEARR) Tool, a recognized screening tool in the U.S., is a structured conversation guide for health professionals on how to provide trauma-sensitive assistance to patients who may be experiencing such violence, including human trafficking. This presentation will share a foundational overview of labor trafficking and offer practical insights to applying the PEARR tool to provide trauma-sensitive assistance to patients who may be experiencing abuse, neglect, or violence, such as human trafficking. It promotes an approach in which relationships with patients are fostered before further screening is conducted. Participants will be introduced to HEAL Trafficking’s newly released workbook, HEALing Labor Trafficking: Case Studies and Best Practices, co-written with partners at Justice at Work. Utilizing real labor trafficking case studies, participants will take a deeper dive into providing trauma-informed care for labor trafficking cases.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Describe real-world case studies from HEAL’s Labor Trafficking Case Workbook (a free resource for all attendees)

•  Report how the PEARR Tool provides health professionals trauma-sensitive support to patients who may be experiencing abuse, neglect, violence

•  Demonstrate actionable strategies to apply immediately into current practice

The complexities of human trafficking require integrated, trauma-informed responses that bridge gaps between law enforcement and survivor support. This study examines the Helping Alliances with Law Enforcement and Trafficking (HALT) model by Victim Services Durham Region (VSDR) as a case study in best practices. Conducted through a Community-Based Participatory Action Research approach, this research was a collaboration between Ally Global Foundation and Queen’s University, ensuring survivor voices were centered at every stage. This study evaluates the HALT model’s efficacy in improving survivor identification, engagement, and support. Developed between 2018 and 2023, HALT is a trafficking-specific, survivor-led model built within a police-affiliated victim services program. Its three core goals of prevention, identification, and intervention are guided by six core values: survivor-informed/ survivor-led, relational, intersectional, harm reduction, trauma-responsive, and client-centered. Findings from interviews, surveys, and program data highlight the HALT model’s effectiveness. Referrals to VSDR increased more than sevenfold since HALT’s launch, and police statements from survivors rose by 30%, enabled by proactive outreach initiatives, education sessions, and embedded survivor-led crisis teams. Qualitatively, survivors and service providers credited the model’s peer-led, trauma-informed approach with fostering trust, validating lived experiences, and reducing fear of law enforcement. The model’s coordinated case responses, flexible intake, and embedded partnerships were also noted as key factors in strengthening cross-sector collaboration and improving access to wraparound support. This presentation will explore the strengths and limitations of the HALT model, highlighting lessons learned, policy implications, and recommendations to enhance survivor-centered, trauma- informed approaches in anti-trafficking efforts.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide an overview of the study, including research questions, methodology, and preliminary findings

•  Discuss the implications of survivor-centered approaches in anti-trafficking efforts

•  Examine systemic barriers within law enforcement and victim services that impact survivor engagement

•  Offer recommendations for improving victim services and law enforcement collaboration

Human trafficking is simultaneously local and global. It is a complex, nexus crime involving cross-border networks that rely on highly localized systems and relationships. Recruitment and control methods are particularly culturally dependent and context-specific. Stakeholders must incorporate knowledge and perspectives from multiple levels to gain an accurate picture of the problem and tailor solutions that simultaneously address individual needs and the international nature of the issue. The Exodus Road is learning the value of incorporating multiple types of knowledge. The presenters will share their experience, both positive and negative, in setting up an International Advisory Board to incorporate voices from lived experience experts, front-line investigators, vulnerable groups such as Indigenous populations, and key global decision-makers. The audience will follow the trajectory of this program’s way of working internationally applying learnings from its inception to its present-day form. Four presenters in a panel format will provide background, problem, proposed solution, and lessons learned when setting up an International Advisory Board to guide global programmatic decisions. Each presenter will focus on a specific issue encountered and how it was overcome, including cross-cultural communications, prioritization, incorporating voices, and recognizing global trends. Practitioners must be able to operate in a highly local way while not missing out on the opportunity to contribute to global learning. Trafficking patterns and technology use are inherently global, not respecting traditional borders or language barriers. The call to action is to incorporate a “zooming in and zooming out” approach while creating communication structures that accommodate voices from critical stakeholders.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Frame the problem by explaining the need to incorporate multiple voices and the common barriers that prevent the effective sharing of ideas

•  Present the current structure and background of The Exodus Road’s International Advisory Board and the lessons learned along the way

•  Provide suggestions for organizations and researchers to incorporate both local and global knowledge effectively

This training will equip anti-trafficking professionals with practical strategies for implementing ethical data collection and collective impact principles—a framework where organizations from different sectors commit to a common agenda and shared measurement systems to solve complex social problems. Brittany Dunn and Bill Woolf will demonstrate how standardized data practices are transforming fragmented anti-trafficking efforts into a coordinated national movement. Attendees will learn specific methodologies for collecting, sharing, and analyzing survivor data that maintain dignity and privacy while enabling seamless service delivery. Through case studies, presenters will examine how regions have created successful coordinated response systems where: 1) Survivors receive immediate, appropriate care without repetitive intake processes, 2) Resources are allocated based on evidence rather than assumptions, 3) Service gaps are identified and addressed systematically, and 4) Cross-sector partners develop shared accountability measures. The training covers practical implementation steps for developing ethical data protocols, establishing data governance structures, and creating trauma-informed data collection practices that build survivor trust. Attendees will learn how to initiate collective impact approaches in their community by identifying backbone organizations, establishing shared measurement systems, and fostering mutually reinforcing activities across stakeholders. Attendees will walk away understanding how to leverage both data-driven decision-making and collective impact methodologies to create a more effective, responsive anti-trafficking ecosystem that eliminates service fragmentation while honoring survivor dignity and agency.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss how to implement ethical, trauma-informed data collection protocols within their organizations

•  Discuss how to initiate or strengthen cross-sector collaborations using collective impact methodology

•  Present lessons from successful regional coordination models to their local context

•  Discuss how to design governance structures for responsible data sharing across organizations

•  Present action plans for integrating data-driven decision-making into anti-trafficking work

