Anti-trafficking practices often emphasize criminalization, including arresting survivors, sex workers, undocumented immigrants, purchasers, and traffickers (Bernstein 2018; Fukushima 2019; Musto 2016). In turn, the criminal legal system creates a faulty dichotomy between “victims” and “criminals,” constraining the scope of services

available to survivors and prioritizing punishment rather than care for people outside of the “victim” mold. Moreover, the criminal legal system can retraumatize survivors and is fraught with injustices, including the over-incarceration of Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and other racialized people (Kaye 2017; Lam 2019). Drawing on recent research and legal advocacy, the speakers will explain why criminalizing survivors of trafficking creates negative consequences, which must be considered in anti-trafficking advocacy. The presentation will discuss responses to human trafficking based on health, empowerment, and social justice, rather than punitive, carceral measures. The audience will learn about “on ramps” that people, including survivors, take to enter the criminal legal system, as well as effective “off-ramps” that people take to exit the criminal legal system during arrest, prosecution, and post-conviction (e.g., R.C. §§2935.36, 2951.041, 2929.15, 2953.38). Presenters will discuss nuances of diversion programs, which can be alternatives to incarceration but also can prolong negative power dynamics that courts wield over victims. Criminalization should not be the only or primary pathway to human rights. Furthermore, alternative anti-trafficking responses can mitigate the underlying racial, gender, and economic injustices which criminalization intensifies.

Presentation Objectives:

· Explain the main negative consequences of a carceral approach to anti-trafficking, including racial and social injustices, potential for re-traumatization, and reinforcement of a problematic dichotomy between victims and criminals

· Explain how survivors enter the criminal-legal system as criminal defendants

· Discuss effective alternatives to over-criminalization, including support services, diversion programs, and “off ramps” in the criminal legal system

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Christian anti-sex-trafficking has been critiqued as focusing on “rescue” and “repair” with little attention to survivors’ agency and self-determination (Kempadoo, 2012). The Christian community, however, mobilizes significant resources to address trafficking, often being the primary trafficking-related service providers in an area (Bernstein, 2018). As a foundation for improving respect, understanding, and collaboration between the Christian community, survivors, and other allies, it is therefore critical to examine the perceptions of sex trafficking survivors held by the Christian community. Fifteen church leaders across Ohio with interest in anti-sex trafficking were purposefully recruited for interviews. Three questions were used to uncover their perceptions of survivors: (1) What are your top ten words to describe survivors of sex trafficking? (2) Complete the sentence, “A successful survivor is someone who...” and (3) What are the differences between survivors who succeed and those who continue to struggle? Findings showed that positive descriptors such as “resilient” and “determined” outnumbered negative ones such as “wounded” and “victim”. Post-trafficking challenges were described as temporary states related to survivor’s past, rather than defining his/her identity. Respondents emphasized that while survivors needed support, they had the power, agency, and responsibility to transform their lives and the right to define that transformation. The study shows that concerns about the Christian community limiting survivors to “victim” stereotypes may not apply to all members. Identifying and partnering with Christian leaders whose anti-trafficking agendas are informed by survivors’ agency and self-determination may be a way to promote multi-sector collaborations that uphold survivors’ rights and dignity.

Presentation Objectives:

· Describe the study and highlight the importance of understanding Christian perceptions of sex trafficking survivors as a foundation for improving collaborations between the Christian community, survivors, and other allies

· Describe perceptions of the study respondents that overall foregrounded survivor’s dignity, agency, and self-determination

· Discuss implications and recommendations for anti-sex-trafficking partnerships between the Christian community and other parties, and recommendations for further research

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Sex and labor trafficking are often treated as two separate but related phenomena. This presentation will explore how both forms of trafficking are intertwined in many situations and how that impacts survivors, victim advocacy, supportive services, and access to justice. Based on focus groups conducted with survivors of human trafficking, the presentation will explore how labor and sex trafficking co-occur in a wide variety of situations. At the start of the sessions, most survivors in the focus groups recognized their sex trafficking experiences but none identified as victims of labor trafficking. Through extensive discussions, the survivors examined the types of labor trafficking they experienced and explored how identifying labor trafficking in these contexts would improve the response by both law enforcement and victim advocates. During the presentation, participants will evaluate their own communities and experiences to identify this dual victimization. The presenters will offer best practices and concrete tools for participants to use in their own work to ensure that survivors of both sex and labor trafficking receive the full range of services they need and find justice for all they have experienced.

Presentation Objectives:

· Discuss how sex and labor trafficking overlap.

· Encourage attendees to reflect on their experiences with situations that involved both sex and labor trafficking

· Describe how to follow best practices when working with survivors of both sex and labor trafficking

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The American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics (2014) obligates counselors to maintain multicultural competency in practice throughout Section A and maintains the significance of cultural competencies throughout the entire document. The mention of cultural competencies clearly indicates an understanding and acceptance of all humans as a counselor practicing in the field (American Counseling Association, 2014). Providing non-biased and culturally appropriate care is an ethical obligation of counselors, including to the minority population of survivors of human trafficking and voluntary sex-workers. Violence, coercion, and emotional abuse are prevalent factors (Moret, et.al, 2016). The atmosphere of varied perceptions and identity roles is a consistent theme across the population (Dodsworth, 2014). Victims of human trafficking and sex workers report perceived stigma and biases from social workers and counselors in therapy (Bjønness, 2012). Goals include exploration and understanding effective use of ethical practices within counseling for the population including survivors of human trafficking and voluntary sex workers, including resiliency factors associated with the population. The presentation will consist of slides with handouts and interactive discussion to disseminate information. The objectives include increasing knowledge of commonly used practices in therapeutic settings for population, increasing cultural considerations ethically appropriate for work with population, and increasing understanding of resiliency factors within the population.

