The arts have the potential to be used in various social work contexts: drawings can help individuals open up and engage with the therapist; photographs can facilitate discussion in group work practice; and images can help advocate for various client groups. This presentation will provide an overview of the use of art with social work clients and focus on the use of the arts in healing and catharsis.

One of the presenters is an art therapist who works with mental health consumers/client-artists in Toledo. She has expertise in the use of various visual art mediums in her therapy sessions. This presenter has worked extensively with clients living with serious mental illness such as: Major Depressive disorder, Bipolar disorder, Schizoaffective disorder, Schizophrenia, and Post Traumatic Stress disorder. Many of her clients additionally grapple with substance abuse, trauma, homelessness, and poverty. The art therapist will demonstrate how her techniques have helped client-artists feel hopeful about the future and provide a platform for healing. The other presenter is a self-taught (or “nature-inspired”) artist who has no formal training in the arts. He uses pen-and-ink, acrylics, charcoal, pastels and cameras to explore issues of social and economic justice.

Presentation Objectives:

·         To understand the power of the arts in combating global social justice issues

·         To demonstrate the use of the arts to facilitate catharsis and promote healing

·         To explore the use of images in client advocacy

To generate ideas for using various art forms to engage with diverse clients

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The presenter’s testimony begins at the age of 13 yrs old when she became the object of attention of a group of men that worshiped the devil. It spans over 13 years of drug addiction and abuse. The story continues after almost 20 years of proper recovery and involves a hard spiritual walk through where God has taken me. The presenter advocates for having the proper care for women after they have been rescued and is actively trying to bring this level of care to Middletown, OH. Although the presenter shares her story, the aim of this presentation is to emphasize the importance of appropriate aftercare.

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This basic overview of human trafficking is most appropriate for those new to the field. Presenters will focus on both labor and sex trafficking in the United State. Topics will include the definition of human trafficking, how traffickers recruit, indicators for victim identification, and where and how to report suspected trafficking.

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When working with Asian-Born victims of Human Trafficking, no matter whether it is labor or sex trafficking, the concept of “one size fits all” does not apply to them.  The trauma-informed care model requires integrating cultural, historical and gender issues.  The case planning would require an understanding of their needs, gaining their trust, and empowering them with their own voices and choices.

 

The presenter will share the toolkit built by her agency and discuss what they have learned, the challenges they face and will continue to face, and what they would like to accomplish by applying this model.  Ms. Chen will also demonstrate why “one size does not fit all” to illustrate the importance of having a culturally appropriated case management plan when working with Asian-Born victims.  

 

Human Trafficking is a heinous crime, and it exists everywhere in this country as well as in the world; there are no certain patterns, types, or groups.  Often there is a cross section between labor and sex trafficking, so it makes it even more difficult to build a particular model.  However, this does not stop us working to save the women, the victims and their families. Ms. Chen will talk about the importance of partnerships and demonstrate how it worked for her agency and the lessons they learned for all agencies involved.

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Mainstream social work education takes pride in a radical past, but rarely links this past to current day social work practice in a critical way. This paper will look at social work’s focus on becoming a legitimate profession in answer to Abraham Flexner’s claim that social work was not a profession in the early 1900s. The following social work concerns will be investigated through a cultural history lens: settlement house systems, abortion, xenophobia, and discrimination directed toward the disability community. Looking back at these social justice concerns over time is helpful in giving much needed historic context to macro social work practice today. Panel participants found it helpful to look at the strengths and the challenges of social work practice over time as a way to thoughtfully approach social justice action today. Historical context helps social work remember that the struggle for freedom is an ongoing one.

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Firsthand account of what it's like to be a victim of labor trafficking in the U.S. along with the challenges to survival, getting help and becoming a "survivor". This presentation helps the audience to understand the gaps in identification and getting connected with the people who can help. Audience members will also be exposed to the continual cultural barriers which prevent victims from seeking help or be able to reach out, as well as the many ways in which culture can be used to exploit an entire family. This presentation will highlight the assumption of becoming a survivor, but what that true experience can be like from the insiders’ perspective. Becoming a survivor can be a life long journey, learning to live with the past and not simply try to move beyond presents a new challenge almost every day.