Approximately 21,450 young adults, many of them women, come to the United States on J-1 visas every year to work as au pairs for American families. Au pairs have reported that U.S. au pair agencies, which are supposed to act as intermediaries between au pairs and host families, engage in fraudulent recruitment practices which misled them about the nature of the position. The current U.S. au pair system leaves au pairs vulnerable to various forms of exploitation. One solution would be to classify the au pair program under the U.S. Department of Labor and reform the program to increase federal oversight. The J-1 visa program also needs to be reformed to allow au pairs to easily change jobs without approval. Although au pair J-1 visa holders are not tied to a single employer like foreign workers on other temporary visa types, they still must receive approval from their original visa sponsor before changing employers. This makes it difficult for au pairs to leave situations involving labor exploitation and trafficking. The presenter will discuss the policy implications of reclassifying the au pair program under the U.S. Department of Labor and specific reforms that would work to reduce vulnerabilities that make labor exploitation through the U.S. au pair system possible. Attendees will understand the mechanisms of the U.S. au pair program, including pain points that make it ripe for exploitation and how policy reform could alleviate these pain points.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Explain the structure of the U.S. au pair program, including its classification under the J-1 visa and the role of private recruitment agencies

•  Analyze how the current oversight system leaves au pairs vulnerable to exploitation, including fraudulent recruitment practices and labor abuses

•  Discuss the policy implications of reclassifying the au pair program under the U.S. Department of Labor to improve federal oversight and worker protections

•  Propose specific reforms, such as allowing au pairs to change employers without sponsor approval, to reduce vulnerabilities to labor exploitation and trafficking

This presentation shares findings from a collaborative research initiative led by the Global Association of Human Trafficking Scholars (GAHTS) Survivor Research Group examining the complex experiences of survivor leaders in the anti-trafficking movement. This mixed-methods approach includes survey data from 87 survivor leaders across 4 continents and in-depth qualitative interviews with a diverse subset of participants, specifically designed to capture often-overlooked perspectives including male survivors and labor trafficking survivors. The preliminary findings reveal concerning patterns: 79% of survivor leaders report experiencing tokenization at least occasionally, nearly 90% face exploitation or unfair compensation, and 89% report being treated as less competent despite their expertise. The qualitative interview phase explored these challenges in greater depth while identifying promising practices for meaningful inclusion. This survivor-led research initiative is uniquely positioned to provide insights into effective organizational relationships, financial sustainability, and professional development pathways for survivor leaders. Presenters will share emerging themes from the interviews regarding how organizations can move beyond performative inclusion to authentic collaboration, highlighting concrete recommendations for researchers, organizations, and policymakers committed to addressing power imbalances. Finally, the presenters will provide evidence-based recommendations that center survivor voices and experiences in developing best practices for the field.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide an overview of research findings on challenges survivor leaders face in anti-trafficking work

•  Present qualitative insights on the relationship between organizational practices and survivor leader experiences

•  Discuss evidence-based recommendations for meaningful inclusion of survivor expertise in research, policy, and program development

•  Highlight the importance of diverse representation in survivor leadership, particularly for historically marginalized groups

Substances are often used in the process of recruiting, grooming, and controlling victims of human trafficking, and victims and survivors may rely on substances to cope with their victimization and other traumatic experiences. They often experience compounded stigma and shame, and may even be criminalized or penalized, facing various challenges to getting their needs appropriately met through community-based services and systems responses. Often, providers working to address substance use and providers working to respond to trafficking are siloed from one another, sometimes lacking the appropriate training and resources to properly identify, refer, and provide services to individuals. Presenters will review public health data related to drug overdoses in Minnesota and will also review data collected and analyzed from the Minnesota Student Survey showcasing which youth are most impacted by this overlapping issue, focusing on different experiences they have compared to their peers. Presenters will also use research conducted by Caroline Palmer and reviewed by Subject Matter Experts with Lived Experience in Minnesota to explore how substances are used in trafficking and how systemic barriers and service gaps impact victims and survivors’ access to adequate services and support, including opportunities to exit trafficking and exploitation and recover from addiction. Understanding how substance use, exploitation, and trafficking overlap is key to increasing proper identification of individuals at this intersection and promoting a person-centered, trauma-informed, harm-reducing, appropriate, and timely response. Presenters will share key recommendations for providers and stakeholders including examples of projects, initiatives, and approaches from Minnesota.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Review Minnesota data and research highlighting the overlapping issues of substance use and human trafficking, including disparities faced by certain populations and common experiences amongst youth

•  Explore the various gaps and challenges faced by victims and survivors who use substances

•  Share key recommendations for providers and other stakeholders seeking to understand and address the overlapping public health issues of substance use and human trafficking

In conducting qualitative field research, especially involving a vulnerable population on a highly sensitive topic, challenges emerge that require research flexibility. Indeed, van Assche and colleagues (2023) astutely muse, “The practice of science is never merely an application of [the] scientific method, it is also a craft,” (p. 44). Their statement is germane to the presenters’ experiences investigating human trafficking (HT) in Kyrgyzstan, a former member of the Soviet Union. Although HT is thought rampant in Kyrgyzstan, little empirical data exist. Thus, the aim of this presentation is threefold, including: (1) delineation of key challenges confronted in an investigation of HT in Kyrgyzstan, where little prior literature exists; (2) discussion of key decisions made over the course of the study to overcome those challenges; and (3) explanation of how the study was transformed in sample, theory, and methodology, given challenges encountered and decisions-made. This discussion is significant on a number of fronts. First, the presenters provide a realistic account of field work adaptations that are not uncommon in qualitative methodologies, but which are rarely discussed. Realistic difficulties and how those can be approached is particularly relevant for new scholars. Second, this discussion reveals limitations of dominant methodological paradigms, thereby opening avenues for research, policy, and practice implications. Finally, this presentation will provide a window into the cultural and political conditions which deeply impact the diversity of lived experiences of HT survivors. This too has broad implications for continued research, policy and practice.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide an overview of key challenges that make research on sex trafficking in Kyrgyzstan extremely difficult-but also necessary

•  Describe key methodological challenges encountered in an investigation of human trafficking in Kyrgyzstan

•  Explain critical decisions made in response to challenges encountered in the field that transformed the data collection strategies, sample, theory, and foci of this research

Climate change and climate action can both have destabilizing effects on individuals and communities, and research suggests that one of these effects may be increased vulnerability to human trafficking. However, because most research contributions have focused on a single pathway, the range and complexity of intersections between climate change and human trafficking have yet to be aggregated and analyzed as a whole. In this research, the presenters contribute to this emerging body of knowledge by compiling and comprehensively discussing the multiple, complex, and mutually reinforcing pathways through which climate change has been found to exacerbate vulnerability to human trafficking in the extant literature. Based on the literature, they developed a causal loop diagram to illustrate the existing empirical findings on the individual, household, community, and structural factors that interplay and determine vulnerability to human trafficking in the context of climate change. They conducted a thematic analysis of relevant studies to illuminate how climate change can act as a factor that introduces risk and exacerbates vulnerability to human trafficking. Findings show that the extant literature has linked climate change to various forms of human trafficking (i.e., child marriage, forced marriage, debt bondage, sex trafficking, labor exploitation, and child labor) through three main pathways: poverty, food insecurity, and migration. The presenters will identify theoretical, methodological, and geographic gaps in the literature and explore points where interventions may enhance resilience to human trafficking in climate change-affected contexts.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide an overview of the scoping review, including main questions, methodology, and findings

