The National Survivor Study (NSS), developed in 2020 by Polaris, was conceptualized and implemented as participatory action research. Research has been a critical need in the anti-trafficking field, but it typically tokenizes and alienates survivors. The researchers ensured wide and deep survivor engagement in all aspects of the project including who was invited and included in the project team, the way the team was structured, and the use of a variety of research tools that have been shown to be effective for getting community input and feedback (e.g., focus group discussions, individual interviews, surveys, consensus–building activities, cognitive pre-test). In the end, the NSS is the largest primary research on human trafficking (457 survivors) and has provided relevant and impactful data that is already being used to push for change in several spaces (criminal record vacatur, awareness of child custody issues, barriers to livelihoods). The critical value of the NSS was achieved not despite its challenges, but because of them, and the team’s approach to growing and learning together. It required the whole project team of survivors and allies to start a partnership journey that valued and centered different expertise, perspectives, and lived experiences as critical for the project’s success. The presenters will discuss a more equitable and inclusive way to do research that empowers survivors and leads to better findings and outcomes.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Discuss how to implement projects where survivors are centered, empowered, and able to lead in partnership with allies

·  Describe how the research team centered the project in a way that was survivors led

·  Discuss how to ensure that the anti-trafficking movement is led not only by research and evidence but also by survivors

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Why do we utilize stories in our campaigns? Why do we share our stories to bring people into the mission of our work? Why do we provide a platform for survivors to tell their story? These questions are easy to answer: stories matter. They speak to us, encourage us, challenge us (Goodman, 2016; Classy, 2019). But there are other questions that must be asked. How do we know when someone’s ready to tell their story? What do I do with the grief of listening? Is this going to help someone else achieve safety? What is this all accomplishing? How do we do this well? These questions have begun to hover over all social justice movements as we shift to elevate survivors’ voices while struggling to provide safety and protection for the vulnerability of sharing something only one person can give (Survivor Alliance, 2023; Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, 2023). In this session, the presenters will explore one way to pursue ethical storytelling, the strategies of the “Storytelling Through Photography” curriculum that organizations can be trained to utilize, and the results of this program (Ewald, 2001; Kilbourn, 2013; Wolynn, 2016; Cobb, 2018). There will also be time for blunt, honest conversations on the power of stories and the impact it has on professionals in this sphere, with the hopes of giving permission for grief and joy to be experienced in the midst of the heartache.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Provide an overview of Empty Frames Initiative's "Storytelling Through Photography" which utilizes art therapy techniques in photography to bring about stories

·  Discuss how to process difficult conversations with yourself (for survivors and professionals)

·  Present practical tips on how to ethically engage survivor storytellers

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While sex trafficking and porn have both been defined as forms of sexual violence rooted in a system of gender inequality (Farley & Donevan, 2021), what is often overlooked is the way these two industries are culturally and economically linked. In this presentation, Dr. Gail Dines will explore how porn acts as both a method of recruitment into trafficking and a major driver of demand. Drawing from empirical research and testimonies from porn performers, trafficked women, and sex buyers (Donevan, 2021), Dr. Dines argues that as long as we have a multi-billion-dollar porn industry, we will always have sex trafficking. To better understand the linkages between porn and trafficking and how they are similar in some respects (and different in others), the business concept of “value chains” is useful (Preiss, 2019). Value chains refer to the whole range of activities involved in making and selling a product or service, from sourcing components to production, distribution, and consumption. The idea of the value chain is that “value” is added at each stage, though the term “harm chain” is more appropriate for porn and trafficking, because each stage causes harm to women and children—the sex industry’s “product” (Boyle, 2011). Only the companies and pimps involved typically make a profit. Dr. Dines will discuss the different types of legislation that can be adopted or adapted to stop the profit motive for sex trafficking and pornography.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Explore how the sex industry works as an interconnected eco-system

·  Discuss the ways youth at risk are groomed into the sex industry via pornography

·  Examine best practices for building resilience and resistance in youth to the harms of the sex industry

