Coalitions are easy to initiate but sometimes have great difficulty becoming effective because they do not have the capacity (knowledge, skills, or resources) to attain their goals. Along with creating effective organizational structures, the organization's capacity to plan, manage, implement prevention programs and policies is essential. We will discuss the model set up by the NYC Faith-Based Coalition Against Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence which launched the Not On My Watch! Movement which focuses on bringing awareness and advocacy through training and education; learn how to build-bridges between houses of worship and community-based organizations, elected officials, federal reps, city agencies, service providers, and grassroots organizations; we will discuss the successes and shortcomings. It is important that coalitions are "action" oriented and not just monthly meeting gatherings. Coalitions want to be recognized in the community/city as having a voice that will be heard by the powers that have the capacity to change policy as well as media. Significant impact should be realized through coalition efforts. In this session participants will learn how to build, launch and sustain a coalition with impact in combatting human trafficking. Faith leaders are highly encouraged to attend.
Read MoreResearch across disciplines shows homeless youth are uniquely vulnerable to commercial sexual exploitation. Yet few studies have explored how youth view sexual exploitation. This qualitative study uses participatory methods to explore how young adults define sexual exploitation, pathways into involvement, and opportunities for prevention and intervention. Twenty-four female-identifying young adults (ages 18-23) currently or formerly experiencing homelessness were recruited from a youth serving agency in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The sample is diverse with respect to race/ethnicity, including African American, Latina, Native American, and Caucasian participants. Participants described experiences in line with documented pathways including desperation, immaturity, the strong role of peers, and violent romantic relationships. Uniquely, participants connected survival sex with participation in the commercial sex industry and pimp-mediated sex trafficking. Results yield novel perspective on the continuum of sexual exploitation experienced by youth, connecting constructs previously thought of as distinct. Participants also shed new light on how this shift in perspective affects intervention. Paradoxically, accessing homeless youth services may flag youth as more vulnerable to exploitation. Findings indicate that all youth experiencing homelessness regularly confront solicitations and experiences around sexual exploitation. From the youth perspective, intervention efforts must engage the entire homeless youth community.
Objectives:
1) To better understand the spectrum of sexually exploitative situations homeless youth navigate.
2) To better understand the pathways/recruitment methods that lead to sexual exploitation for the purpose of recognizing those pathways and being able to intervene.
3) To apply this knowledge to prevention and early intervention efforts among the homeless youth population.
Research shows that approximately 70% of workers who deal regularly with trauma stories are likely to experience symptoms of secondary trauma transferred to them from the disturbing material, such as a worker experiencing nightmares reflecting the experiences as reported to them by a trafficking victim. Source? The helping field has gradually begun to recognize that workers are profoundly affected by the work they do, whether it is by direct exposure to a traumatic event (paramedic or police officer), or secondary exposure (hearing clients talk about trauma they have experienced). Compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma have been described as the cost of caring for others in emotional pain and can strike the most dedicated worker. Ironically, helpers who are burned out, fatigued and traumatized tend to work more and work harder. As a result, they go further down a path that can lead to serious physical and mental health difficulties, such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, stress related illnesses, and even suicide.
Breaking the Stigma: Understanding Compassion Fatigue and Vicarious Trauma is an educational awareness presentation for front line workers who deal with a traumatized population.
Objectives:
1) Educate workers on the different definitions and forms of trauma they can experience during their careers as well as the symptoms they may suffer.
2) How to build resiliency when dealing with work related trauma as well as the effects on our loved ones.
3) How to get help for symptoms relating to compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma.
