Minnesota has been steadily improving its response to human trafficking at the state level through increased criminal penalties for traffickers, a safe harbor law for minor victims of sex trafficking, funded services for trafficking victims, and protocol guidelines for responding to both sex and labor trafficking. Though counties and municipalities have improved their responses to human trafficking, the changes have been uneven. Minneapolis has begun investing in a comprehensive response to human trafficking across all city departments, an effort that coincides with new and proposed city ordinances on minimum wage, sick and safe leave, and wage theft. This focus on workplace justice provides an opening to incorporate best practices in addressing sex and labor trafficking throughout the city government. The process is two-fold. First, those departments already engaged in the statewide response to sex trafficking, such as the Minneapolis Police Department, will be encouraged to incorporate labor trafficking into their work. Second, those departments that do not yet have policies in place to address human trafficking will be trained on how to adopt new internal procedures to prevent and respond to both sex and labor trafficking. Worker-led organizations, trade unions, and survivor advisors will play a key role in the development and implementation of the response. This presentation will detail the history, process, and challenges and successes of Minneapolis’ implementation of anti-human trafficking policies. Minneapolis’ efforts can serve as a model for how other municipalities can expand anti-trafficking efforts beyond the traditional focus on sex trafficking and law enforcement agencies.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Describe the history and progress of Minnesota's response to human trafficking

·  Explore the best practices for municipal governments responding to human trafficking

·  Analyze the challenges and successes of implementation in Minneapolis

·  Apply lessons learned from Minneapolis to participants' own experiences and communities

Read More

This workshop demonstrates how Ohio is utilizing a cross-agency team of human trafficking experts (Ohio Network of Child Advocacy Centers, Public Children Services Association of Ohio, Department of Public Safety, and Department of Youth Services) to develop enhanced, trauma-informed strategies. Through this advanced practical training, participants will learn about identification, referral continuum, shelter, stabilization/ transition, MDT resiliency, safe harbor implementation, specialty docket development, and prosecutor/magistrate training.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Demonstrate how Ohio is utilizing a cross-agency team of human trafficking experts (ONCAC, PCSAO, DPS, and DYS) to develop enhanced, trauma-informed strategies

·  Discuss identification, referral continuum, shelter, stabilization/transition, MDT resiliency, safe harbor implementation, specialty docket development, and prosecutor/magistrate training

Read More

This presentation includes detailed information about how the sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) is able to help a victim of trafficking. The presenter will describe how the patient benefits from an exam completed by a trained SANE nurse and medical treatment options for patients. The presentation will conclude with a few case studies of patients that were seen and treated by SANE trained nurses. Suggestions will be provided for caring for this difficult patient population.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Provide a detailed overview of how SANE’s help victims of trafficking

·  Describe how patients can benefit from a skilled SANE nurse

·  Present case studies

Read More

Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is prevalent in every region in the world. ILO (2005) estimates that 1.39 million people are victims of sexual exploitation, including approximately 0.79 million children. ILO considers CSEC a major violation of the human rights of children and a crime on the part of those who use children in the sex trade (IPEC, 2007). Scholars tend to view CSEC in the Global South through a Western theoretical lens, thus failing to contextualize the phenomenon based on distinctive environmental factors in each region. This presentation aims to compare key characteristics of CSEC in the U.S. and in countries in West Africa. A review of selected studies on CSEC conducted in the two regions between 2008 and 2016 shows that there are as many similarities as distinctive aspects regarding the characteristics of victims, service provision, policies, and research. In both regions, most CSEC victims are citizens of the countries where they live; boys and transgender youth tend to have more agency than girls over their sexual transactions. Distinctive aspects of CSEC include: the proportion of boy victims of CSEC close to that of girls in the U.S.; limited presence of pimps in CSEC and limited evidence of mental health issues among victims in West Africa. The presentation challenges key knowledge in the mainstream literature on CSEC. It also points to the importance of giving consideration to social and cultural factors in services and research on CSEC. Implications for practice, policy, and research are discussed.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Describe similarities and differences in the characteristics of CSEC in West Africa and the United States

·  Describe and contrast services needed and accessed by CSEC victims in West Africa and the United States

·  Discuss the policy responses to CSEC in the two regions

·  Contrast the issues in research about CSEC in the two regions and draw lessons for international research practice.

Read More

This engaging journey will provide a greater understanding of how the foster care system, the human brain, and human trafficking are all connected. Amy’s personal testimony will leave you inspired and hopeful for a future without human trafficking. When a child experiences trauma, the developing brain has the capacity to shut down certain areas, to self-protect. As Amy explains the data and her own experience with abuse, severe disassociation, substance abuse, and cognitive issues, deeper systemic issues will unfold. While no child, or adult, is completely immune from the evils of human trafficking, those who have already experienced severe trauma are more likely to fall victim. Children in foster care, runaways, throwaways, and homeless are at a much greater risk of being trafficked than the typical child in America. Preventing human trafficking has proven to be a difficult endeavor, but do not lose hope. Through holistic approaches in mental health, early education, law enforcement, and foster care, intervention and restoration is possible.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Explain how early childhood sexual trauma creates greater vulnerability to sex trafficking

·  Discuss the connection between children in foster care, runaways, throwaways, and homeless children and sex trafficking.

·  Describe how early intervention, support systems, and holistic therapy options can prevent sex trafficking

Read More

Human trafficking through Central America with victims heading to the United States is an emerging international crisis. Objectives of this presentation are to share the presenter’s in-country research on human trafficking in Central America which involved studying how victims are trafficked through Central America to the United States. He traveled to the Central American country of Belize in February of 2019 and spoke with those on the front lines in Central America involved in detecting human trafficking victims before they reach the United States. The presenter will share his research on human trafficking through Central America that was obtained through speaking with immigration officers, defense force members, Belize Coast Guard members, and the Human Trafficking advocate with the Belize Judicial Branch on the current issues that exist in Belize and the greater Central American region in terms of human trafficking. In addition, published data and research by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime will also be presented. The objectives in this presentation are to share insight that he gained from Central America in terms of indicators that officers in this region are currently seeing from their interdiction of human trafficking, which include victim branding/tattooing, gang associations with human trafficking in Central America, victims in the sex trade awaiting unfulfilled promises of being smuggled north, and case studies of actual victims who have been abused by human traffickers. Objectives include providing the audience with a deeper understanding of how human trafficking appears through the eyes of victims and international law enforcement.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Provide the audience with a deeper understanding of human trafficking trends in Central America

·  Describe the human trafficking encounters law enforcement in Belize has experienced

·  Share research from speaking with Belize immigration officers, Belize Defense Force members, Belize Coast Guard members, and the Human Trafficking advocate with the Belize Judicial Branch

·  Discuss indicators of human trafficking, such as branding/tattooing

·  Discuss the gang association in Central America with human trafficking

Read More