•  Identify gaps in the literature on the relationship between climate change and human trafficking

•  Discuss potential points where interventions may increase resilience in climate change-affected contexts

According to the Prohibition of Prostitution Consumption Law, approved by the Israeli parliament in late 2018, any person who consumes prostitution commits an offense subject to a fine. The objective of this research study was to examine trends in the demand for prostitution in Israel following the law’s enactment, using data on Google searches using prostitution-related terms. Google Trends provides data on the relative volume of Google searches. This platform was chosen due to the difficulty of obtaining direct information on prostitution consumption and the widespread use of the internet for advertising prostitution. Search trends were analyzed for the Hebrew equivalents of the terms “prostitutes,” “escorts,” and “discreet apartments,” terms selected following consultations with experts, women in prostitution, and consumers of prostitution. Data was gathered for each month from January 2013 to April 2024. The study compared search volumes during key periods before and after the law's enactment and examined correlations between monthly search volumes and the number of fines imposed. Search volumes sharply declined following the law’s approval. Moreover, fluctuations in search volumes were linked to variations in the number of fines imposed. From mid-2022 onward, an upward trend in search volumes emerged concurrently with a decline in fines, although volumes remained below pre-law levels. These results suggest that the law reduced the demand for prostitution, despite evidence that its effect may be diminishing over time. To conclude, this study suggests that banning prostitution consumption may be effective in reducing demand, but only if it is followed by extensive enforcement.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Present background information on the context and significance of the study topic

•  Present background information on Google trends and its utilization in social science research

•  Provide an overview of the research study, including main questions, methodology, and findings

•  Discuss the conclusions of the study and avenues for future research

In this presentation, Angela Navarro will share her personal journey of overcoming trauma through emotional intelligence and how it transformed her life. She will discuss the struggles she faced with emotional regulation, impulsive decision-making, and the challenges of breaking free from cycles of trauma. Learning emotional intelligence allowed her to develop self-awareness, manage emotions, and build healthier relationships. She will explain how these skills not only changed her life but also influenced how she empowers others through Sweet Sisterhood, a survivor-led nonprofit designed to help women and their families build resilience and self-sufficiency. Angela’s goal is to show how emotional intelligence is more than just a concept—it’s a powerful tool for survival, growth, and leadership. Attendees will gain practical insights on how emotional intelligence can be applied in their personal and professional lives and how it can be used to create long-term positive change for survivors. Through her story, Angela hopes to encourage professionals to integrate emotional intelligence into their work, helping survivors navigate their healing journey with confidence and strength.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Share her personal journey of overcoming trauma through emotional intelligence

•  Discuss key emotional intelligence skills in trauma recovery

•  Explain how emotional intelligence can help break cycles of trauma and foster leadership among survivors

•  Provide actionable steps for integrating emotional intelligence into survivor support programs

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 focuses on vicarious trauma and equips attendees with practical tools to assess and improve their well-being. Key topics include distinguishing vicarious trauma from secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, burnout, moral injury, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Through personal anecdotes and interactive discussions, participants will explore the profound impact of high-stress work environments not only on professional performance but also on personal lives, relationships, and home dynamics. The session emphasizes resilience-building strategies for self-care, aiming to reduce professional burnout, decrease turnover, and enhance overall wellness. By addressing these challenges, attendees will be better equipped to strengthen their personal relationships, maintain work-life balance, and provide high-quality support to the victims and communities they serve.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss the effects of high-stress environments on personal well-being, relationships, and workplace culture, differentiating vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and other occupational stress responses

•  Present practical tools and strategies to encourage resilience, improve self-care practices, and mitigate the impact of trauma exposure in both professional and personal lives

•  Discuss how to implement workplace cultural shifts that normalize discussions around vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue, reducing turnover while enhancing team collaboration, well-being, and the quality of victim services

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the use of unique fields in a hospital-based electronic health record (EHR) system to document indicators of abuse, including human trafficking. These fields were developed to support clinicians with screenings and to quantify the number of trafficked individuals identified. A nonprofit health system launched a program to prepare its staff to identify and assist patients who may be experiencing trafficking. As part of these efforts, the health system implemented a new field in its EHR system to document indicators of human trafficking. This was in addition to other fields available to document indicators of abuse. A data analyst compiled all patient encounters from three of the health system’s hospitals in which a clinician documented at least one response in at least one of the fields described above from March 2019 to February 2020 (N=566). The health system’s human trafficking response program director, who is also a subject matter expert on the topic, then reviewed the data to establish a final data set (n=110). Using descriptive statistics and qualitative analyses, the final data set was evaluated for hospital locations, types of services, patient demographics, chief complaints, and indicators of abuse, including human trafficking. This presentation will report on the use and outcomes of these fields and the effectiveness of having separate fields to document indicators of different types of abuse, including trafficking.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Describe promising practices in the use of EHR systems to track human trafficking

•  Explain how to design EHR forms and fields to document concerns of abuse, including human trafficking

•  Discuss opportunities for further research in clinical informatics and trafficking response

This presentation explores the alarming issue of human trafficking for organ harvesting from Sub-Saharan Africa to Europe and America, focusing on case studies from Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal. It begins by defining human trafficking and organ harvesting, highlighting the rising global demand for illicit organ transplants. Sub-Saharan Africa has become a hotspot due to economic hardship, weak law enforcement, and organized crime networks. Next, it examines the methods traffickers use, including kidnapping, coercion, and deception, as well as the black-market organ trade. The case studies provide real-life examples: 1) Nigeria: Organized crime and human smuggling networks trafficking victims for organ trade, 2) Ghana: Child trafficking and the vulnerabilities of rural communities, and 3) Senegal: Links between migration routes and organ harvesting. The presentation then discusses key contributing factors, such as poverty, corruption, and lack of awareness, followed by the devastating consequences on victims’ health, psychological well-being, and economic stability. Efforts to combat organ trafficking include international laws, government interventions, and NGO initiatives. However, stronger law enforcement, awareness campaigns, and international cooperation are needed. In conclusion, the presentation emphasizes the urgency of collaborative efforts to dismantle trafficking networks and protect vulnerable populations. Governments, NGOs, and individuals must work together to stop this human rights crisis.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Examine the link between human trafficking and organ harvesting, focusing on how victims from Sub-Saharan Africa are exploited for the illegal organ trade