Read MoreThe global issue of human sex trafficking is well known. Yet America, one of the richest countries in the world, fails to recognize the vast number of males that are affected by this abusive phenomenon. Simply stated, such atrocity cannot be tolerated. We must bridge the gap and offer reconciliation. "BOYS?" speaks to just that, answering the gruesome facts concerning male sex trafficking and speaking to the question of what hope looks like for survivors. Restore One has crafted something unique. As they are opening The Anchor House, the first safe home in the nation for boys who've been sexually trafficked. Their programming is one of a kind. The recovery model, titled The HOPE Model, walks boys through their story of trafficking by allowing space to grieve and rage over the harm done to their heart and body. The HOPE Model uses poetry, yoga and art as gateways for the boys to heal and express emotion. "BOYS?" teaches about what care for boys who've been sexually trafficked looks like and how care providers can make tangible steps to offer help and healing. Visit RestoreOneLife.org to learn about Restore One
Read More6/12: client severely injured Amanda and Jill due to extreme negligence as a private pilot, and also raped Amanda twice while recovering from a broken neck and brain bleed.
7/12: Client has: paid representatives to send death threats to Jill via email and voicemails; paid men to assault Jill on three separate occasions; hired hackers who committed credit card fraud and identify theft against Jill and threated legal actions.
4/14: Final attacks were extremely violent and medical complications from those attacks have created a terminal blood-clotting disorder. Jill also suffers brain damage from the repeated head injuries.
The first attack was not reported to the police. The last two attacks and credit card fraud were reported to the police, who did not investigate and “lost” the incident reports.
Jill does not have a criminal record of prostitution, but has been reported to police as a prostitute and suffered police harassment ever since and therefore chooses not to report.
The stigma of sex work has prevented the women from being able to access legal aid, justice, proper medical care, and both are vulnerable to stalking, threats, and violence. They no longer live in the US for safety concerns.
The client, as an attorney, can play the system with impunity. As sex workers, the women have been disbelieved, questioned, and scrutinized.
Objectives:
Listen to sex workers when they talk about any violence they experience. Violence can happen to any sex worker, even if they're a fully-consenting sex worker.
Identify resources or lack thereof for sex workers.
Understand why sex workers are reluctant to go to the police.
How the criminalization of sex work allows this to happen.
Violence has a profound impact on a sex worker's life because the stigma of sex work overshadows the real violence done to them.
Sexual abuse has profound and devastating effects on the cognitive, emotional, and relational functioning of children. This training will explain how recent brain research has informed the new DSM-5 model for PTSD, resulting in a more accurate conceptualization of this diagnosis. In particular, this training will explain in simple language how traumatic events in general—and especially sexual abuse in particular—affect the developing brains of young children, resulting in symptoms of PTSD. Even after the original trauma has long ended, the after-effects of traumatic events sometimes take on a life of their own. This presentation will include case studies of severely traumatized residential adolescent clients who have survived the effects of human trafficking (both abroad and domestically).
Outcomes:
1) Participants will learn specific ways in which sexual trauma affects the neurological functioning of the brain.
2) Participants will learn the classic DSM-5 symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
3) Participants will learn how sexual abuse in particular especially generates and exacerbates PTSD symptomology.
Ethiopia is recognized as a hotspot for human trafficking. Survivors of trafficking in Ethiopia face many barriers in accessing and receiving rehabilitation and reintegration services, including posttraumatic mental health disorders, legal or economic issues, and cultural barriers, particularly in regards to stigma around mental health. Furthermore, very few trafficking-specific services are available in Ethiopia.
Using the results of a situational analysis participants will:
Identify gaps in service delivery for survivors of human trafficking in Ethiopia,
Describe how to form international, interdisciplinary partnerships to provide survivor services.
Explain optimal service delivery models for trafficking survivors in Ethiopia.
We conducted a situational analysis in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to address the service needs of human trafficking survivors by incorporating: (1) a systematic review and (2) semi-structured interview with key stakeholders. The purpose of the situational analysis was to identify gaps in service delivery for survivors of human trafficking in Ethiopia using an international, interdisciplinary, survivor-centered partnership and to develop a collaborative plan for addressing those needs. A systematic literature review was conducted to identify gaps in service delivery. Students and researchers from the University of Michigan in the U.S. and from Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia conducted semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders in Ethiopia.
