Toledo, Ohio has been identified as an area of attention regarding human trafficking (OTPSC, 2010). Trafficked persons can experience injury, illness, and can need treatment. Urgent care and emergency centers are episodic care centers and preferred by traffickers to provide treatment to those trafficked (Chambers, 2019). Providing effective care requires knowledge and tools regarding human trafficking to provide optimal care to victims (Chisolm-Straker et al., 2016). This research seeks to determine if healthcare workers in urgent care centers received education regarding human trafficking and if these healthcare workers have knowledge of indicators of human trafficking, procedures to rescue, and support resources. IRB approval was received from The University of Toledo and ProMedica Health System. "Human Trafficking Awareness Survey 1" (HTAS1), a 14-item instrument developed for this work was validated for content and constructs by subject matter experts and was provided to participants after an informed consent process. Participants included healthcare professionals from seven urgent care centers in the Toledo, Ohio region. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 28 for frequencies to answer the research questions. Findings are similar to a previous study of emergency center workers which confirms that knowledge gaps persist in understanding of human trafficking. Inherent limitation of generalization exists due to specification of healthcare sites and limited number of participants but supports ongoing education in this area. This study demonstrated the need for urgent care healthcare practice to include professional education/training on knowledge regarding human trafficking to facilitate implementation of effective strategies to assist persons being trafficked and to address this persistent public health issue.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Describe a method to assess knowledge of urgent care healthcare worker about indicators, processes/procedures to rescue, and access to resources to support victims of human trafficking

·  Answer the two research questions: 1) Do healthcare workers in urgent care center receive education regarding human trafficking? and 2) Do healthcare workers in urgent care centers have knowledge of indicators of human trafficking, procedures to rescue and support resources?

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When victims of child abuse, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, or sex trafficking are identified, we know trauma has occurred and internal recovery work from trauma is needed (CDC, 2022). However, few professionals know how to effectively respond (National Institute of Health). This session will focus on providing information on trauma, triggers, trauma-informed care, and trauma-focused care to help clients heal through The Survivor’s Journey. Participants will learn the twelve internal and external journeys clients should travel through that moves them from victim, to survivor, to thriver.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Provide participants with information on trauma and the effects of trauma

·  Discuss the importance of trauma-informed work

·  Define trauma-focused work and explain the difference between informed and focused work

·  Present the components needed to move victims to survivors and to thrivers

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Awareness about sex trafficking is widening, but mostly only via scientific research of trafficking data and statistics. Voices of survivors trafficked by family members, especially Sadistic Ritual Abuse (SRA) survivors, remain silenced. Missing is the survivor’s perspective, as they hold so much wisdom for their healing. As a familial sex trafficking survivor, Anjela was motivated to create her own healing toolbox. In fact, this continues to be a major obstacle as she heals, as fewer therapists have knowledge or understanding of this family-based trauma. The strongest trauma healing practices center the survivor, emphasizing their need for ongoing healing tools. Additionally, it must be prioritized how to offer support as survivors embark on their lifelong trauma healing journey. Those who are supporting familial trafficking survivors, both personally and professionally, and are curious and asking, “What tools can they offer me?” are invited to attend this workshop (but don’t forget to listen). When you start to embrace more intentionally the survivor's perspective, you’ll be amazed and inspired by all those who reach out to help YOU to help THEM heal.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Identify the needs of family sex trafficking survivors

·  Increase awareness of SRA family sex trafficking

·  Assist attendees to create their toolbox to support family sex trafficking survivors

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This presentation focuses on the largely unrecognized tragedy of the trafficking of older adults for sex, labor, or benefits. Because the prevalence and impacts of human trafficking on older adults are unresearched and therefore unknown, it is impossible to quantify just how much the systems that should be providing safety and justice for older adult survivors are failing. This session will discuss what is known about the trafficking of older adults, barriers to reporting these crimes, and supporting survivors. The presenters will also offer suggestions for strengthening the social safety net and criminal justice processes, whose role it is to keep older adults safe. Information for this session comes from a variety of different resources including the National Human Trafficking Hotline, National Institute of Justice, Office to Monitor and Combat Human Trafficking, and more.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Provide statistics/data of elder abuse in the U.S.

·  Discuss the risk factors that exist for older adult victims of human trafficking

·  Explain how to strengthen our overall system to protect older adults from human trafficking

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This presentation explains data captured from over 10 years of John School programs in central Ohio. The discussion includes a brief overview of human trafficking as an economic transaction, processes survey data from solicitors, and explores effective demand reduction strategies. The main research question was: “Why do people solicit sex?” She Has A Name (SHAN) analyzed over 10 years’ worth of survey data from two “John Schools” or Solicitor Education Programs (SEPs). The surveys included 23 questions and were administered as part of the SEP. Participation was anonymous and voluntary. In total, over 1,000 people participated in Columbus’s SEPs and over 700 completed the survey. In order to determine other beneficial sex trafficking demand reduction strategies outside of SEPs, SHAN reviewed Demand Forum’s list of 15 tactics. Survey responses have informed SHAN’s SEP in developing a more comprehensive and trauma-informed curriculum and methodology. In learning about relationship status and self-declared reasons for purchasing sex, SHAN has expanded education topics to include trauma among buyers and implemented critical thinking activities. If we only care for survivors after the point of exploitation, we will never end human trafficking. Every community that implements any type of human trafficking response should include initiatives to reduce the demand for paid sex. Just as we implement individualized, “whole person”, trauma-informed approaches to victim/survivor care, we should consider the same approach in caring for those who raise the demand for sex trafficking.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Understand why reducing the demand for paid sex is a crucial part of the fight against human trafficking