Presentation Objectives:

· Discuss the importance of resiliency within the population

· Describe resiliency factors relevant to the population

· Identify methods to implement resiliency within treatment

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Women exploited through prostitution are understood to have limited social support, and often the relationships they do have are coercive or exploitative. For many women, their relationship with a supportive and skilled practitioner can mean the difference between being able to move away from exploitation or remaining entrenched (Bindel et. al., 2012). However, practitioners are often told that their role is “to support” and are left to figure out the parameters of these complex relationships alone. Practitioners working in this sector have high levels of vicarious trauma and burn-out, and support organizations experience a high staff turnover (Ashley-Binge & Cousins, 2019). The aim of this research is to improve understanding of the dynamics of forming, maintaining, and safely ending formal support relationships, within which the practicalities of exit can be addressed. In-depth interviews were conducted with support practitioners who work with prostituted women (within services including housing, healthcare, addictions specialists, police, mental health) (n=29), women accessing services (n=15), and exited women (n=10). The findings converge into five main areas. Three were identified as essential to strong relationships: modeling positive relationships, mediating messages of broader society, and genuine warmth within safe boundaries. Two were identified as common barriers to successful support: the risks of “mothering” women through support and creating dependence. This presentation ends with the introduction of a practical toolkit for practitioners across non-specialist services to aid the establishment of safe and supportive relationships, with the aim of better supporting exploited women, whichever services they access.

Presentation Objectives:

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

· Introduce a practical toolkit for support practitioners based on the research

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Human trafficking refers to the exploitation of an individual using force, fraud, or coercion. Substance use, in the context of trafficking, is complicated. Traffickers are known to target individuals with mental health and substance use issues, which exacerbates an individuals’ vulnerability to being trafficked. Further, traffickers use substances as a means of coercion, mainly to get victims to comply with their demands, increase productivity, inhibit self-protection, decrease escape attempts, and continue entrapment (Zimmerman et al., 2011). Substances are also used by the victim as a means of coping with their unfathomable trauma. Substance misuse can have devastating results for trafficking victims, including addiction, overdose, self-harm, infections from needle use, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B/C, and brain or liver damage. Additionally, many victims are forced to engage in criminality, such as illicit drug production and transportation (U.S. Department of State, 2014), which may lead to involvement with the criminal justice system. Collectively, these factors increase the susceptibility of individuals being trapped in a life of exploitation, which will be explored throughout the presentation.

Presentation Objectives:

· Describe the complex connection between human trafficking and substance misuse

· Identify how substance use makes individuals susceptible to being trafficked

· Discuss ways in which traffickers use substances to maintain entrapment

· Identify how victims are forced into criminality, regarding drug production and transportation

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Community safety is of critical importance. People with sexually oriented offenses return to our community every day creating anxiety and fear for both the offender and the community. The need to protect society from perpetrators that inflict violence upon vulnerable others is the purpose for some of the work we do today. Is there ever a time that reformed perpetrators and those in recovery can be useful to the cause to end violence? Some former gang members help professionals understand the issues and return to their communities to support current gang members to change their lives. But is there a space where a recovering rapist can help? Is there a place where a former child sex abuser can help? Can a former trafficker be genuinely helpful to the cause? Whose permission and approval do they need? Are they banished forever and if so, where will they go and what will they do when they get out of prison? How far do your acts of forgiveness and your belief in redemption and recovery go? Is it acceptable to believe recovery is possible for survivors, but not for perpetrators? It is time to be consistent in your beliefs and be challenged. This session will consist of a question-and-answer interview with a former child molester turned anti-trafficking and child protection advocate. He has spent the last few decades in therapy and in researching and learning the process of recovery and change and helps others do the same. He openly and honestly shares his experience, thoughts, research, and work.

Presentation Objectives:

· Challenge audience members to understand the value that people in recovery can bring to a cause

· Discuss the main principles of restorative justice and re-entry

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Survivors of human trafficking have plenty of compelling reasons for telling their story. They may hope to educate allies about how trafficking works, help others avoid the same fate, or take back their power by speaking for themselves in their own words. But figuring out how to tell these stories can be difficult. Survivor speakers realize they cannot fit everything that happened to them into one presentation but, at the same time, they find it hard to decide what to include and what to leave out. They may also struggle with questions about organizing everything, using statistics and other data, dealing with difficult or intrusive questions from the audience, and where, oh where, to start? This session is designed for survivors who are interested in telling their story and would like some professional guidance. Nancy Hardcastle, a public speaking coach who specializes in the anti-trafficking field, will focus on three areas that are crucial to a successful “survivor story” presentation. She’ll explain how to: 1) prioritize self-care throughout the presentation process so that each phase is empowering rather than exploitive, 2) choose the organizational format that is best suited to a survivor’s experience, and which will guide them in deciding what to discuss, and 3) use presentation techniques that will capture and maintain an audience’s attention. Following this session, survivors will have tools to help them create engaging and informative presentations based on their stories, and they’ll also feel more confident to assert themselves through each stage of the event.

Presentation Objectives:

· Discuss how survivors can prioritize self-care throughout the presentation process so that each phase is empowering rather than exploitive

· Explain different ways survivors can organize their story and how to choose the organizational format best suited to their experience

· Demonstrate techniques suitable for both virtual and in-person events that will help survivors capture and maintain their audience’s attention

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