There was a paucity of research on human trafficking in Ethiopia, and adequate recognition of and response to the problem has not yet been achieved. Overall, the situational analysis suggested that all survivor services in Ethiopia are limited, but that mental health services in particular need expansion. Peer support and nurse-delivered models emerged as optimal frameworks for providing survivor services, given the cultural stigma around mental health and the limitations of mental health services available in Ethiopia. This project aims to create a sustainable, culturally appropriate, survivor-driven clinic in Ethiopia that offers comprehensive legal, health, and social services.
A method that systematically quantifies the number of people sold online for sex, and tracks their basic demographics, is a critical initial step to document the commercial sex market locally in communities. By analyzing patterns of commercial sex markets in the United States, important inferences can be made about sex buying trends. As such, this presentation will describe a data mining study that tracked online sex selling in target regions of Massachusetts, conducted in collaboration between RIA House, the Imagine Foundation, and William James College. The study’s main objective was to describe online patterns of supply within commercial sex markets specific to key Massachusetts regions, with the understanding that supply is dramatically underestimated and often hidden within the regions. This presentation will include data on the number of people sold for sex online for a period of three consecutive months in target Massachusetts regions. The presenters will conclude with examples of practical applications derived from the findings of other online sex selling data mining studies. Specifically, how the findings can clarify trends in demand for online sex, and how local data can also support community efforts to respond to the needs and interests of the people being bought and sold in the online sex market will be discussed.
Objectives:
1) By the end of the presentation, the audience will understand one specific data mining method to quantify the online commercial sex market in their communities.
2) By the end of the presentation, the audience will be able to identify and analyze trends in a local commercial sex market.
3) By the end of the presentation, the audience will begin to think about how a data mining project such as this could help them develop a comprehensive response to a local sex market.
Numerous women in our culture have experienced shame, degradation, and despair as a result of having been sexually traumatized early in life. Some women end up in unhappy marriages or abusive relationships; some fall prey to a variety of addictions, silently or publicly; and some end up working as activists, social workers or sex workers. For many, these paths converge and cross. And for many other women, their situations—and the reasons that have brought them there—are secrets that have no voice.
This workshop will provide information on healing sexual trauma through myth, art, and metaphor. It will also outline steps into building solidarity with others in order to enhance the personal and collective voice of oppressed girls and women. There is a huge need to understand the complexities that underscore our human trafficking movements, and to build camaraderie with sex worker activism. The united voice that understands the roots and history of patriarchal thought and violence against women is far stronger than the lone voice. It is through deeper understanding of the interplay of race, class, gender, and socioeconomic status that we can begin to address the roots of the problems that we face, and find solutions through collective work and consciousness shifts. Participants will gain insights and practice into using transformative elements and skills that convert personal story and pain into art, ritual, and inclusive power.
Awareness and media coverage of human trafficking has increased substantially in the last decade causing an unprecedented number of people desirous to engage in efforts to combat human trafficking (Countryman-Roswurm, 2015). While most involved in the anti-trafficking movement are well intentioned, often times the behaviors and actions undertaken by these allies are harmful to the very survivors they are trying to serve (Countryman-Roswurm, 2015; Douglas, 2013; Lloyd, 2013; Smith, 2014). Within the anti-trafficking movement, more and more survivors are being used as propaganda. They are asked to share their stories in the media in order to raise funds or awareness with little thought to the effects of reliving the trauma and the significant impact this may have on the post-traumatic stress disorder most survivors deal with (Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, 2011; Chicago Taskforce on Violence Against Girls and Young Women, 2012). In addition, rather than being recognized and/or compensated as experts and leaders in the anti-trafficking movement, survivors are being taken advantage of in the pursuit of a story that has emotional pull (Countryman-Roswurm, 2015; Douglas, 2013; Lloyd, 2013; Smith, 2014). Presenters will discuss ways in which media portrayals of survivor’s stories and the portrayal of human trafficking as a whole can be both harmful and beneficial. Presenters will also provide guidelines and best practices for sharing the message of human trafficking in a manner that does not exploit survivors but rather empowers and puts their needs first.
Objectives:
1) Explore the harmful and exploitive practices used by media, service providers, and advocacy groups to share the message of human trafficking.