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In 2019, the United Kingdom was ranked as the country with the best government response to human trafficking in the world (Walk Free Foundation). The UK’s 2015 Modern Slavery Act was groundbreaking, and it mandated the creation of healthcare guidelines for trafficking survivors. However, despite the UK’s advanced policies, there was little research on how well the government was fulfilling their commitment to survivors’ healthcare needs. This project engaged existing scholarship, UK policy documents, and qualitative research interviews to answer the research question, “How well is the UK government meeting female trafficking survivors’ needs for healthcare access?” Thirteen interviews were conducted in 2021, seven with survivors and six with support workers, on their experiences with the UK healthcare system. Findings focused on the five areas of healthcare the government outlines in their statutory guidance for how the healthcare system should serve survivors: access to interpreters, trauma-informed medical staff, routine and emergency care, psychological services, and cost-free healthcare. Results indicated that the government is failing to fully meet the needs of survivors in accessing interpreters, trauma-informed care, routine and emergency care, and psychological services, and it is succeeding in free access to healthcare. Additionally, findings indicated the charity sector plays a crucial role in meeting these needs for survivors in areas that the government fails to do so, primarily through providing interpreters, helping with doctor registration, and finding survivors psychological counseling. This presentation concludes with recommendations to improve the UK healthcare system’s responsiveness to survivors, including fast-tracked care and survivor-specific clinics.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Provide an overview of the qualitative research study, including the UK-specific background, the research question, methodology, and findings

·  Amplify the voices of the survivors interviewed by providing specific quotes to illustrate findings

·  Describe recommendations for ways the UK healthcare system can better serve survivors

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The presenters examine the impact of multinational oil companies’ (MOCs’) corporate social responsibility (CSR) on traditional practices recognized as violence against women and girls (VAWG) in Nigeria’s oil region. Results from the use of a combined propensity score matching and logit model indicate that MOCs’ CSR play a significant role in empowering women and girls with information and education to protect their human rights. This implies that CSR offers an opportunity for MOCs to help address prevalence of child early and forced marriage, female genital mutilation/cutting, sex trafficking, virginity testing, and taboos through a business case for stakeholders’ human right protection. The purpose of this presentation is to investigate the impact of the global memorandum of understanding (GMoU) on the fight against VAWG in the oil-producing communities of Niger Delta region.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Analyze the level of MOCs’ CSR investment in policy dialogue and advocacy to deter violence against women and girls in Niger Delta, Nigeria

·  Examine the impact of multinational oil companies GMoUs on reducing the rate of child early and forced marriage, female genital mutilation/cutting, sex trafficking, virginity testing, and nutritional taboos in Nigeria

·  Determine the consequences of ending violence against women and girls in Niger Delta, Nigeria

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Youth service providers in all settings encounter young people identified as high risk for, believed to be, or known to have been commercially sexually exploited or sex trafficked. Barriers to successful engagement with young people emerge for a variety of reasons. Young people’s reluctance and mistrust of systems, coupled with their transience, present challenges. Service providers miss opportunities to engage youth at each level of readiness and teams become inactive until a crisis. While many service providers receive specific training on the subject, they continue to seek tangible tools and concrete resources to make meaningful connections. “Building a Strong Team Response to High Risk and Trafficked Youth” and “Finding Your Strengths” are companion tools created as part of a Milwaukee based public-private partnership. The tools serve to enhance youth service providers’ response and give both providers and youth ways to articulate strength and resiliency factors they possess to achieve their goals. Both tools were informed by research literature, listening sessions with stakeholders across the state, and input from youth focus groups. The free tools are intentionally inclusive of all geographical experiences, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and all genders. The framework of this presentation and the materials reviewed are also inclusive of all types of lived experiences, such as youth engaging in survival sex, solicitation by individual purchasers of sex, sexual exploitation occurring online, peer recruitment, and those with a trafficker. A summary of findings, the development process, as well as practical applications and recommendations for use will be shared in this session.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Describe the development process and findings used to create a set a strengths-based tools specific to commercially sexually exploited youth (CSEY)

·  Explain how to use the tools to improve team-based responses to CSEY and identify strengths, resilience, and protective factors with young people

Discuss opportunities to use the tools in various settings and give recommendations for addressing potential challenges in using the tools

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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

