Posts in 2023
Human Trafficking and Corrections

While often not the setting that comes to mind when thinking of human trafficking, we know that individuals who are incarcerated can be and at times are recruited both internally and externally for purposes of human trafficking, especially for sex trafficking (Binzer, 2016; McNamara, 2017; Rizzo et al., 2022). Potential victims can be recruited by individuals who are inside the facilities- including other inmates and staff- as well as by those on the outside the facility, including pimps, traffickers, family, and friends. This presentation will provide information about this phenomenon beginning with a brief overview of what human trafficking is, followed by a discussion of trafficking recruitment that occurs inside jails and prisons, data estimating its occurrence in American correctional facilities, how to recognize potential victims and perpetrators, and possible signs of its occurrence. Information will be presented regarding the importance of providing human trafficking training to correctional staff and administration to increase their awareness of this phenomenon, as well as appropriate actions and consequences both internally and externally when its occurrence is recognized and how to minimize (ideally prevent) individuals from being recruited and solicited while incarcerated (National Institute of Corrections; Ringler, 2019). The presenter will also draw on her own experiences of recognizing and reporting instances of human trafficking recruitment while working inside correctional settings.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Discuss what "correctional" human trafficking is and its occurrence in American correctional facilities

·  Describe what makes an inmate a "good" victim

·  Provide examples of how perpetrators operate inside and outside the facility

·  Discuss how to educate staff and administration to recognize and combat its occurrence in correctional settings

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Anti-Human Trafficking Community Integrated Service Hub: nCourage

There are many best practices and models for offering support and services for victims and survivors of sex trafficking; Peel developed a collaborative integrated service hub, nCourage, to coordinate its large community. Peel is the second-largest (1.5 million), municipality in the Greater Toronto Area. It’s located in Canada’s largest economic area, close to the United States, Canada’s largest airport, and has 5 major highways. Peel continues to be a hot spot for sexual exploitation, and is facing various economic crises, which has increased risks and vulnerabilities in its community (Region of Peel; Ontario’s Housing and Homelessness Crisis). Between 2015-2019, leaders advocated for a response to Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE) in the community; as a result, nCourage was developed and opened in 2020. nCourage increases access to dedicated services and supports for victims/survivors and individuals at-risk of CSE. The objectives of nCourage are: 1) To increase access to dedicated holistic supports, such as health, legal, educational, and other services; 2) Increase engagement among service providers to leverage existing services by offering them onsite at nCourage; and 3) Increase collaboration, coordination, and evidence-based practice across the system responding to human sex trafficking. nCourage has now been open 3 years and has increased access to supports for victims and survivors of sex trafficking. nCourage has gained valuable insight through feedback from victims and survivors regarding the integrated model and looks to share its model and learnings to services interested.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Discuss the service model development and program service delivery

·  Discuss outcomes and feedback of the program from victims and survivors who have received services

·  Explain how the evaluation of the program has supported best practices and next steps

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Providing Services to Victims of Human Trafficking during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Social Service Agency State-wide Survey

While research has documented the needs of human trafficking victims, the importance of such needs during the COVID-19 pandemic remains understudied. This study sought to determine the most critical and urgent service needs of social service providers who serve human trafficking victims. Drawing from survey responses collected from 100 service providers from all 15 counties in Arizona, the presenters examined the saliency of needs regarding training, screenings, protocols, services provided, the agency needs to serve human trafficking victims during a pandemic, and the barriers/fears expressed by human trafficking victims to obtain social services. Respondents indicated that the most necessary needs included more training, funding, and receiving referrals. Respondents reported that the most reported barriers/fears expressed by sex trafficking clients were feelings of shame and not self-identifying as a victim, and labor trafficking victims’ lack knowledge about resources and little to no social support. This study highlights the importance of a sustained need for awareness building, developing strong partnerships between agencies that serve human trafficking victims, and the needed ability of social service agencies to modify their service delivery systems during a pandemic.