2) Understand the risks of asking a survivor to share their story.
3) Learn practical tips to share the message of human trafficking in a manner that empowers and respects each survivor’s unique story and healing journey.
There are very few empirical examples of research pertaining to convicted sex traffickers. This is due, in part, to limited research access by both the Bureau of Prisons, and Institutional Review Boards. To overcome this lack of access, Dr. Jesse Bach conducted an in-depth qualitative analysis of court documents, transcripts and courtroom interviews pertaining to the sex trafficking trials of Northern Ohio—resulting in a conviction, from 2010-2013. This presentation will examine the lived experiences, recruitment techniques, methods of victim/survivor control, and financial arrangements pertaining to convicted sex traffickers. It will provide unique insight to who traffickers are, how they came to be involved in sex trafficking, and how they gained access to victim/survivors. The implications of this research go beyond the advocacy world and into the development of preventative measures constructed around the warning signs and at-risk behaviors of potential traffickers—before they become involved in the crime.
** Trigger Warning**
Discussions of domestic minor sex trafficking, sex traffickers, physical abuse, psychological coercion, drug addiction, and prostitution.
One of the most challenging issues in combating human trafficking is working with adolescent victims of sex trafficking. Lawn force meant and medical personnel often do not recognize them as victims, and no national standard exist on how to conduct initial forensic interviews. Police and prosecutors indicate that conducting this initial interview properly is critical to identifying these victims, prosecuting their predators, and assisting them in their recovery.
Most evidence – based work on forensic interviewing has given attention to cognitive issues involving the ability to recall events. Particularly with adolescent victims of sex trafficking, motivational issues may adversely affect their willingness to report events to authorities. In this talk, I will review the body of research on rapptor building during forensic interviews. I will highlight what we know, what we do not now, and what we need to know in order to create evidence based interviewing practices. While studies have begun to investigate rapptor building, few experimental studies exist. No scientific studies exist to date to provide guidelines for rapport building with adolescents suspected of being involved in sex trafficking. I will conclude by making recommendations for research and practice during forensic interviews with possible victims of trafficking
Read MoreOhio ranks 50th in African American infant mortality. One risk factor for infant want Tallardy is low birth weight. African-American woman or more than twice as likely to deliver a low birth weight baby compared to a Caucasian woman. However, into thousand 13 and 2014, African-American woman in rolled in the pathways program in Lucas county had a low birth rate of 9.5%, much lower than the overall rate for African Americans in Lucas county (13.2% in 2013) and statewide (13.4% in 2013). This presentation will focus on the Pathways Model and educate the audience on how to both implement and advocate for the Pathways Model to be used in their community.
Read MoreThis workshop will focus on the relationship between substance use disorders, specifically opiate addiction, and sex trafficking. A program has been developed for specifically addressing these issues together. We explore topics of empowerment, violence, grooming, and the "pimp is the dope boy." Our treatment program is utilized by CHANGE court, the prostitution court of Hamilton county. Need more, plus objectives.
Read MoreIn the late 19th century, abolitionist E. D. Moore undertook the ambitious project of tearing apart King Leopold II's slave industry in the Congo Free State. In what should have been a hopelessly lopsided battle, Moore pitted himself against a monarch's powerful propaganda machinery, and a highly profitable rubber producing industry. To level the playing field, he employed a new technology, the magic lantern, or what we would call a slide projector, to visually display the atrocities of slavery to large audiences, and turning the tide of public opinion against a powerful monopoly.
In the United States, more than 800,000 children are reported missing every year, nearly half end up living on the streets, most of those will be solicited for sex within their first 72 hours of living on the street. The presenter proposes the implementation of 21st century “magic lantern” that will identify and locate children being sold for sex online and bring them to safety. FAGIN (Facial Analysis to Gain Information Now) uses existing facial analysis technology to recursively extract and compare images from online sex ads to images of missing children producing a report for each match. With current Federal law, the FAGIN report provides probable cause and admissible evidence sufficient to trigger intervention and investigation by law enforcement. The FAGIN report also negates the need for the cooperation of, or further traumatization of, the minor victim in order to convict traffickers.
