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

Read More

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

Read More

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

Read More

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

Read More

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

Read More

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

Read More

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

Read More

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

Read More

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

Read More