Presentation Objectives:

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

·  Describe the implications and recommendations based on the research

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Socioemotional Domains of Resilience and Semantic Clustering in Survivors of Commercial Sex Trafficking

Sex trafficking is a global pandemic that impacts 24.9 million people, including adolescents (Wiener et al., 2021). Few studies have observed cognitive, social, and emotional functioning in adolescents with histories of prostitution (Cecchet & Thoburn, 2014). Archival data from neuropsychological assessment batteries was used to answer the research question: Do participants with higher socioemotional resilience (i.e., higher self-concept and lower anxiety, depression, anger, and disruptive behavior) show stronger semantic clustering? Participants were 24 adolescent females referred to Fuller Psychological Family Services through a sex trafficking rescue agency to participate in neuropsychological testing and learn about their academic abilities. This study measured socioemotional resilience or the absence of negative social and emotional outcomes after exposure to distressing experiences using the Beck Youth Inventories – Second Edition (BYI-II) T scores. Semantic clustering, a verbal memory and learning strategy, was measured using the California Verbal Learning Test semantic clustering index z scores. The Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) was used as a covariate. Results indicated participants’ average self-ratings of self-concept, anxiety, and depression were within normal limits. This indicated specific areas of socioemotional resilience. However, neither VCI nor the five socioemotional areas of resilience were associated with semantic clustering, even when controlling for VCI. The current study is one of the first to offer practitioners demographic and diagnostic information on resilience in adolescents who have been sex trafficked (Burnes et al., 2012; Marriot et al., 2014). However, studies using resilience measures and larger samples may provide practitioners more data on cognitive, social, and emotional functioning.

 

Presentation Objectives:

·  Define the socioemotional domains of resilience and semantic clustering

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

·  Describe the implications and recommendations of the research

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Early Childhood Abuse and the Developing Person: Making Connections

This presentation begins with the story of Amy Joy’s early childhood sexual abuse, the vulnerability it created, and the associated diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder. The initial events are those pertaining to her experience with a pedophile as a father, her experience in foster care, and the vulnerability it created to further victimization. The important incidents that occurred next are the realization that she had buried her memories in a way that created separate parts within. The impact of trauma on the developing person resulted in extreme survival responses. Amy has dedicated her life to helping others like her, developing programs that incorporate expressive therapies, and educating professionals on how to identify and respond to suspected cases of child abuse or trafficking. Amy will present practical ways to incorporate creative expression and language as a form of healing. Attendees will walk away with a clear vision of how childhood experiences can lead to extreme vulnerabilities throughout a lifetime, the impact of trauma on the developing person, and what therapeutic techniques have been proven helpful for those experiencing the aftermath of abuse and trafficking.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Explain the process of trauma response and how it can lead to severe dissociative disorders

·  Provide hope for those who have been diagnosed with a trauma-related disorder

·  Present examples of therapeutic expression

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The Department of Veteran Affairs Response to Veterans Impacted by Human Trafficking and Substance Abuse

The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) recognizes that the veteran community is being impacted by human trafficking. The complex relationship between addiction and both labor and sex trafficking is a serious public health concern. The role of substance use in human trafficking is powerful and pervasive. Individuals with substance use issues are especially vulnerable to trauma and victimization by human traffickers. The potential that a professional’s values, beliefs, or stereotypes could affect how a victim of human trafficking is perceived. The possibility of missing vital red flags is critical as it could result in misinterpreting behavior and providing insufficient or inappropriate services. Professionals and advocates working with individuals experiencing human trafficking need to challenge their own biases and address ethical barriers to provide trauma-informed care. The presentation will explore ethical decision-making related to providing services to trafficked individuals. It will discuss how bias can affect the identification and services needed and offer examples of recovery-oriented practices. It will discuss coercive tactics that are used by traffickers to manipulate, threaten or force victims into using substances or being drugged. The program will discuss trauma-informed evidence-based treatments for those abusing substances while being trafficked. VA subject matter experts on veteran intimate partner violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and trauma-informed care will share the treatment models created for best practices through veteran case studies. Participants will be provided with resources and services offered at the VA.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Explain how substance use impacts the risks and outcomes of those experiencing human trafficking