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Dr. Kristen Szabla was born into darkness. Specifically, she was born into a black, cataclysmic web of sexual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation in which she was the victim and her parents were her perpetrators. Dr. Szabla will describe her story of overcoming not only to bring societal awareness to these all-too-common nefarious acts against humanity but to bring hope, healing, and ultimately social and policy change. This presentation will chronicle how she used her knowledge of neurobiology to expedite her journey from suffering victim to empowered survivor/thriver. Participants will experientially learn not only how the brain functions but how trauma damages and maladaptively wires specific areas of the brain (Walsh et al., 2022). By understanding the neurobiologic underpinnings of trauma, participants will discover how traumatized individuals are held in a victim-like state, seemingly incapable of change. Using personal examples and visual illustrations, participants will explore strategies as to how to utilize the power of the brain to potentiate its rewiring and expedite healing to help an individual transform from a victim to a thriving survivor. This presentation is designed to be accessible for all audiences, regardless of their familiarity with neurobiologic concepts.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Provide a synopsis of the survivor’s life experience

·  Provide an overview of the brain in action to explain the neurobiologic impact of trauma

·  Outline how the neurobiology of trauma keeps individuals victimized

·  Discuss tactics to harness the understanding of the neurobiologic impact of trauma to facilitate the transformation from victim to survivor/thriver

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Although scholarship about human trafficking has increased in the last two decades, no literature analyzes the trafficking of North Korean women for forced marriage in China based on Chinese official documents. Drawing on data from the China Judgement Online (CJO) website, a sample of 66 court documents involving 222 traffickers and 192 buyers from 2014 to 2020 was used. Using a content analysis approach, based on manual collation and data collection, this study contributes to the marriage trafficking literature by exploring (a) the identity characteristics and motivations of traffickers, buyers, and victims, (b) the trafficking procedure, and (c) the division of labor among traffickers and patterns of penalties imposed on the traffickers. The findings imply that both traffickers and buyers mainly have low education, no stable employment, and are geographically concentrated in northeastern China. The trafficking process can be divided into recruitment, border crossing, transportation, matchmaking, transfer, and transaction. Sentence type and length are related to the victims’ number, while fines are not. China’s demand for women victims is closely tied to a patriarchal culture. Finally, the implications for research and policy will be discussed.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Enhance understanding of trafficking in North Korean women for forced marriage in China through analysis of court documents

·  Provide important recommendations for policymakers and researchers

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The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of professionals working with minor-aged survivors of human trafficking in nonmetropolitan environments throughout the Northeast. Husserl’s noematic process, integrated with Maslow’s theory of human motivation, provided this study’s theoretical framework, which strived to answer the following research questions: What are the experiences of professionals working with minor aged human trafficking survivors in Northeast nonmetropolitan communities (noema)? and How do professionals describe their experiences helping minor-aged survivors of human trafficking obtain their basic needs after exploitation (noesis)? Data collection involved demographic questionnaires and interviews. The data was analyzed by using Moustakas’ phenomenological methodology. Two primary themes emerged from the data analysis. The first theme was the participant’s experience meeting the needs of survivors, containing subthemes of needs being met through their vocation and community resources. The second primary theme included the challenges participants experienced when meeting the survivors’ needs; the subthemes contained the challenges they experienced through their vocation and community. The most prominent result was the differences in challenges experienced by participants depending on if their employer was a nonprofit organization, or a state agency. These vocational discrepancies are imperative for ensuring that nonmetropolitan communities best understand how to provide services to minor-aged survivors of human trafficking. 

Presentation Objectives:

·  Review the study’s overview, methodology, and findings

·  Define the noematic relationship and Husserl’s Theory of Intentionality

·  Integrate the study’s findings into how to best support survivors in rural areas to streamline statistics to prove the need for services in rural communities

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Sex workers continue to experience high rates of abuse and violence around the world (Deering et al., 2014). However, information regarding police-perpetrated harassment and violence against transgender and gender diverse (TGD) sex workers in the United States remains extremely limited. The current study is the first known examination of police interaction, harassment, and violence among TGD sex workers in the United States using a large nationwide dataset. Secondary data from 23,372 TGD people were used (United States Transgender Survey). First, descriptive statistics were conducted to understand the prevalence of police interaction and 6 different types of police harassment and violence among sex workers. Next, a series of logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between sociodemographic factors and the likelihood of experiencing these 6 different types of police harassment and violence. Results revealed that sex workers were more likely to experience police interaction, harassment, and violence compared to non-sex workers. Among sex workers with police interaction while doing sex work, 89.2% reported experiencing at least one type of harassment and/or violence. Regression analyses revealed that individuals with no reported income and trans women were more likely to experience multiple types of police harassment/violence. The presentation will specify comparison groups and additional implications. Taken together, TGD sex workers continue to experience alarming rates of interaction, harassment, and violence from police in the United States. Urgent and effective intervention is needed to eliminate police harassment and violence toward TGD sex workers and provide support for TGD sex workers who survive this violence.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Provide an overview of the knowledge base on police violence against transgender and gender diverse people involved in the sex trade in the United States