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Today we live in a society where human trafficking is a hot button issue. Various disciplines, levels of government, institutions and organizations are all involved in the pursuit of social justice for this population yet none of them realize an understanding of the dynamics and best strategies for addressing this social problem were laid out over a century ago. The purpose of this presentation is to change that.

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The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the role of the media and how it influences people’s mindset and how we respond to events. Danielle will do this by explaining victimhood (good victim vs. bad victim) and how these terms are influenced by the media and people’s perception. Throughout this presentation she will be referencing media framing-- which is the action of shaping or directing one’s thoughts, actions, powers, etc towards a certain cause or purpose. To be clear framing is the study of communication in which the source selects some facets of events, problem, or issue and make connections among them as to promote a particular interpretation.

This is absolutely the case when it comes to a good rape victim versus a bad rape victim. The media highlights a good rape victim as a woman raped by a stranger in a dark alley. Reality tells us that the majority of rapes happen by acquaintances “people we know”. However, it is the victims of those rapes that are identified as the bad victim due to media’s portrayal of what a good rape is. The media currently focus more on the rape victim and their behavior than that of the offender. The media must change its coverage of highlighting the victim to highlighting the wrong action of the offender to help bring justice to the survivors. Purpose of this session is to highlight media framing, explain the truths about RAPE, and to possibly address a solution moving forward.

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Individuals exposed to distressing events through work with traumatized children and adults consistently report symptoms of secondary trauma and PTSD. Even with training, professionals working in human trafficking experience acute symptoms at rates of over 85%. For organizations using volunteers, this information is profound and demonstrates the need for formal training for both professional and non-professional staff. Many of us who witness these tragedies know that it is easy to become overwhelmed by the enormity of the problem and can also become so focused on the work that we forget to look after our own emotional needs. This training discusses the newest research in unconscious empathy, somatic countertransference, sleep disturbance, and preventing and/or managing compassion fatigue. We will discuss the best means to train individuals who work with human trafficking by giving them the language to combat compassion fatigue as well as prepare for what they may see, experience, and feel. Research has shown that relatively simple things can impact one’s ability to cope with the impact of secondary trauma. Objectives for this training are to 1) identify signs that someone is experiencing the symptoms of vicarious trauma or PTSD, 2) understand the conscious and unconscious origins of secondary trauma, 3) learn ways to prevent or combat compassion fatigue and somatic symptoms and 4) discover elements that can be added to your existing training programs to assist in understanding complex emotional reactions. Preparation and training with an eye toward emotional readiness allows our programs and our missions to keep thriving.

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This workshop will focus on the historical perspective of human trafficking and prostitution in India, a legacy of the British Empire since the ingress of the East India Company in 1612 till 1947. Participants will be enlightened with British plans of dominating India by making Indian culture seem inferior, and actions initiated by the Government of India and active NGOs to update the laws for controlling human trafficking and prostitution.  This presentation will discuss how police are being trained to combat the tactics of the traffickers and pimps and training and empowering the victims to escape from their clutches.

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In this presentation attendees will learn the basics of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer folk. There will be discussion of each letter within the LGBTQ acronym and how these identities can influence one’s life. A short LGBTQ history will be given at the beginning to better understand historical and modern oppression faced by LGBTQ folk.
 

Transgender issues, including non-binary spectrum identities, will be presented at length. These issues include: suicide rates, murder rates, and how to better accommodate trans people.
Same-gender relationship dynamics will also be a topic of discussion during the presentation. This includes the same-gender relationship power wheel and intervention tips for unhealthy and/or abusive relationships. The goal/objective of this LGBTQ 101 is for allies (or those looking to become allies) to become better acclimated to the LGBTQ community as a whole.

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The Governor’s Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force was created in 2012 to help exploited children and adults facing dire circumstances in Ohio. Since its creation, partnerships with task force agencies, federal entities, and grassroots coalitions have yielded tremendous results in combatting trafficking in the state, particularly by building applicable and relevant resources that allow advocates and community leaders to enhance their local response to trafficking. Participants will leave this session with a greater understanding of how to practically utilize, apply and adapt existing tools and resources, all of which are free and readily available through the Task Force. This session will cover the key components that make up a strong and holistic response, and attendees will walk away with tangible and substantive information and tools to support and enrich their agency’s trafficking response.
 

