It is a continuing challenge to find informative and reliable data sources on human trafficking, where the global community acknowledges that the lack of such data is actually a key element of the issue. Police data on human trafficking is generally acknowledged to be limited; however, it can provide us with a view to what is happening in our communities through its content. Equally, the lack of information or the data void in police records, can be revealing in how police agencies are responding to human trafficking. This can help identify whether their strategies are working, whether their investigative focus is effective, and if their community partnerships are robust. This presentation will focus on knowledge gained through the research and micro analysis of 2014 to 2015 policing data from a major Canadian municipality, and look at elements of both offenders and survivors and how they differ from established norms across the human trafficking community.

Presentation Objectives:

·       Inform the examination of how police agencies’ organizational structure and investigative placement may impact the agency’s capacity to investigative and confront this issue

·       Discuss how the limitations on police data and consequently national crime statistics may provide further insight to support their work in combating human trafficking

Read More

TThe “Get Out” movie, by Jordan Peele, had such a striking resemblance to an incident that occurred to this presenter at a recent graduation party. She found herself frequently gasping during the movie. She documented her experience in a blog that bears the same name as my conference title, “Introduce me as Your Friend, Not Your Black Friend”. The presenter’s friend introduced the presenter to her parents as her “black friend”. Days after the introduction, she recalled several micro-aggression comments that she dismissed over the years, such as, “We all wish we could have rhythm like you,” and “I bet you were a pretty fast runner in high school.” While these comments seem fine on the surface, they are indirect, subtle, and oftentimes unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group. In the presenter’s case, being an African American woman, who is of mixed race, she would often rationalize away her feelings – that these comments did not seem right. In her life, the presenter has also spent time guarding herself against what Jordan Peele describes in his move as the “sunken place”. She realizes more people need to be educated on these topics and how to “stay woke”.

Presentation Objectives:

• Allow participants to examine, be aware of, and respond to micro-aggressive comments
• Describe how to recognize the “sunken place”
• Explain how to consider character, as opposed to race, when introducing someone
• Explain how to fully understand and train in your own identity to relate to others who are not like you

Read More

The Blue Campaign is the unified voice for the US Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) efforts to combat human trafficking. Working in collaboration with law enforcement, government, non-governmental, and private organizations, the Blue Campaign strives to protect the basic right of freedom and to bring those who exploit human lives to justice.

Presentation Objectives:

·         Describe the Blue Campaign

·         Explain how the Blue Campaign is working to protect the right of freedom for victims of human trafficking and to bring traffickers to justice

Read More

Predominantly tackled from a criminal justice perspective, the US State Department’s Annual Anti-Trafficking in Persons Report highlights the number of prosecutions and convictions. But, what has been achieved by this focus on convictions? When the dust settles after law enforcement raid and rescue operations, what happens to the victims? The reality is that, with limited government resources, in countries like the Philippines, support services and care are only given to victims who cooperate in investigation and prosecution, in spite of state policies that mandate otherwise. Even for those victims who cooperate, the questions persist: are services provided for their full recovery and reintegration, or are these services provided only in aid of investigation and prosecution? Are they given services to prevent re-victimization? Or are they just “rescued,” counted, and documented, only to be “rescued” again and again? Such a cycle of raid, rescue, documentation, and re-trafficking would increase the number of investigations a country could conduct, and maybe even their prosecution numbers. Certainly, it would help on the road to Tier 1. With this emphasis on criminal justice, where is the voice of the victim? What is the meaning of ‘justice’ to victims of trafficking in persons? To answer these questions, this presentation will analyze selected case studies in the Philippines.

Presentation Objectives:

·       Develop and promote an effective victim-centered approach to trafficking in persons

·       Present case studies from the Philippines

 

Read More

The number of women who are incarcerated in US prisons has increased more than 800% over the past 20 years, and many women in the prison system have prostitution-related experience in their past. Although the prison population has exploded, the programs and services for women behind bars and re-entry opportunities for those soon released have remained spotty at best and non-existent at worst. This vulnerable population becomes even more at risk for falling victim to predatory management that can force them into exploitative situations, pushing them further into the margins. The stigma and shame that is already present for most women who have been in jail or prison is exacerbated by the lack of opportunities for employment and education upon release. This presentation outlines the work of the Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP) Behind Bars and their creation of a positive network between incarcerated sex workers and the sex worker rights community through the publishing of a national monthly newsletter, donating books to prison libraries, providing substance abuse recovery and trauma-informed material for self-facilitated programs, creating a pen pal program to further develop interpersonal relationships that are positive, providing scholarships for women who are incarcerated, and increasing their resources so they can successfully re-enter society after release from prison. Through their letters and direct communication, the presenter shares the voices of people behind bars who are reaching out for resources and community and share how, by working together and sharing stories, people impact other’s lives and, together, create social justice.

Presentation Objectives:

·       Define the SWOP Behind Bars Program and what they have done in the community

·       Discuss how to create a positive network between incarcerated sex workers and the sex worker rights community

·       Share the stories of incarcerated sex workers

Read More

The problem of human trafficking does not exist in a vacuum, but rather is situated in the cultural values and norms of the societies in which it persists. When societies, such as that of the United States, are stratified by power, “isms” such as racism, sexism, and classism are prevalent. This prevalence and the resulting social capital differential between groups leads to a devaluing of subordinate groups of people, making human trafficking possible. Utilizing a social justice framework to promote diversity and inclusion work could lead to an understanding and reduction in human trafficking.

Presentation Objectives:

·       Understand the cultural and social antecedents of human trafficking

·       Relate macro level “isms” (racism, sexism, classism) to the micro level problem of human trafficking

·       Articulate how diversity and inclusion work, as a social justice perspective, relates to social problems like human trafficking

Read More