·  Identify strategies for ethical decision-making, including privacy and confidentiality, when providing services to individuals impacted by human trafficking

·  Describe the VA treatment models created for best practices in providing trauma-informed care

·  Discuss specific needs of veterans who are trafficked

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Understanding the Role of Transportation in Combating Human Trafficking

While it is not compulsory to involve transportation for human trafficking, the transportation industry plays a critical role in combating human trafficking as traffickers often rely on the transportation system to recruit, move, or transfer victims of human trafficking for either sex or forced labor. Recognizing the importance of transportation, multiple anti-trafficking stakeholders in California have started initiatives to address the problem. Supported by the United States Department of Transportation, this project investigates the role of transportation in combatting human trafficking in California by conducting a survey followed up with semi-structured in-depth interviews with key stakeholders. The project aims to understand the role of transportation in combating human trafficking in different stages of human trafficking and assess the knowledge about current policies, trainings, public awareness initiatives, and partnerships about transportation and supply chain management among anti-trafficking practitioners. This presentation will share the learnings from experts through the survey conducted via Qualtrics (72 participants) and semi-structured interviews conducted via Zoom (25 participants) and share examples and novel insights from the field based on various cases. 74% of the participants state that transportation is used in trafficking operations to transport and control the victims. While the type of vehicle changes based on the type of trafficking, industry, geography, and distance, private cars and ridesharing are the most commonly used vehicles for human trafficking. 64% of the participants state that they do not collect data pertaining to transportation in human trafficking. The presenters will highlight gaps and opportunities for utilizing transportation, best practices, data collection, information-sharing, and collaboration.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Discuss the role of transportation in different stages of human trafficking

·  Introduce examples from cases

·  Describe best practices for utilizing transportation in anti-trafficking efforts

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At the Intersections of Racism and Sexism: What's the Value of a Black Girl?

In a two-year review of all suspected human trafficking incidents across the United States, 94% of suspected sex trafficking victims were female, with Black females accounting for 40% of those who experienced victimization (Rights4Girls, 2018). Through the use of personal testimony and group dialogue, the presenter will lead the audience in exploring the experiences of trafficking and sexual exploitation for Black girls and explore the racial roots that contribute to the dehumanization and sexualization of Black girls. Participants will recognize how systematic oppression increases vulnerability to the push/pull factors of human trafficking and evaluate the use of trauma and survivor informed approaches in order to avoid re-traumatization, address systemic barriers, and create pathways for prevention and healing.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Discuss ways racism and systemic oppression disproportionality impact risk

·  Describe the supply and demand of human trafficking and sexual objectification of Black girls

·  Explain the importance of person centered, trauma informed, and culturally responsive services

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Health Care Providers’ Perceptions of Human Trafficking: Contextualizing Future Steps in the U.S. Frontier

Studies indicate that victims of human trafficking may be encountered in a wide range of healthcare settings (Chisolm-Straker et al., 2016; Ravi et al., 2017). This not only emphasizes the role of health care providers in providing medical services to trafficking victims but situations where a health care provider necessitating identification and referral to proper services. The challenges of rural health care are not new; however, an understanding of human trafficking in the rural and frontier contexts is still emerging. The qualitative findings reported here are part of a larger mixed-methods study that examined the following research questions: (1) What knowledge do health care professionals have about the issue of human trafficking in a frontier state? and (2) What needs do health care professionals have in terms of identification of victims of trafficking and responding to human trafficking in a frontier state? Two open-ended questions about the ability to effectively identify human trafficking in the state and to manage unique challenges were included. 235 respondents provided responses to both open-ended questions. Responses fell along six primary themes: education and training needs; identification and response tools; community- and system-level support; cultural elements of the state; challenges of rural geography/frontier settings; and coordination with Tribal nations that share a reservation in the state. The findings reflect new knowledge of the state context to inform future efforts to strengthen practice, policy, training, and research capacity. Recommendations for education and training, service coordination, and research will be provided.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Describe health care provider perceptions of the issue of human trafficking in the frontier context

·  Identify cultural, social, professional, and other barriers to health care providers’ ability to respond to human trafficking