Counter-justice is a term used in this training to describe strategic victim and witness manipulation by traffickers that is intended to inhibit the justice system’s response to domestic child sex trafficking (DCST) cases. The training involves an active discussion into how the victim-perpetrator dynamic affects the functionality of the justice system. The trainer will focus on how traffickers manipulate victim behavior to inhibit case investigation, prosecution, juvenile disposition and therapeutic intervention. The trainer will also explore how the justice system identifies and processes child sex trafficking cases, and how these processes are neutralized by trafficker tactics. The victim-perpetrator dynamic, common vulnerability factors and psychosocial indoctrination of victims will be discussed. Participants will also explore the dynamics of intimate partner violence (IPV) when used for recruitment.
Objectives:
1) Victim’s perception of government intervention is altered using economic dependence, physical isolation, and manipulation of fears.
2) Victim behavior in the context of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The trainer will emphasize challenges to juvenile judges in child welfare when integrating court services.
3) Discuss intervention techniques which may be effective against trafficker counter-justice strategies. With an emphasis on judicial responses and discuss specialized court dockets, trauma-informed courtrooms, and the use of “vertical” case handling.
(Funded by the Office for Victims of Crime)
Read MoreEstimates suggest that 25% of minors being sold into the commercial sex trade around the world each year are in India. Source? The U.S. State department calls India a “source, destination and transit” country for a majority of the trafficking in Asia. Therefore, India is in the center of the fight to end international sex trafficking.
This session will focus on the issue of sex trafficking in India while also providing a solution, evidenced by the work being implemented in the field by Freedom Firm. Have you worked in India?
Why are so many minors being trafficked in India? What are the primary causes of trafficking in India? What is the most effective solution for eradicating sex trafficking in our lifetime? Is there hope for the survivors? An exploration of Freedom Firm’s work on the ground in India will arm you with smart statistics and a better understanding of what effective anti-trafficking efforts look like overseas. Attendees will leave this session knowing what a holistic approach to this injustice looks like and why so many believe it is the best way to eradicate sex slavery in our lifetime.
This session will detail the significant accomplishments of Ms. Cynthia Turner and Ms. Barbara Amaya of SeraphimGLOBAL who have successfully integrated survivors of human trafficking into their professional workplace. There are many challenges, benefits, and best practices to working alongside survivors in this work and this session will highlight these perspectives from both Executive Management and a survivor herself.
Read MoreFrom funded grants and evidenced based practice, our collaborators were able to empower 6 sex trafficking victims to move beyond becoming survivors, to becoming thrivers, working full time in the helping professions. This panel will discuss the Community Health Worker project in Lucas County from conception to implementation. We will provide definitions of victim, survivor, and thriver, and why it’s necessary to finish the support needed by creating economic empowerment for those that have been victims of sex trafficking. Members of the panel will discuss each component of the project toward creating successful thrivers.
Read MoreAs an African American woman, raised in a low income and crime ridden environment, LaShanna Alfred has endured many hardships. LaShanna was an only child raised by her grandmother and surrounded by unscrupulous men. At the age of 2 her mother was murdered. Four years later, her father’s life was also taken by murder. She grew up in a family that would cover for her and excuse whatever behavior she offered to the world. She witnessed family members exploiting women through prostitution and abuse with little compassion, except for monetary gain. This led to an unhealthy self-image and a distorted view of women’s value in the world. Without positive role models in my formative years, LaShanna became a student of my environment, learning the lessons of survival. Finally incarcerated for trafficking drugs in a 3rd world country, pregnant and hopeless, she adopted new lessons to change her life. Now 13 years later, LaShanna has a master’s degree, published two books, is a Clinical Director of a program, teaches at a university, and facilitates women’s empowerment groups. She has learned the art of self-empowerment to break free from the cycle of internalized oppression. This talk will focus on those life lessons that are universal for any woman wanting to break free from her oppression and understand her value, fulfill their God given destiny, and self-actualize. All will learn to live by choice, and not circumstance.
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