•  Analyze case studies from Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal, highlighting real-life incidents, trafficking routes, and the role of organized crime networks

•  Identify the key factors facilitating organ trafficking, including economic hardship, weak law enforcement, and high global demand for organs

•  Explore efforts to combat organ trafficking, including international laws, government interventions, and recommendations for stronger policies and awareness campaigns

Juanita Headley shares a deeply personal and thought-provoking journey into the world of human trafficking and child sexual abuse, intertwining her lived experiences with the harsh realities of exploitation. She begins by exploring the concept of "currency"—not in terms of money, but as vulnerabilities that traffickers exploit. Through the harrowing case of a young victim targeted by an online predator, Juanita highlights how traffickers identify and manipulate individual weaknesses to exert control. She then delves into the grooming process, explaining how perpetrators prepare their victims—whether through manipulation, coercion, or brute force. Drawing on real-life cases, she illustrates the calculated patience of traffickers and the psychological tactics they use to entrap their victims. In a raw and personal revelation, Juanita recounts her own experience of childhood sexual abuse and the long-term effects it had on her sense of self-worth and trust. She connects her story to the broader issue of victim grooming, showing how traffickers exploit past trauma to create a cycle of abuse. Juanita concludes with a powerful call to action—urging professionals to recognize the signs of grooming and trafficking, respond effectively to disclosures, and understand their own vulnerabilities. She provides practical recommendations on safeguarding strategies, trauma-informed responses, and how communities can work together to disrupt exploitation. Her presentation is a compelling educational tool that equips attendees with the knowledge needed for advocacy, intervention, and prevention in their professional fields.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Describe the concept of "currency" in human trafficking, illustrating how traffickers exploit individual vulnerabilities to manipulate and control victims

•  Discuss the grooming process, detailing the psychological and emotional tactics used by traffickers to prepare victims for exploitation

•  Explain the connection between childhood trauma and susceptibility to trafficking, using real-life cases and personal experiences to highlight key risk factors

•  Provide actionable strategies for professionals to recognize signs of trafficking, respond effectively to disclosures, and implement trauma-informed interventions

This research explores the therapeutic value of writing autobiographies for survivors of childhood sexual abuse and other traumas. Online surveys were sent to twenty (20) survivors who had completed writing their books which were at the publication stage. Although many described being fearful at the beginning and during the process, they described different emotional challenges, but on completion they felt relieved, stronger, confident, healed, liberated, and proud as well as feeling overwhelmed, fearful, and anxious about the potential responses. 95% said they would recommend it to others. 79% of respondents indicated they wrote their stories to "impact and inspire others who have been through similar experiences," while 42% wrote to help process and receive healing. This suggests that books focused on personal healing journeys that also aim to help others would be most valued by this audience. 89% of respondents reported receiving "a great deal" of emotional and spiritual support from the program team, and 74% received similar support from peers. This highlights the importance of community-based writing programs for trauma survivors, suggesting that books created in supportive environments may be more powerful and effective. Most participants (63%) took 7-12 months to complete their books. This indicates that meaningful books addressing personal trauma typically require a significant time investment, and expectations should be set accordingly. Attendees will learn the value of writing autobiographies as a form of therapeutic care for those who have experienced exploitation as long as there is sufficient support to do so.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Explore the value of writing autobiographies preferably in the context of a supportive community

•  Discuss how writing autobiographies could be written in alternative therapeutic community environments

•  Explain the background on narrative therapy and therapeutic techniques associated with writing

•  Discuss the impact of the program on participants and their healing

In the United States and internationally, state actors routinely fail to recognize and identify survivors of trafficking with fateful consequences: survivors are arrested, detained, criminalized, and even unceremoniously deported in violation of survivors’ rights to protection and remedy. This practice is widespread. The majority of survivors in the United States reporting negative encounters with law enforcement while being trafficked (including arrest and detention), and its consequences are dire. Criminalized survivors are retraumatized by the system and suffer a myriad of societal consequences of their criminal records, including barriers to employment, housing, voting, child custody, education, immigration, and travel. This presentation focuses on advocacy strategies for ending the criminalization of trafficking survivors. First, it presents the unlawful practice of criminalizing survivors, including the reasons for the persistence of this practice. Next, it examines the key legal instruments and norms violated by this practice. Third, it presents the human rights mechanisms that advocates may engage at an international, regional, national, and state level in pursuit of an end to wrongful criminalization. In this discussion, the presentation offers multifaceted strategies and methods for advocates to advance the recognition and identification of survivors—from the international to the local. It seeks to empower any advocate on how to use human rights and civil rights advocacy strategies to hold state actors to account and advance change in this critical area. The presentation is accessible for all advocates (lived experience experts included) but requires a baseline understanding of human trafficking, its nature, and dynamics.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Examine failures in identification and recognition of human trafficking survivors and consequences arising from such failures

•  Explore multifaceted human rights strategies to advance identification and recognition of criminalized and justice-involved trafficking survivors

•  Empower advocates to break down barriers to protection for survivors and end wrongful criminalization

Child sex trafficking involves the use of a child in a sexual act in exchange for something of value, such as money or drugs. Exposure to sex trafficking has detrimental effects on child safety and health. Victims and survivors interact with pediatric health care providers at all stages of exploitation and recovery. It is critical that pediatric health care programs respond effectively to child sex trafficking to promote optimal outcomes. Engagement with survivor leaders should be a fundamental component of pediatric health care program development, implementation, and evaluation. Recognizing and leveraging the insight that comes from lived experience can help to inform more responsive interventions. Despite growing recognition of their valuable role, survivors are commonly overlooked or engaged in superficial, tokenistic, and sensationalistic ways. Centering and honoring the voices of survivors is therefore a vital act of social justice. In this survivor-led presentation, the presenters advocate for meaningful and ethical engagement with survivor leaders across all levels of practice, policy, and research. They propose a trauma-informed, anti-oppressive, empowerment-based model of survivor inclusion and survivor-informed practice grounded in 11 guiding principles and 14 practice strategies derived from lived experience. Their framework strives to minimize risk of re-victimization, re-exploitation, and re-traumatization of survivors. This work emerged from an innovative collaboration between a diverse group of lived experience experts and pediatric health care program specializing in child sex trafficking in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Sharing this model of care will offer guidance to service providers as they move toward intentional and authentic survivor engagement.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Explain why survivor engagement is instrumental to the success of pediatric health care responses to child sex trafficking

•  Discuss the complexities and challenges that may arise when collaborating with survivors in ethical and meaningful ways