·  Provide recommendations for impacting those barriers and improving research, policy, training, and service capacity for human trafficking victims and survivors

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United States Airline Industry Partnerships for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Efforts in Human Trafficking

Thirty-eight percent of survivors flew at least once during the time they were trafficked, and 71% of labor trafficking survivors arrived in the United States on an airplane prior to being trafficked (Polaris, 2018). Based on reports about human trafficking and the transportation industry, airlines are “in a pivotal position to possibly observe indicators related to abuse or control on flights and during check-in or security check procedures” (Polaris, 2018). To contribute to the gap in the literature on the United States airline industry’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts on human trafficking, this study examined two research questions: How do airlines partner with anti-trafficking organizations? How are those partnerships communicated in airline CSR materials? This study builds upon a prior project analyzing more foundationally how airlines communicated CSR efforts related to human trafficking which noted partnerships as central to those efforts. To address the research questions of the present study, the research team analyzed the CSR materials of the 10 major U.S. passenger airlines classified by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Airline Information as Group III or with operating revenue of $1 billion or more (DOT, 2021). Publicly available airline CSR website data on anti-trafficking efforts were collected, and the research team employed Braun & Clarke’s (2006) six phases of thematic analysis to analyze the qualitative data. Study findings contribute to the literature on CSR and corporate partnerships and also offer CSR practitioners advice on communicating anti-trafficking partnerships.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Outline the present study, grounding its relevance in existing academic literature on CSR communication

·  Discuss the study’s research questions, methods, and findings with a focus on clarity for project replication by other researchers

·  Describe theoretical and practical implications and recommendations based on the research

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Legislative Frameworks in Response to the Sex Industry: Survivor Leaders for the Equality Model

Every social justice movement is made up of individuals - individuals with their own unique lived experiences, belief systems, politics, and feelings. No matter how strong the shared goal may be, differences of opinion, disagreements, mistakes, growth, and change are inevitable experiences in collaborative work with other human beings. The anti-human trafficking movement is no different. One especially relevant topic within the anti-human trafficking movement, with specific focus on the sex industry, is the legislative framework. What, if any, aspects of the sex trade should be legal? What, if any, punitive measures should be taken against perpetrators? What rights do individuals have, or should be entitled to? How do we empower victims and survivors of human trafficking rather than further marginalize them? Cristian Eduardo and Kylee Gregg will present a review of different legislative frameworks from their perspectives as survivor leaders and experienced professionals. Three main frameworks will be discussed: full criminalization (also referred to as: “criminalization”), full decriminalization (also referred to as: “legalization,” “sex work”), and partial decriminalization (also referred to as: “the Nordic Model,” “the Equality Model,” “the Swedish Model”). For each of these frameworks, this presentation will review foundational perspectives and theories, methods and nuances of implementation, language and vocabulary utilized, accounts from survivors and other professionals, research data, and theorized and actualized successes and failures of legislation. This presentation will provide focus on, and argument in favor of, the legislative framework of partial decriminalization.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Provide an overview of three main legislative frameworks responding to the sex industry

·  Provide argument in favor of the Equality Model framework

·  Discuss ways to engage in legislative action and organizing

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The Changing face of Child Trafficking and Exploitation through Sextortion, AI & The Darknet

Online child exploitation and cyber trafficking due to technology have exploded around the United States and the globe. This has led to a significant increase of sextortion and other technology-facilitated crimes that target and victimize children. The amount of unidentified child victims has also exploded. Today, technology, chat rooms, and Darknet communities have increased the victimization of children and allowed offenders to grow and escape detection. We are seeing trends with the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) of organized criminal groups targeting children through sextortion. This presentation will focus on manners and methods, chat communities, and their techniques to exploit and groom children. There is a science and art of grooming and manipulation that offenders use on children. Technology and these strategies have victimized countless children impacting their lives. Predators can match children's language and style, among other advanced grooming techniques which are leading to an influx of sextortion cases. The information from this presentation will come from real cases actively happening around the United States through the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces. Attendees will be able to learn and understand how technology, artificial intelligence, and the Darknet as exacerbated victimization of children and leads to children’s exploitation.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Discuss online cyber trafficking and online child exploitation and the rise of sextortion cases

