Working Together to Fight Trafficking in our Communities: An Interdisciplinary Effort
Kristy Eldredge, EdD, LPC, ACS, NCC; Elaine Fisher, MEd, LPC, NCC & Elise Reifschneider, MA | September 20 | 4:00-5:00 PM
Topic: Programming | Knowledge Level: Intermediate | Location: Ingman Room
Perpetrators of human trafficking maintain their networks and avoid detection by establishing highly organized and structured criminal enterprises. Thus, in order to successfully fight trafficking systems, communities and professionals need to be equally well-coordinated. Combatting human trafficking requires a well-organized, integrated effort amongst multiple disciplines including, but not limited to child protective services, law enforcement, district attorneys, and medical and mental health professionals. The Denver Anti-Trafficking Alliance (DATA) is one such interdisciplinary group that has formed to address the ever-growing problem of labor and sex-trafficking in Colorado. In this presentation, the presenters will share the mission and strategic goals of Denver’s alliance, specifically focusing on the mental health subcommittee, of which the presenters serve as co-chairs. They will discuss the specific efforts of the mental health sub-committee and how these lend to the greater efforts of the full city-wide alliance. Finally, the presenters will outline the challenges that come with coordinating such an effort and the strategies they have implemented to overcome them.
Presentation Objectives:
· Explore the importance of establishing community-based interdisciplinary groups to combat human trafficking
· Provide a model for a community-based interdisciplinary group for addressing prevention, prosecution, and treatment efforts related to human trafficking
· Identify the challenges inherent to a community-based interdisciplinary group and offer recommendations for mitigating these