•  Propose a model of survivor inclusion and survivor-informed practice that is trauma-informed, anti-oppressive, and empowerment-base

This presentation serves as an introduction to statistics for researchers and program leaders as an aid in understanding statistical content and making effective use of statistics in their work. Statistics and statistical content are powerful tools for gaining insight into research questions and managing programs. However, making effective use of statistics and discerning the reliability of statistical content can be daunting. This presentation provides an overview of different kinds of statistical content found in supporting research and analytics used in assessing program impact. Examples include survey design and use, common performance metrics, graphs and visualizations, statistical models and predictive analytics, and understanding statistical tests in layperson’s terms. A particular emphasis is given to assessing the reliability of statistical content, including statistical power, assessing bias, conflicts of interest, and the limitations of statistical findings. Questions and answers will focus on specific questions about statistics and their use from members of the audience. The session will empower and guide attendees to make greater, more effective use of statistics in their research and management of their programs.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss common statistical methods and how they can be used to strengthen research findings and the management of anti-trafficking and survivor programs

•  Present the limitations of statistical methods, how to assess research, and identify misinformation

•  Describe how to identify when to consult a statistical expert, how to evaluate their credentials, best practices, and making the best use of their of their findings

This presentation includes the evaluation of a 12-session trauma-focused psycho-education group intervention for incarcerated female survivors of sex trafficking. This study used pre-post surveys of the group attendees and chi square and t-tests to analyze the data. Starting in May of 2019, there have been seven cohorts of incarcerated women participants in the STAR group, a total of 152 attendees. Pre-post survey analysis found that the participants’ scores on the Trauma Symptom Inventory, the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale and the URICA responded with decreased symptoms on all scales and increased self-esteem and motivation to change. This group is administered by clinical social workers and lived experience experts. The group is closed to those who attend the first group. The content of the group includes- understanding abuse and gender-based violence, experience and consequences of economic abuse, exploring the effects of trauma, family violence and abuse, relationship abuse, self-harm and avoidance, demystifying the “game”, grief, moving out of survival mode, relationships and trust, and change and coping. This scores on the trauma, self-esteem, and motivation to change scales show an overall positive impact of the group. This group is low cost and has high impact. Incarcerated women who self-identified as sex trafficked experienced high rates of trauma and low rates of self-esteem. Groups for incarcerated women should be designed to address issues related to trauma symptoms and opportunities to narrate their experiences of sex trafficking.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide an overview of the study and of the intervention group curriculum

•  Describe the research methods and analysis

•  Describe the implications and recommendations based on the research

The intersection of poverty and the criminal justice system disproportionately affects marginalized women in Nigeria by trapping them in cycles of incarceration and socio-economic exclusion. Despite legal protections, women in poverty face systemic discrimination, from arbitrary arrests to prolonged pretrial detention and harsh sentencing. This presentation examines the socio-criminal justice implications of women’s incarceration in Nigeria by highlighting how poverty exacerbates their vulnerability within the justice system. The presentation has three key objectives: (1) to analyze the socio-economic factors that contribute to women’s incarceration, (2) to assess the impact of criminal justice policies on marginalized women, and (3) to explore alternatives to incarceration that promote social justice. Using a doctrinal and empirical research approach, the research reviews legal frameworks, case studies, and qualitative data from formerly incarcerated women. Findings reveal that poverty-driven crimes, lack of legal representation, and gender-insensitive judicial practices increase the likelihood of imprisonment for women. Moreover, incarceration further entrenches poverty by limiting employment opportunities and reinforcing social stigma. This research contributes to knowledge by exposing the socio-economic dimensions of criminal justice in Nigeria and advocating for policy reforms that prioritize rehabilitation over punishment. The presentation concludes that addressing the criminalization of poverty requires systemic changes, including gender-responsive legal reforms, improved access to legal aid, and non-custodial sentencing alternatives. A justice system that upholds equity must recognize the structural disadvantages faced by marginalized women and provide pathways for reintegration rather than perpetuating cycles of incarceration.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Present a compelling real-life story of a formerly incarcerated woman in Nigeria

•  Discuss the research study, including the methodology, findings, and implications

•  Explore alternatives to incarceration that promote social justice

While sex trafficking and porn have both been defined as forms of sexual violence, rooted in a system of gender inequality, what is often overlooked is the way these two industries are culturally, technologically, and economically linked. In the first part of this session, the presenters will explore how porn acts as both a method of recruitment into trafficking, and a major driver of demand. They will provide examples of how social media platforms are fueling sexual exploitation and prostitution, from the exchange of sexual currency in live streams to the grooming and recruitment of young people into prostitution and sex trafficking. In the second part of the session, they will discuss how the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is greatly magnifying the quantity, scope, accessibility, and harms of pornography. They will discuss how traffickers use AI to target, recruit, exploit, and abuse victims, and how sextortion has become a gateway to trafficking. AI now makes it possible for any person of any age to easily create porn - and to be victimized by porn. There are thousands of easy-to-find nudifying apps and websites – that anyone is now a potential victim. And with a few keystrokes, any person can easily become a perpetrator. Finally, they will conclude with how Culture Reframed, through a public health approach, assists parents and professionals who work with young people in navigating the treacherous terrain of social media, pornography, AI, and trafficking.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss how the pornography and sex trafficking industries are culturally, technologically, and economically linked

•  Discuss how pornography acts as both a method of recruitment into trafficking and a major driver of demand

•  Describe how social media platforms fuel sexual exploitation and trafficking and the harms this causes

•  Present the different types of AI pornography that are used by traffickers to target, recruit, exploit, and abuse victims

•  Present practical advice for how to build resilience and resistance in young people to porn and protect against the dangers of sextortion and trafficking

Survivors of sex trafficking and exploitation in the United States face countless barriers on the path to healing. A general lack of awareness of the severity and reality of human trafficking amongst the public has only intensified the challenges survivors face. Research supports the presenters’ experiences in the field regarding how this lack of awareness has created gaps across the vital systems survivors need to exit trafficking, impacting their ability to achieve their goals for safety, success, and freedom. Exiting and healing from the trauma of trafficking requires a multi-disciplinary approach that can comprehensively address a variety of complex needs. Presenters will discuss strategies such as consistent collaboration and cross-training between agencies that can increase holistic care for survivors. The importance of having lived experience experts at the forefront of anti-trafficking care will also be emphasized during the presentation. No single agency can meet the needs of every sex trafficking survivor, and some agencies may receive more robust trauma-informed training than others. Agencies with additional resources must inform their community partners of best-practice strategies so survivors can feel adequately supported at any exit point. Including lived experience experts on staff and advisory boards and reducing perceived power dynamics can also help increase feelings of safety and decrease feelings of shame and guilt among survivors attempting to exit trafficking. This presentation concludes with a call to action for collaboration and inclusion of survivor voices in each community represented by the audience.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Review critical needs of survivors of sex trafficking and exploitation