·  Discuss the rise of sextortion and the manner and method of criminal organizations

·  Explain how the Darknet and anonymous apps allow offenders to evade detection

·  Explore how AI will be the next challenge in protecting children

·  Discuss current case examples of child exploitation, child trafficking, and sextortion

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Sex Trafficking in Ontario, Canada: Listening to Critical Voices

Healthcare providers and survivors of sex trafficking play a critical role in improving healthcare responses to domestic sex trafficking. Yet, little is known in a Canadian context from either perspective regarding the identification, intervention, and recovery needs of sex-trafficked persons (Hodgins, 2022; Robinson, 2023). Learning from the experiences of healthcare providers and survivors could provide important, necessary information to inform improvement in the recognition, intervention, and treatment of sex-trafficked persons. This presentation will provide an in-depth overview of three distinct but related studies, part of an innovative research program on sex trafficking using critical social theory and intersectionality. In study one, the researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 31 healthcare providers representing diverse professional groups (nurses, physicians, social workers) to examine their knowledge about, attitudes towards, and practices related to women who have been sex trafficked in Ontario, Canada. Findings from this study are currently being analyzed and will form the basis for exploring the lived experiences of women who have been sex trafficked in Ontario, Canada, in study two. This study will use purposive and snowball sampling to recruit approximately 15 previously sex-trafficked women or until data saturation is achieved (Brinkmann, 2014; Guest et al., 2006). This study will focus on better understanding the individual, structural, and systemic factors associated with women’s recruitment, retention, and experiences accessing and using healthcare services. Lastly, study three will provide recommendations and guidelines to improve healthcare responses to trafficking based on the findings from both the healthcare providers’ and survivors’ studies.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Provide an overview of domestic sex trafficking in Canada

·  Discuss intersectional theory as a framework for better understanding the diverse experiences of healthcare providers and survivors of sex trafficking

·  Discuss a community-engaged approach to conducting this research

·  Present preliminary findings of the research

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Meaningful Engagement of Lived Experience Experts in Healthcare Research

Research on the intersections of health and human trafficking have been historically planned and conducted without input from individuals with lived experience. Engagement of individuals with lived experience in anti-trafficking initiatives has been increasingly recognized as a best practice across a variety of sectors, and is advocated for as a best practice by survivor-led organizations. Researchers in health-related fields should seek to meaningfully engage individuals with lived experience throughout the research process to improve the impact of their work and maximize mutual benefit. This presentation will introduce the concept of meaningful engagement of lived experience experts in healthcare related research. Presenters will provide a brief overview of healthcare research including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods study designs. Presenters will introduce concepts of community-engaged research, community based participatory research, and community advisory boards and will describe how lived experience experts can be incorporated in various phases of the research process. The spectrum of lived experience involvement will be presented as it pertains to health-related research (National Survivor Network, 2023). Best practices of incorporating survivors into study teams will be highlighted. Presenters will describe a case study of a retrospective hospital database study that incorporated a community advisory board. The presentation will conclude with tangible actions researchers can take to incorporate survivors into study teams and thereby increase impact of the research and mutual benefit for both lived experience experts and research communities. Participants will be provided with a worksheet to facilitate considerations of meaningful engagement in various stages of the research process.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Discuss how researchers in healthcare fields can involve experts with lived experience throughout the research process

·  Present best practices in meaningfully engaging experts with lived experience to create mutually beneficial partnerships

·  Describe tangible actions health researchers can take when planning research initiatives and building budgets for funding applications

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Dissociative Experiences in Survivors of Trafficking: A Clinical Overview