·  Review the study including questions, methodology, and findings

·  Describe the implications for the study and next steps in research and practice

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Although scholarship about human trafficking has increased in the last two decades, no literature analyzes the trafficking of North Korean women for forced marriage in China based on Chinese official documents. Drawing on data from the China Judgement Online (CJO) website, a sample of 66 court documents involving 222 traffickers and 192 buyers from 2014 to 2020 was used. Using a content analysis approach, based on manual collation and data collection, this study contributes to the marriage trafficking literature by exploring (a) the identity characteristics and motivations of traffickers, buyers, and victims, (b) the trafficking procedure, and (c) the division of labor among traffickers and patterns of penalties imposed on the traffickers. The findings imply that both traffickers and buyers mainly have low education, no stable employment, and are geographically concentrated in northeastern China. The trafficking process can be divided into recruitment, border crossing, transportation, matchmaking, transfer, and transaction. Sentence type and length are related to the victims’ number, while fines are not. China’s demand for women victims is closely tied to a patriarchal culture. Finally, the implications for research and policy will be discussed.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Enhance understanding of trafficking in North Korean women for forced marriage in China through analysis of court documents

·  Provide important recommendations for policymakers and researchers

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Debt bondage, also known as debt slavery, bonded labor, or peonage, is the pledge of a person’s services as security for the repayment of a debt or other obligation (ILO, 2017) and, despite being banned in international law and most domestic spheres, is considered one of the most prevalent forms of forced labor (UNHROHC, 2016). Debt bondage is particularly prevalent in Southeast Asia where it flourishes in the agricultural, mining, and brick kiln industries. The aim of this phenomenological research was to examine, in depth, the economic and familial contexts of bonded labor in the brick kiln industry of Punjab, India—a state housing approximately 3,000 active kilns. The research questions addressed, include: (1) What are the economic processes which underlie bonded labor in the brick kiln industry in India? (2) How does bonded labor impact family systems? and (3) What structural vulnerabilities maintain the bonded labor system? Guided by life-course theory (Elder Jr., 1994, 1998; Elder Jr. et al., 2015) and concepts of structural vulnerability (Bourgois et al., 2017), 13 in-depth focus group discussions (FGDs), conducted separately by gender were conducted and included a total of 89 participants (n = 49 males; n = 40 females). FGDs were audio-recorded, translated, transcribed and then analyzed using thematic analysis as detailed by Braun and Clarke (2014). Primary themes to be discussed are as follows: (1) areas of potential exploitation (recruitment, record keeping); (2) health and well-being (housing, alcohol use, prenatal care/birth control); and (3) children (e.g., self-care, academics). Suggestions for continued research, practice, and intervention will be provided.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Provide an overview of the study including research aim and questions, methodology, theoretical framework, and ethical considerations

·  Describe results of data analysis, with direct quotes from participants to support and exemplify the authors’ interpretations of the data

·  Suggest critical avenues for continued research, as well as implications for intervention and practice

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The presenters are Kenyan Human Rights Activists who experienced human trafficking. They formed the first HAART Survivor Advocate Group. They rose up to fight human trafficking with an interest to fight the traffickers and bring survivors’ perspectives to the movement. They are active as facilitators, research consultants, and trained paralegals. In this presentation, they reflect on their experiences as Survivor Advocates in the Anti-Trafficking Movement and on forming a more inclusive movement. The activists in this group met and started to network while or after they were in programs by HAART – Awareness Against Human Trafficking, a Kenyan NGO offering holistic support to survivors of human trafficking. After a certain time, they decided to take part in HAART’s Survivor Leadership Program. In this presentation, they share their perspective on chances and challenges they have encountered as Survivor Advocates. Based on examples of their work, they encourage other survivors of human trafficking to join the movement and give recommendations to organizations who wish to become more inclusive for survivors.