•  Describe gaps in service delivery faced by survivors

•  Explain how to address and navigate service gaps with the resources available in one’s own community

•  Discuss how to use collaborative models like MDTs that include survivor voices

This presentation will cover Nick Bryant’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s organized child sex trafficking network and the cover-up by state and federal law enforcement and the judiciary. Bryant will show that Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and their network trafficked underage girls for 25 years, some as young as 10 years old. He will discuss how the Palm Beach Police Department identified 22 underage victims of Epstein in 2005, but a corrupt Florida grand jury did not indict Epstein on a single count of child trafficking. By 2007, the Justice Department was aware of 40 underage victims. Yet, Epstein was indicted on only one count of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and served only 13 months in a county jail. Moreover, Bryant will demonstrate that the Justice Department shockingly gave blanket immunity to all of the Epstein perpetrators and co-conspirators. The presentation will also illustrate the 2021 charges against Maxwell that included only one count of child trafficking were a miscarriage of justice. On July 8, 2019, the New York Times reported that federal authorities seized from Epstein’s safe  “hundreds—possibly thousands—of sexually suggestive photographs of girls who appear underage, as well as hand-labeled compact discs with titles like ‘Girl pics nude,’ and, with the names redacted, ‘Young [Name] + [Name].’” Now in 2025, the government has yet to acknowledge that these victims even exist. Bryant will discuss how he founded Epstein Justice to institute a congressional commission that seeks justice for the victims in the Epstein network and demands government transparency in the case.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Present findings of the investigation into the organized crimes against children by the Epstein child sex trafficking network

•  Discuss the legal aberrations that allowed children to be molested with impunity

•  Show how the media has abrogated its responsibilities to victims of child sexual abuse in their inadequate coverage of this network

•  Present options for political action in an effort to seek justice for the victims

While Sex Trafficking awareness widens, less is known about the perspective of Familial Sex Trafficking Survivors and Ritual Abuse Survivors. Anjela Glueckert is a Trauma Survivor of BOTH. In this inspiring workshop, Anjela will discuss & share her own Trauma Healing Tools that she continues to use along her own ongoing Trauma Healing Journey. Due to the lack of resources for Survivors like herself, Anjela was motivated to create her own Toolbox for Healing from Family Sex Trafficking & Ritual Abuse, as the deeper she dove into her healing, the more difficult it was to find supports. She will talk about how the Survivor’s perspective is often missing in Anti-Trafficking work, & she will share what is needed and how to offer support to Survivors as they embark on their own Trauma Healing Journey. Anjela will share how she built her own Trauma-Healing Tools of Support that continue to be helpful and necessary along her own lifelong Trauma-Healing Journey. Additionally, Anjela will share how others can offer these Trauma Healing Tools for Survivors in their own community, whether as employers, caretakers, or friends. This includes how to support Survivors as struggles arise, and they continue to build their Healing Strengths. Anjela invites attendees to join her Anjelabundance.com commUNITY! AND when you start to embrace, more intentionally, this Survivor Perspective, you will be amazed and inspired by all the Survivors who reach out to HELP You to HELP Them Just. Heal.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Increase awareness of Familial Sex Trafficking and Ritual Abuse Survivors

·  Share a Ritual Abuse Survivor Perspective of ongoing Trauma Healing through supportive tools

·  Build a CommUNITY of Empowering Support for other Survivors

As trafficking prevention efforts continue to evolve, screening tools and data-driven approaches are playing a critical role in identifying and supporting vulnerable youth. The Commercial Sexual Exploitation Identification tool (The CSE-IT) is a screening tool utilized across Texas and Louisiana via the software platform, Lighthouse. Over 180,000 CSE-IT screenings of youth collected across these two states were analyzed to illuminate 1) demographic trends and 2) key risk indicators as well as to generate recommendations for improving victim identification. Using insights from one of the most comprehensive screening datasets available, the presenter will showcase screening patterns across agency types, how factors such as age, gender, and system involvement influence risk levels for trafficking, the most common warning signs among youth flagged as “Clear Concern” and what they reveal about trafficking dynamics. This session will directly connect findings to practical implications for victim identification and service provision and equip attendees with evidence-based knowledge to refine their own screening protocols and intervention efforts.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Describe background on screening practices, Lighthouse data collection, and methodology for analysis

•  Present comprehensive findings from 180,000 youth screenings including demographic trends and risk indicators

•  Share recommendations for improving screening protocols and expanding data-driven collaboration nationally

Establishing evidence-based programming for survivors of trafficking requires a structured approach that integrates feedback loops, quality assessments, and data-driven decision-making to enhance care and program effectiveness. This session will focus on why evidence-based best practices are critical to providing effective, survivor-centered care — and how programs can move from good intentions to proven impact. Many services for trafficking survivors are built on compassion, but without research-backed methods, they risk missing key needs or unintentionally causing harm. The presentation will explain what evidence-based practice means, why it raises the standard of care, and how organizations can begin applying it in practical ways. The presenters will cover strategies for building survivor feedback loops, using quality assessments and certifications to measure effectiveness, and collecting meaningful data to guide decisions. Participants will leave with clear recommendations for strengthening their programs, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, and aligning services with research and survivor input to achieve better outcomes.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss the crucial need for evidence-based practice in programs for survivors of human trafficking

•  Establish feedback channels that inform programmatic elements

•  Establish data collection mechanisms that inform practice

•  Describe the importance of engaging in third-party evaluation against research-based methodology for evidence-based practice

Human trafficking requires effective victim identification mechanisms. Current screening tools show varying effectiveness, often failing to capture diverse survivor experiences, particularly across demographic or cultural backgrounds. This pilot study introduces the Focus Adult Screener (FAS) to address these identification gaps. The research evaluated the screener through a comprehensive literature review and focus groups with survivors and professional providers. This approach ensured sensitivity to survivor experiences while incorporating trauma-informed, culturally competent perspectives. The study surveyed 315 participants from Lucas County, Ohio through five community organizations over four months, employing Item Response Theory and Exploratory Factor Analysis. Preliminary results demonstrate significant effectiveness, with the FAS accurately identifying 161 human trafficking victims among the 315 participants. This successful differentiation between victims and non-victims provides strong initial validation for the tool’s classification accuracy and diagnostic capabilities. The findings highlight the value of stakeholder input in development. The FAS shows promise in addressing gaps in trafficking response systems. Unlike many existing tools, this screener was specifically normed on a population that included confirmed trafficking victims, strengthening its validity for practical application. Future research should continue validation across diverse contexts and populations to refine its effectiveness further. This pilot study establishes a robust foundation for a reliable victim identification instrument, potentially improving support mechanisms and enhancing broader anti-trafficking efforts through accurate early identification.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Present the pilot study findings that validate the effectiveness of the FAS, including the statistical analysis and implications for improving victim identification in practice