Specifically, participants will walk through sample protocols for coalition building, learn about victim service standards and an online toolkit designed to support effective outreach to victims, review state and federal funding sources, and more. The tools, resources and protocols covered in this session were created in partnership with state, local and federal organizations, and are intended to be adapted by communities throughout Ohio working to address the crime of human trafficking. By attending this session, participants will gain practical, concrete information to support their day-to-day work in responding to trafficking.

Presentation Objectives:

·         To learn what human trafficking looks like in rural communities

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When most organizations plan to offer services pertaining to human trafficking, they most often contemplate a large, dedicated care facility. However, the stationary model may not allow access to the client base due to location, and the incredibly high cost places it out of reach for all but the most well-funded organizations. Over the past year, The Imagine Foundation of Cleveland, Ohio has been developing a unique facility and programming model taken from small, start-up businesses—the pop-up. This temporary and highly mobile model enables a low-cost alternative to high-cost infrastructure by utilizing existing, underused facilities, a professionally trained volunteer base, and a network of partnered organizations.

The Cleveland Pop-up is part of a prevention and recidivism reduction model that aims to implement career services to those involved within human trafficking—both potential perpetrators and victim/survivors in the belief that access to the formal economy through employment can help alleviate some of the contributing factors leading up to exploitation. During the intensive, one-day program, career services are located in close proximity to high-risk areas including hotels/motels, areas known to be conducive to prostitution, and halfway houses or prisons. In the Cleveland area, during the past year, over 200 clients have come to the various pop-up locations seeking career services to leave “the life” and earn employment within the formal economy.

The objective for this presentation is to introduce the advocacy and care community to a new and unique service model that allows providers to operate in a highly localized, mobile and cost effective way.

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Two of the most prominent social justice issues of our time are human trafficking and the oppression of sex/sexuality/gender minorities, yet it is frequently overlooked just how often these two issues converge. Although specific figures are challenging to identify, it is known that every year hundreds of thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/sex, queer, etc. (LGBTQ+) are victimized through human sex trafficking (Martinez & Kelle, 2013). Moreover, research demonstrates that they are at higher risk of being trafficked than their non-LGBTQ+ counterparts (Cochran, Stewart, Ginzler, & Cauce, 2002; Martinez & Kelle, 2013; Tyler, 2008). In addition to a general awareness, what is often missing in the conversation is how and why this population is at particular risk of being sold for sex, along with increasing preventative measures. This presentation will address awareness, prevention, intervention, and social justice of the sex trafficking of LGBTQ+ individuals through a three step process. An overview of the research findings on this segment of the issue will be detailed, bringing the awareness into clear focus. Next, education will be provided on the issues faced by the LGBTQ+ community which puts them at particularly high risk of being manipulated and victimized. Such issues include, but are not limited to, the high rates of un-housed LGBTQ+ youth, and how nationally 60% of them report being sexually victimized (Lillie, 2013). Finally, the presenters will provide specific, concrete tools that can be utilized to combat the trafficking of LGBTQ+ persons. These resources will include direct social justice action steps, and an overview of LGBTQ+-affirmative approaches (AAMFT, 2014; Kort, 2008) These approaches can be utilized by any professional or student across a wide-range of disciplines including law enforcement, criminal justice, social work, and counseling. Through this approach, participants will leave this presentation with the information and resources to address the problem of LGBTQ+ human sex trafficking.

Objectives:
1) Identify and describe the awareness components associated with LGBTQ+ human trafficking.
2) Identify and describe the risk-factors which place LGBTQ+ at higher risk of human trafficking than non-LGBTQ+.
3) Implement measures to prevent the human trafficking of LGBTQ+ through individual and community interventions, and social justice activities.
4) Understand the foundational elements of affirmative approaches in working with LGBTQ+.

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As those who have been victimized and exploited begin to recover and heal from the trauma of having been trafficked, there are a number of supports they can make use of to improve their emotional well-being. Often times, mental health counseling or therapy is appropriate for some individuals while others may require psychotropic medications either alone or in addition to therapy. This presentation will address the role of psychiatric medications in working with and treating human trafficking victims and survivors.