·  Share basic demographics of solicitors and the reasons why they solicited sex

·  Consider potentially effective demand reduction strategies for their unique context

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“POV” is a term commonly used in media to mean “Point of View.” However, in this presentation, it will be used to address the concept of “abuse of a position of vulnerability” (APOV), recognized in the Palermo Protocol as a means of trafficking persons, with a specific focus on organ trafficking. Using a desk-based methodology and two case studies, 1) Ike Ekweramadu, a Nigerian Senator found guilty of organ trafficking in the UK on March 23, 2023 (R-v-Ekweramadu et al., 2023); and 2) a February 2, 2023 publication of lawmakers’ proposal to grant Massachusetts prisoners reduced sentences in exchange for organ donation (CBS News Boston, 2023), this presentation seeks to answer the question: “How does vulnerability equate consent for organs?” Both cases explore the concept of “consent” in relation to altruistic organ donation, and in light of arguments for voluntariness and freedom to donate and/or sell one’s organs. Numerous cases where consent was proven in human trafficking for the purpose of organ removal (HTPOR), reveals that the POVs of certain individuals were exploited. According to UNODC’s Guidance note on APOV, the existence of victim vulnerability, though important to prove trafficking, will be insufficient if no credible evidence to establish APOV exists. This presentation argues that such stance further reduces prosecution and investigation of HTPOR, as no one would make such drastic decision to donate an organ without less pressing conditions facing them.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Provide insightful information on consent, exploitation, and APOV in HTPOR

·  Explore the links between vulnerability and trafficking for organs

·  Address victim-donor protection laws in efforts to investigate and prosecute HTPOR

·  Provide recommendations to address APOV in investigation and prosecution of HTPOR

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Mary Muroki left Kenya in 2002 to fend for her family. For many years, she was in modern slavery in South Africa and Jordan and lost contact with her family. She was reunited with them 20 years later. She has helped hundreds of victims of trafficking to return to their home countries. Mary Muroki rescued herself twice from trafficking situations, but having no documents and no contact to her family, she stayed in Jordan after her escape. After recovery, she started helping trafficked Kenyans and other Africans in Jordan. Beginning on her own initiative in a foreign country, she built a network with religious persons, international expats, Jordan authorities, and NGOs. She became a beacon of hope for victims in Jordan who called her “Mother Mary”. In 2021, she returned to Kenya. After arrival, she was supported by HAART Kenya, an NGO offering holistic support to survivors of human trafficking. Later, she joined HAART as a Survivor Leader and is now also active in HAART prevention and awareness raising work. She is a renowned survivor advocate and a strong voice in the counter trafficking movement. Based on her own experience and uncountable interactions with persons who escaped trafficking, she explores what survivors need to thrive in their lives, and what helps survivors to take a lead in the action against human trafficking.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Identify what survivors need to thrive and be active against trafficking

·  Give recommendations to organizations for survivor inclusion

·  Encourage other survivors to join the movement

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Founded in 2017, #NotInMyCity is a non-profit organization in Calgary, Alberta, Canada mobilizing community and facilitating transformational systems change to disrupt and combat human trafficking. #NotInMyCity co-chairs the Provincial Human Trafficking Network bringing together government, police service, and social service organizations who are working to end human trafficking and support victims and survivors. In 2021, #NotInMyCity recognized an opportunity to improve the provincial understanding of the nature of human trafficking and embarked on a novel data sharing initiative on behalf of the Network. With a 2-year grant from the Community and Social Services Ministry of the Alberta Government, #NotInMyCity initiated the Alberta Human Trafficking Data Portal project. Using a multi-disciplinary, community-engaged research approach, the collaborative co-designed a data story that will be used to support education, training, and advocacy efforts. The project involved literature reviews, and qualitative research including stakeholder surveys and participant interviews with 19 organizations and 31 individuals. Participating organizations included law enforcement and community serving non-profit agencies. This presentation will include a walk-through of the data story and will describe the process of developing the data story, how the team overcame barriers, and the vision for the future of data collaboration. Presenters will explore culture and group dynamics, keeping victims and survivors at the center, taking an iterative-incremental approach, and human-centered technology design as key factors that enabled this initiative to be successful. Lessons learned from this initiative can help inspire and guide others who are seeking to improve the way that the human trafficking sector uses data to inform policy and practice.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Describe the challenges of data collaborations in the human trafficking sector

·  Describe a victim-centered and user-centered approach to design

·  Discuss lessons learned in developing a human trafficking data story

·  Share a roadmap for the future of using data to inform human trafficking policy and practice

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