Presentation Objectives:

·       Encourage survivors to join the movement

·       Give recommendations to organizations for survivor inclusion

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Labor trafficking comprises a small percentage of police-reported cases in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2022). This has contributed to public perceptions that labor trafficking is rare in the country, making it relatively invisible within the broader crime of human trafficking. However, labor trafficking is underreported to law enforcement and in existing national datasets (Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking, 2020). This is due to the difficulty of reaching the groups at the highest risk of exploitation, namely temporary foreign workers, migrant workers, and those with irregular (or undocumented) immigration status. The structure of existing programs and processes also creates disincentives for these individuals to report abuse. Canada’s economy has become dependent on low-wage temporary foreign workers to fill critical labor gaps. The current system ties these workers to a single employer, leaving them highly susceptible to labor exploitation and trafficking. This presentation will provide an overview of how Canada’s immigration system facilitates an environment that makes labor trafficking more likely. It will highlight the policies that create vulnerabilities for workers, including restricted labor mobility, limited access to services and supports, inadequate program oversight, and insufficient protections and remedies related to human trafficking. Additionally, attendees will leave the presentation with a set of recommendations for addressing these policy gaps, which can be used by organizations to advocate for change.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Contextualize labor trafficking in Canada, including the intersection of immigration and labor market systems

·  Outline gaps in existing immigration and labor market policies that increase the risk of exploitation and trafficking

·  Provide recommendations for all levels of government to address these policy issues

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Direct services to survivors of trafficking are not being evaluated for quality and effectiveness. Several organizations are making decisions based on assumptions and not evidence. As a result, limited information and understanding is known about preventing trafficking and supporting survivors (Davy, 2016). Program evaluation is a necessary part in program design because it not only improves programs but provides a survivor-centered approach by integrating the perspectives of survivors. There needs to be a more rigorous approach in research methods when it comes to evaluating programs (Tyldum & Brunovskis, 2005). The presenters believe that program evaluation is an essential tool in any program implementation process. Without collecting and analyzing data, how can we know if our programs are having the impact we intended? The STEPS Evaluation Program is designed to take an organization through a process to determine if services offered match the experiences of those receiving them, if the mission and vision are practiced effectively, and if trauma-informed practices are being used. This evaluation program was designed by lived-experience experts and creates standards of care to hold organizations accountable. Furthermore, The Steps Evaluation Program helps identify gaps and goals so organizations can make trauma-informed adjustments and continue to evolve. The Steps Evaluation Program is recommended to organizations who are committed to providing effective services to survivors and integrating formal evaluation practices. This presentation will discuss the importance of program evaluation in the anti-trafficking movement, go over The STEPS program components, and provide examples from organizations who have experienced this program.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Discuss what evaluation is and its need in the anti-human trafficking movement according to current research

·  Inform attendees about the STEP evaluation process and what it can do for their organizations

·  Offer tools to begin to measure what is being done well and what is not to increase the health of organizations, reduce revictimization, and aid with fiscal responsibility

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Each year in the United States, over 100,000 children are trafficked (Kunstle, 2020). The FBI reports that 60% of youth who have been recovered from sex trafficking are part of the foster care system (Kunstle, 2020). The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) estimates that of the 250,000 children reported missing in 2022, at least 42,500 were victimized by sex trafficking. In previous years, NCMEC has found that 88% of runaway youth trafficked for sex were in foster care when they ran away. These statistics are staggering, but what can we do to prevent domestic minor sex trafficking among youth in foster care, especially when providing care is already so difficult? How does a foster parent or service provider effectively identify, care for, and develop rapport with these youth? In this session, the presenters will talk about specific vulnerabilities that put youth in foster care at increased risk of sex trafficking. They will review the developmental, systematic, and mental health barriers these youth face while in care. They will also discuss the unique challenges foster parents and other providers experience while serving youth. Finally, they will provide helpful strategies for overcoming these barriers and cultivating healthy relationships with these youth and by doing so, build protective factors that decrease the risk of trafficking.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Discuss the definition, facts, and vulnerabilities of human trafficking

·  Identify obstacles youth face when it comes to building healthy rapport with foster parents