•  Demonstrate how the FAS was developed and implemented as a novel screening tool for identifying adult trafficking victims, highlighting its unique integration of survivor perspectives and professional expertise

Generative AI can be misused in several ways to exploit individuals such as phishing and social engineering. It can create highly convincing phishing emails and messages, making it easier to trick people into revealing sensitive information. AI can also be used to create realistic audio and video deepfakes which can be used to impersonate someone else. This can lead to anything from harming someone’s reputation to extortion and exploitation. AI can also be used to create realistic fake social media profiles, which can be used to scam people, such as romance scams or other types of fraud. These profiles can be highly convincing making it difficult for victims to detect the deception. “Nudifying” or “de-clothing” sites can take publicly available photos off social media and create exploitive content including child sexual abuse material (CSAM). These images and videos can be used to extort vulnerable populations both financially and physically. Minor victims can be coerced into creating more CSAM or pressured into a trafficking situation. At the same time, the creation of these deepfakes or generative AI CSAM are a drain on the resources of law enforcement who are attempting to deal with the influx of cyber tips. This session will cover the basics of AI technology available, how it will impact those working in the child exploitation and human trafficking space, information on what to be wary of, and how to support victims. It will also cover some of the limitations of the law, technology, and investigative abilities when it comes to the intersection of AI and social media.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide an overview of generative AI

•  Discuss the type of possible harm and their impact on social media

•  Discuss current limitations of the law

•  Discuss the future of generative AI on human trafficking and other exploitive crimes

Although the prevalence of trafficking and its harmful impacts have been thoroughly studied, there remains a significant lack of understanding as to which programs and interventions are effective. Additionally, as the anti-trafficking movement evolves, it faces critical questions: What are the most essential needs of each survivor? How can organizations effectively measure impact on the outcomes that truly matter? What strategies should policymakers and funders prioritize to reduce vulnerability to trafficking? These are pivotal issues that must be addressed to create lasting change in the lives of survivors. This presentation will draw on several sources and include survivor perspectives derived from The National Survivor Study conducted by Polaris, published 2023 - In Harms Way: How Systems Fail Human Trafficking Survivors. This report states, “a passive role in data collection skews power dynamics and leaves survivors without control over what story the data tells and how it is used. More evidence is urgently needed to fill these data gaps and build effective programs and policies.” Also included will be key learnings from Everfree’s work, including trauma-informed approaches and survivor-centered care models, demonstrating how collaboration and data sharing across sectors can improve service coordination and effectiveness, while emphasizing the importance of lived-experience expertise in shaping best practices. Utilizing the data and responses from both resources, this presentation will demonstrate the importance of survivor informed and individualized service provision.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Present the latest data trends in survivor needs and gaps identified in current service provision models

•  Discuss the role of technology in scaling solutions and improving long-term outcomes for survivors

•  Discuss the importance of lived-experience expertise in shaping best practices for long term survivor success

For over 15 years, 3Strands Global Foundation (3SGF) has been at the forefront of combating human trafficking through prevention education, survivor services, and advocacy. This session highlights two groundbreaking initiatives: the Survivor Advisory Board (SAB) and The Table Empowerment Center (The Table), located in Sacramento, California. The SAB is a leadership-driven platform where survivors of labor trafficking and sex trafficking inform policies, shape programs, and advocate for systemic change. Members play an active role in developing effective curricula, advising on best practices, and leading community engagement efforts. Complementing these efforts, The Table provides a safe, welcoming space for survivors and individuals at risk of exploitation. As one of the first drop-in centers of its kind in the U.S., The Table offers essential resources—including case management, counseling, job readiness training, childcare, and access to food, clothing, and hygiene products. Beyond immediate services, The Table prioritizes long-term empowerment by measuring the pre- and post-impact of individuals receiving case management, tracking progress in areas such as housing stability, employment, mental health, and overall well-being. These data-driven insights not only inform service enhancements but also strengthen the case for increased funding and policy support at local, state, and federal levels, ensuring that survivor-centered solutions remain sustainable and scalable. Attendees will explore the design, implementation, and impact of these initiatives while gaining practical strategies for launching survivor-led programs in their communities. Through real-world examples and interactive discussions, this session will emphasize the critical role of collaboration in advancing sustainable, survivor-centered solutions to trafficking.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Examine the role and impact of the SAB in shaping anti-trafficking initiatives

•  Explore the comprehensive services offered by The Table and their significance in survivor empowerment

•  Discuss strategies for implementing survivor-led programs and empowerment centers in various communities

•  Highlight the importance of collaboration between survivors, organizations, and community stakeholders in combating human trafficking

For over 15 years, 3Strands Global Foundation (3SGF) has been at the forefront of combating human trafficking through prevention education, survivor services, and advocacy. This session highlights two groundbreaking initiatives: the Survivor Advisory Board (SAB) and The Table Empowerment Center (The Table), located in Sacramento, California. The SAB is a leadership-driven platform where survivors of labor trafficking and sex trafficking inform policies, shape programs, and advocate for systemic change. Members play an active role in developing effective curricula, advising on best practices, and leading community engagement efforts. Complementing these efforts, The Table provides a safe, welcoming space for survivors and individuals at risk of exploitation. As one of the first drop-in centers of its kind in the U.S., The Table offers essential resources—including case management, counseling, job readiness training, childcare, and access to food, clothing, and hygiene products. Beyond immediate services, The Table prioritizes long-term empowerment by measuring the pre- and post-impact of individuals receiving case management, tracking progress in areas such as housing stability, employment, mental health, and overall well-being. These data-driven insights not only inform service enhancements but also strengthen the case for increased funding and policy support at local, state, and federal levels, ensuring that survivor-centered solutions remain sustainable and scalable. Attendees will explore the design, implementation, and impact of these initiatives while gaining practical strategies for launching survivor-led programs in their communities. Through real-world examples and interactive discussions, this session will emphasize the critical role of collaboration in advancing sustainable, survivor-centered solutions to trafficking.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Examine the role and impact of the SAB in shaping anti-trafficking initiatives

