A Dark Intersection: The Relationship Between Sex Trafficking and Youth Homelessness
Amanda Noble, PhD | September 22 | 11:15 am-12:15 pm
Topic: Research | Knowledge Level: Intermediate
Understanding how youth homelessness and sex trafficking intersect is vital as youth who are homeless are vulnerable to being lured into trafficking, and survivors may be unable to escape without access to safe and affordable housing. In this presentation, findings will be shared from a mixed-methods, participatory action research project with two objectives: 1) examine the intersection between youth homelessness and sex trafficking, and 2) identify the awareness levels of the issue of sex trafficking among the youth homelessness sector in Canada. The presenter begin by describing the project’s methodological approach, including its anti-colonial lens and the utilization of the voices of survivors of sex trafficking. She will share findings from interviews with survivors and service providers, including the structural inequities that lead to youth homelessness and sex trafficking, recommendations to make shelters safer for youth, and the housing and service needs of survivors who are escaping traffickers. She will then share survey results from service providers across Canada in the youth homelessness sector, detailing their levels of awareness on the issue of sex trafficking and their preferred training methods on this issue. The presenter will conclude by sharing the project's next steps, including developing a conceptual framework for socioeconomic inclusion for youth with histories of sex trafficking and youth homelessness. This presentation is relevant for anyone interested in learning more about how the issue of youth homelessness intersects with sex trafficking, how to increase the safety of youth who are homeless, the housing needs of survivors, or executing participatory action research rooted in an anti-colonial framework.
Presentation Objectives:
· Identify the multiple ways that the issues of youth homelessness and sex trafficking intersect
· Provide practical strategies to keep shelters and drop-in spaces safer for youth
· Discuss community-based participatory action research methodology rooted in anti-colonialism
· Discuss the current levels of awareness of sex trafficking in the youth homelessness sector and strategies for training