·  Identify obstacles foster parents face when it comes to building healthy rapport with youth placed with them

·  Highlight strategies foster parents can utilize to cultivate good rapport

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In this session, attendees will learn the importance of networking and building relationships from the perspective of a survivor mother and anti-trafficking coalition advocate. They will also gain insight into advancing advocacy work to include civic engagement, non-government partnerships, and government support for combatting human trafficking at the local, state, and federal levels. Carolyn Kinkoph will explain changes in her life and career trajectory because of the human trafficking victimization of her daughter, Courtney. Carolyn’s journey includes separate roles as a mother, an advocate, and a doctoral candidate that often intersect through experience, connections, and education as the co-founder of the Alliance Against Human Trafficking (AAHT). Her experience, ability to collaborate, and education provide insight into transforming an anti-trafficking coalition from a multidisciplinary to an interdisciplinary approach for human trafficking prevention. It is important to understand the complexities and intersections of human trafficking along with the failure of several systems that drive Carolyn’s determination to command change. She will share how encounters with providers, law enforcement agencies, survivors, and professionals in various disciplines such as healthcare, education, social services, and community leadership further her ability to educate and partner with others. Attendees will learn about the importance of utilizing experience and education to encourage a proactive approach to breaking silos and coordinating efforts within and across systems to not only build a multidisciplinary team but also to utilize an interdisciplinary approach to work together to promote trauma-responsive comprehensive care for victims and survivors of human trafficking, exploitation, and abuse.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Discuss the importance of networking and building relationships using an interdisciplinary approach to human trafficking prevention

·  Explain what was learned as a result of the personal and professional experiences of the presenter

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The Safe Shelter Collaborative is a program that finds shelter faster for survivors. Designed in collaboration with agencies that support survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence, the program is fueled by a technology service and by the community of shelters, agencies, and service providers that band together to find swift access to appropriate shelter. Seven years ago, the program was designed in collaboration with agencies across the state of New Jersey and since then has expanded to over 200 member agencies spanning 18 states in the U.S. Each hub of member agencies are autonomous groups that identify collectively the region they serve that fits the needs of their clients and service area. Agencies that comprise the hub in San Diego County have been members of the Safe Shelter Collaborative for over three years, and in that time have formed a steering committee that has driven efforts to expand the number of sheltering agencies in their region, the types of programs that can provide referrals for shelter and has influenced important improvements to the technology service that fuels the Safe Shelter Collaborative. This presentation will describe the Safe Shelter Collaborative and offer attendees an opportunity to see it in action, while hearing stories of how community participation designed the solution nationally and accesses shelter resources locally. A member of the SoCal hub will share how they organized to support finding shelter faster in their region and the lessons they learned to those who want to join the Safe Shelter Collaborative in the future.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Describe successful models for community collaboration

·  Discuss local and regional options for sheltering trafficking survivors

·  Explain how technology might fit into sheltering operations

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Las Vegas, Nevada is a known hub of sex trafficking in the United States (Bahouth, 2021). The number of sex traffickers and victims in the city at any given time is overwhelming to law enforcement and precision policing is critical. The goal of law enforcement intervening in sex trafficking situations in Las Vegas is to hold sex traffickers accountable without forcing a victim to participate in their trafficker's prosecution. Victim participation in prosecution until now has been essential to prosecution but has caused great harm to victims. This study explains a policing technique using undercover police officers to create situations when sex traffickers reveal themselves and their intention of sex trafficking to the undercover officers. Once a trafficker was identified and they were linked to potential victims, the victims were offered services to exit the sex trafficking situation. The research questions for this study included: 1) What are the characteristics of the sex traffickers? 2) Did they also sell drugs and were they gang involved? and 3) What did they offer the undercover officers? From January 2021 to December 2022, 303 sex traffickers were identified and arrested for pandering with no victim involvement. The sex traffickers were 99% male. They were from 18 other states and nearly 100% had previous criminal involvement. Recommendations from this study include intervening with males in juvenile corrections, communicating with Nevada State Police about the movement of traffickers from different states, and communicating with other divisions in LVMPD about gang and drug involvement of the sex traffickers.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Provide an overview of the VPTI

·  Provide a description of the study of the VPTI over 2 years including the research questions, methods used, and findings

·  Describe the implications and recommendations from this study

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