•  Explore the comprehensive services offered by The Table and their significance in survivor empowerment

•  Discuss strategies for implementing survivor-led programs and empowerment centers in various communities

•  Highlight the importance of collaboration between survivors, organizations, and community stakeholders in combating human trafficking

For over 15 years, 3Strands Global Foundation (3SGF) has been at the forefront of combating human trafficking through prevention education, survivor services, and advocacy. This session highlights two groundbreaking initiatives: the Survivor Advisory Board (SAB) and The Table Empowerment Center (The Table), located in Sacramento, California. The SAB is a leadership-driven platform where survivors of labor trafficking and sex trafficking inform policies, shape programs, and advocate for systemic change. Members play an active role in developing effective curricula, advising on best practices, and leading community engagement efforts. Complementing these efforts, The Table provides a safe, welcoming space for survivors and individuals at risk of exploitation. As one of the first drop-in centers of its kind in the U.S., The Table offers essential resources—including case management, counseling, job readiness training, childcare, and access to food, clothing, and hygiene products. Beyond immediate services, The Table prioritizes long-term empowerment by measuring the pre- and post-impact of individuals receiving case management, tracking progress in areas such as housing stability, employment, mental health, and overall well-being. These data-driven insights not only inform service enhancements but also strengthen the case for increased funding and policy support at local, state, and federal levels, ensuring that survivor-centered solutions remain sustainable and scalable. Attendees will explore the design, implementation, and impact of these initiatives while gaining practical strategies for launching survivor-led programs in their communities. Through real-world examples and interactive discussions, this session will emphasize the critical role of collaboration in advancing sustainable, survivor-centered solutions to trafficking.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Examine the role and impact of the SAB in shaping anti-trafficking initiatives

•  Explore the comprehensive services offered by The Table and their significance in survivor empowerment

•  Discuss strategies for implementing survivor-led programs and empowerment centers in various communities

•  Highlight the importance of collaboration between survivors, organizations, and community stakeholders in combating human trafficking

This presentation addresses the significant risks faced by those involved in sugar dating or working in strip clubs with a focus on vulnerabilities for sex and labor exploitation. Strip club work has been found to include sex and labor exploitation as well as exposure to dangerous work environments. The actions and coercive control by strip club staff towards dancers mimics trafficker behaviors and in many situations, leads to sex trafficking situations. Sugar (i.e., Sugar Baby or Sugar Daddy) relationships have recently been exposed to have elements of coercion, secrecy, and targeting of young vulnerable females through aggressive marketing with promises of wealth and mentoring. This presentation explores how sugar relationships involve exploitation, coercion, and manipulation, with young individuals frequently pressured into engaging in these activities due to financial need, lack of support systems, or being coerced into the business by a trafficker. The promises of financial gain or gifts can mask a power imbalance, where young individuals may be subject to emotional, physical, or sexual exploitation. These relationships often blur the lines between consensual interaction and manipulation, with harmful effects on mental health, self-worth, and future relationships. Similarly, working in strip clubs exposes young workers to high rates of physical and emotional abuse, exploitation, and the normalization of being objectified. Many individuals enter the industry without understanding the long-term consequences, such as potential for substance abuse, trauma, and unhealthy coping mechanisms. This presentation focuses on risks, expectations, and how trafficking can occur from these types of employment.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Introduce the risks of sugar dating and strip clubs

•  Discuss risk factors of young people in sugar dating

•  Explain the transition from strip clubs to trafficking

•  Discuss vulnerabilities of young people with financial instability

For over 15 years, 3Strands Global Foundation (3SGF) has been at the forefront of combating human trafficking through prevention education, survivor services, and advocacy. This session highlights two groundbreaking initiatives: the Survivor Advisory Board (SAB) and The Table Empowerment Center (The Table), located in Sacramento, California. The SAB is a leadership-driven platform where survivors of labor trafficking and sex trafficking inform policies, shape programs, and advocate for systemic change. Members play an active role in developing effective curricula, advising on best practices, and leading community engagement efforts. Complementing these efforts, The Table provides a safe, welcoming space for survivors and individuals at risk of exploitation. As one of the first drop-in centers of its kind in the U.S., The Table offers essential resources—including case management, counseling, job readiness training, childcare, and access to food, clothing, and hygiene products. Beyond immediate services, The Table prioritizes long-term empowerment by measuring the pre- and post-impact of individuals receiving case management, tracking progress in areas such as housing stability, employment, mental health, and overall well-being. These data-driven insights not only inform service enhancements but also strengthen the case for increased funding and policy support at local, state, and federal levels, ensuring that survivor-centered solutions remain sustainable and scalable. Attendees will explore the design, implementation, and impact of these initiatives while gaining practical strategies for launching survivor-led programs in their communities. Through real-world examples and interactive discussions, this session will emphasize the critical role of collaboration in advancing sustainable, survivor-centered solutions to trafficking.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Examine the role and impact of the SAB in shaping anti-trafficking initiatives

•  Explore the comprehensive services offered by The Table and their significance in survivor empowerment

•  Discuss strategies for implementing survivor-led programs and empowerment centers in various communities

•  Highlight the importance of collaboration between survivors, organizations, and community stakeholders in combating human trafficking

This presentation explores the systemic and individual vulnerabilities that contribute to the risk of human trafficking, emphasizing the importance of a multifaceted prevention approach. Participants will gain an understanding of systemic factors such as poverty, lack of access to education, systemic racism, and displacement due to conflict or natural disasters. The session also highlights individual-level risks, including age, trauma histories, mental health challenges, and vulnerabilities faced by marginalized groups, such as LGBTQ+ individuals and migrants. A critical focus of the presentation is the role of intersectionality in trafficking vulnerabilities, showcasing how overlapping identities and systemic inequities compound risks. Through a case study, attendees will explore how these factors intersect and learn practical tools for identifying and addressing vulnerabilities in real-world contexts. The session will conclude by outlining actionable prevention and intervention strategies at the community, individual, and policy levels. Participants will learn how education, trauma-informed care, and advocacy for systemic changes can mitigate risks and strengthen protective factors. Attendees will leave equipped with knowledge and strategies to implement in their professional and community-based roles. This session will include interactive Q&A to address attendee questions and discuss practical applications of the material. By focusing on the interconnected nature of trafficking risk factors, this presentation aims to empower attendees with a holistic perspective on combating human trafficking.

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide an overview of systemic and individual risk factors that contribute to human trafficking

•  Explain how intersectionality increases vulnerability and its implications for prevention strategies

•  Discuss actionable community, individual, and policy-level interventions to mitigate trafficking risks