Dissociative experiences have long been identified within the psychological literature, beginning with Ferenczi's 'confusion of tongues' (1933) and continuing with the development of the theory of structural dissociation of the personality (Nijenhuis et al., 2010), and clinicians have worked with survivors of complex trauma to put words to unimaginable experiences. Unfortunately, the dissociative experiences of survivors of human trafficking are under-researched, leading to a discrepancy in training among mental health providers. Clinicians are often left feeling under-resourced when caring for survivors of exploitation, causing a lack of services for an already under-resourced population. This presentation provides an accessible clinical overview of dissociative experiences held by survivors of all forms of trafficking. Utilizing the framework of liberation health (Martinez & Fleck-Henderson, 2014), this presentation will include information geared towards service providers working with trafficked populations. Clinical, theoretical, and transformative models for providers will be explored. An emphasis will be placed on empowering survivors of trafficking, with a central focus on de-pathologizing experiences of exploitation and severe trauma. Special attention will be paid to the importance of lived wisdom and experience, with attention paid to the intersectionality of identities held by survivors at both the U.S. and international levels. The presentation will offer a series of recommendations, including a supplemental list of further reading and viewing materials, to direct service providers. The presentation will conclude with a call to action for clinical professionals to employ liberatory and evidence-based practices to a chronically underserved population.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Describe the forms of dissociation that survivors of trafficking can experience

·  Identify best practices for mental health providers to use when working with survivors of trafficking, including both theoretical and treatment models

·  Explain how to incorporate the liberation health model into clinical services for survivors of trafficking

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Exploratory Spatial Analysis: Understanding the Geographic Risks and Preventive Efforts of Trafficking through the Educational Program of kNOw MORE! in San Diego, California

This research study sought to analyze geographically and statistically 1) the implementation of a youth educational prevention program, kNOw MORE! (kM!) that is located in San Diego County (SD); 2) identify high-risk areas for trafficking within SD; 3) provide an understanding of the SD regions that possess protective factors based on mental and social services; and 4) identify SD regions that represent higher percentages of students who desire to talk further about trafficking after seeing the presentation. kM! is a drama-based preventive program that seeks to increase awareness about HT and traffickers’ recruitment strategies to prevent victimization of youth in San Diego, California. This analysis is based on a five-year period (2016-2020). During this time, there were a total of 118 presentations throughout San Diego County, which included 40 of the 210 Zip Codes. These presentations reached a total of N= 11,586 participants, out of which n=7,987 were students, and n=3,599 adults. SD is divided into six regions; South and East regions had the highest number of kM! presentations and were also the most vulnerable for trafficking based on the risk-indicator. This risk indicator was created based on established trafficking vulnerability factors and publicly available data. Regarding protective factors, North Inland, North Central, Central, and South regions have the most mental services for trafficking survivors and other similar populations. Lastly, Central, East, and North Inland regions have the highest percentages of students wanting to speak with a counselor after participating in kM! These findings provide a general picture of the needs and protective factors for vulnerable groups in SD. Focusing resources where most needed could have a preventive impact on trafficking.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Describe a spatial and descriptive analysis of the implementation of a trafficking prevention educational drama-based program in SD gear towards youth

·  Present analysis on the regions of SD County that have the highest risk for trafficking based on publicly available data and established factors in the literature

·  Demonstrate the regions with most protective factors vis-a-vis mental health and social services for human trafficking survivors and similar populations

·  Provide awareness of the regional resources needed in high-risk areas of SD to prevent trafficking of youth

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Gaps in Human Trafficking Research: Findings from an Expert Roundtable Discussion

On June 8th, 2023, a roundtable of human trafficking researchers, organized collaboratively between Gallaudet University, Montclair State University, and The University of Toledo, convened to discuss the state of U.S. centric human trafficking research to date, as well as gaps and future directions in the research. While the body of human trafficking research is ever growing, researchers at academic institutions or research centers still mainly work without connections to field specific professional organizations that would allow a holistic look at the research conducted and identification of potential gaps. This roundtable event is the first of its kind to focus entirely on research by creating a space for highly interdisciplinary human trafficking researchers to meet and share their work and ideas about future research needs. A survey, distributed to all roundtable registrants, helped identify five of the most commonly noted gap areas, participants of the roundtable were able to discuss in separate breakout rooms. These five gap areas are: Special populations: LGBTQ+, male, disability, cultural considerations; Aftercare services and systems of care; Survivor-informed care, policy, and research (inclusion); Family-controlled trafficking; and Labor trafficking. This presentation will provide some background on gap areas in human trafficking research, summarize the findings of the guided roundtable discussions, and provide information for a planned special issue for the Journal of Human Trafficking addressing these gaps.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Provide an overview of U.S. domestic human trafficking research and gaps