Objectives:
1)  Accurately describe which categories of mental health medications are most appropriate in working with this population;
2) Accurately explain how and why they work;
3) Discuss the side effects and problems the individual needs to be aware of while taking the medications; and
4) Discuss when psychotropic medications are not enough as well as when they are not indicated

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This session will discuss the details of a human trafficking case investigation by the FBI and Toledo Police. This presentation will cover the investigation from start to conviction, going over such things as the sting itself, victim witness issue's, and the trial. The presenters will also show clips from training video used to educate police officers on what to look for when engaging potential victims and/or traffickers. 

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        Approximately 50% of victims of human trafficking in the USA are seen by health care personnel at least once. However, most healthcare personnel fail to recognize the signs of trafficking and do nothing to intervene. Sabella (2011) challenged nurse educators to incorporate awareness of human trafficking into teaching/learning activities in undergraduate and graduate nursing programs.
       Although many student nurses have some awareness of human trafficking, they are uncertain of the role of the nurse when the patient is may also be a victim of human trafficking. To remedy this deficit, clinical simulation could be used to raise awareness of human trafficking and the role of the nurse. Clinical simulation provides a means to supplement clinical experiences and guarantee exposure to clinical situations deemed as critical experiences. As no clinical simulation that integrated a victim of human trafficking as the patient was identified, the presenter developed and implemented such a simulation into the BSN curriculum.
       It is recommended that this simulation be adapted for use in other healthcare academic programs or health care institutions. Participation in this learning activity provides a means to help prepare healthcare personnel to interact with a patient who is also a victim of human trafficking.

Objectives:

1)       Appreciate the importance of integrating information about human trafficking into healthcare education programs;

Understand how a clinical simulation could be used as an educational modality to raise awareness of human trafficking

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When working with human trafficking victims it is important to have an understanding of trauma and the impact it has on a person’s life. It is important to develop the ability to work with people through a trauma and culturally sensitive lens. Join the presenters as they define trauma; explore the different definitions related to trauma; give examples of the impact trauma has in our community; and present information about community resources.
Objectives:
1) Participants will be able to define trauma and how it differs from everyday stress.
2) Participants will have an understanding of the different definitions related to trauma: Complex trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) etc.
3) Participants will have an increased understanding of the magnitude of trauma in the community and across the country and be provided with relevant statistics and data.
4) Participants will be presented with a case example that will highlight all of the learning from the session and give a deeper understanding of the impact of trauma on the person as they walk through the various systems.
5) Participants will be informed of the importance of trauma informed care when working with victims. They will gain knowledge of community resources; learn what questions to ask when seeking trauma specific care; and be able to identify a trauma informed approach and services.

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Human trafficking is an epidemic that has taken the world by storm. In efforts to understand the complex issues surrounding human trafficking, commonalities have been identified. However, relevant differences among international populations must be illuminated for more effective and successful strategic efforts to combat this epidemic can be designed. Cultural and religious aspects affect the degree to which human trafficking has visibility or lack thereof, import and export of victims, law enforcement practices and policy development or lack thereof. Understanding the differences can only increase knowledge and further the movement to end human trafficking. The audience take away will be understanding specific trends that are culturally related in international settings, and what problems they present in ending human trafficking.

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The presentation is based on three analogous studies on child prostitution in Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger. A mixed research method--quantitative and qualitative--was used to collect data from child participants and organization representatives. A convenience sample of individuals involved in prostitution, 261 girls in Benin, 243 girls in Burkina Faso, and 205 children including 192 girls and 13 boys in Niger, participated in the research. These studies established the profile and characteristics of children in prostitution, in West Africa. Recommendations were made to improve the mechanisms of prevention, protection and rehabilitation of children in prostitution. This international research, the first to be conducted on child prostitution in the West African region, provides substantial information on the phenomenon in major cities as well as small ones in the context of the region and documents several important aspects of the living conditions of the target population. Implications for policies, practice and research are discussed. Although not generalizable, the research findings challenge some global concepts on child prostitution. ECPAT France and ECPAT Luxembourg, members of ECPAT International, commissioned the three studies as part of their program PACTES to fight commercial sexual exploitation of children in the West African region.

Objectives:
1) Learn how cultural, social and economic environments shape child prostitution practices in West Africa

2) Gain an understanding of the connection between child prostitution and migration in the region

3) Explore challenges for assistance to children in prostitution in the region.

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