·  Share recommendations on how to best address these issues going forward

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Healing After Trauma and Grief

In 2023, Rita lost her mother after moving home to take care of her in 2018. It was then that Rita realized that she no longer had to protect her mother and slap on a happy face. Rita's mother had passed away and she could now focus on herself and her healing. Rita realized that the silence of never getting to tell her mother what really happened affected her. Now, Rita is free to write her book and tell her story. She has found that sharing her story has allowed her to heal and that writing her book will allow others to seek help. Silenced as a child from the trafficking and domestic violence that she grew up with, Rita strives to get healing for herself and others by talking openly about what she endured. Rita got her Undergraduate Degree at Eastern Michigan University and then went on to get her Masters in Social work from Western Michigan University with a Trauma focus. Rita will talk about how letting go of family experiences of trauma held her back from healing. Rita will share how letting go of the past and learning to live and enjoy life more was a welcoming gift to unpack. Rita hopes that those who attend will gain a better understanding of why survivors struggle so much with familial guilt placed on them.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Discuss how Rita’s life experiences made her more resilient

·  Describe how organizations can help in the healing/thriving process

·  Help attendees learn how to live and enjoy life is the result of their experiences

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Survivor Equity and Inclusion Framework: Preventing Re-Exploitation of Lived Experience Experts

Cristian Eduardo, Lead Human Trafficking Consultant and Survivor Leader, and Dr. Shobana Powell, CEO, Founder, and Human Trafficking Consultant at Shobana Powell Consulting (SPC), will discuss the research on the Survivor Equity and Inclusion Framework, an organizational change model for preventing the re-exploitation of survivors and lived experience experts in the movement to end trafficking. They will present on the research questions of what is survivor re-exploitation, why is it happening, and how it can be prevented. They will provide a brief summary of the research they conducted and will be presenting on and the methodology, including the literature review, interviews with experts around the country, and a pilot study. Presenters will share the results and implications from the pilot program as well as additional examples of implementation across multiple organizations. They will also share recommendations for applying the Survivor Equity and Inclusion Framework to the anti-trafficking field and scaling it to other social justice movements.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Provide an overview of the research supporting the Survivor Equity and Inclusion Framework, including questions, methodology, findings, and outcomes from implementation

·  Describe the outcomes and recommendations for utilizing the Survivor Equity and Inclusion Framework based on the research

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Treatment Makes a Difference in Providing Community Safety

Child sexual abuse is often referred to as a parent’s worst nightmare. People who abuse children are often considered monsters who can never change. At last year's IHTSJ Conference, one comment expressed surprise that pedophilia might be incurable but is treatable. This presentation focuses on how treatment works, barriers to successful treatment, and promoting community healing and safety. This can be a difficult population to work with due to existing stereotypes among professionals as well as the public. Those relatively few therapists who do work with pedophilia feel responsible not only to the clients but to the community at large because recidivism is unacceptable. It is also a challenge to work with individuals who engage in such behavior. Even other therapists and family may question the motivation of therapists working with child sexual abusers. It is equally true that child sexual abusers have learned how to manage and redirect these impulses and it is very satisfying to see the major changes in thinking and behavior over time. These successful individuals have the ability to become ambassadors to how therapy works and share this with family, friends, and community. The goal becomes working with a difficult population, confronting denial and minimization, and developing the social, cognitive, and emotional qualities needed to manage sexual impulses and provide an improved quality of life. The use of a demonstration therapy session will clarify how to break through denial and promote pro social thinking and behavior bringing to participants why treatment is a critical component of community safety.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Demonstrate the importance of working with child sexual abusers

·  Demonstrate the implementation of treatment goals

·  Address the unique challenges of working with this population

Address the importance of preventing future abuse

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