Join our HT-RADAR Linked In Group!

This group is a data-driven space for researchers and practitioners working within anti human trafficking in the United States to share

 articles, reports, conferences, and webinars that can inform best practices, problems, and solutions in the field. HT-RADAR encourages educated conversations where professionals can learn from and influence their day-to-day work.  

Join HT-RADAR Group here 

View group guidelines for etiquette and expectations here

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Hybrid HT-RADAR Quarterly Meeting: June 18th, 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM (PST)

Hybrid HT-RADAR Quarterly Meeting: June 16, 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM (PST) – Strategic Partnership Model for Anti-trafficking Response

Our upcoming meeting will be hosted at our Balboa Avenue campus (at 9055 Balboa Ave, San Diego, CA 92123) and live-streamed for our Zoom audience. Lunch will be provided for our in-person attendees. If you have any questions, please email Luz Aramburo at luzaramburo@pointloma.edu 

Dr. Kathleen Preble will present Assets and Logic: Proposing an Evidenced-based Strategic Partnership Model for Anti-trafficking Response

Since knowledge about human trafficking has increased over the last 20 years, so have our understandings about interventions, survivor empowerment, and attention to intersectional forces that lead to trafficking vulnerability and exiting barriers experienced by survivors. An area lacking in such advancement, however, relates to collaborative community responses (CCRs), which have notably increased evidenced-based, effective responses in other public health and health equity responses. CCRs have been part of US-based anti-trafficking efforts since the passage of the U.S. TVPA, but very little research has examined their effectiveness or how to standardize a unified collaborative effort in multidisciplinary antitrafficking teams around common goals. The proposed model utilizes health equity techniques to map existing community resources that could potentially respond to identified needs. Using logic models, the proposed process allows for interdisciplinary teams to systematically plan a response using the identified assets in their community to achieve a common ultimate goal and improve the response to human trafficking. Research, practice, and policy implications are discussed.

Register for virtual or in-person attendance here

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SD Community Subcommittee of the HT-CSEC Advisory Council Seeks Massage Parlor Outreach Planning Committee Members

Massage/spa, hospitality and a few other sectors are required under SB 1193 to post the Human Trafficking poster containing information for getting help. Community members,  in collaboration with the San Diego City Attorney’s Office, City Abatement Unit are conducting outreach and providing the poster to businesses that may not have a poster displayed. The planning committee, alongside Community Subcommittee members, will review Nonprofit community members’ donation wishlists asking for items for their service recipients (youth and adults). Annual wishlists include an End of Year Giving campaign to provide presents at the holidays; Self-care / Reclaiming our beauty events and providing donated items; attending events or special activities, and the Annual Recognition of Human Trafficking Agents of Change Brunch.

If interested, email SDCommunityInfo@gmail.com

San Diego Board of Supervisors Paves Way for New Supportive

 Housing Complex

If the state approves the application, the County and its partners will build 41 housing units above a new multicultural family counseling center at the intersection of El Cajon Blvd. and 55th St. The complex would include studio units, as well as one- and two-bedroom apartments, and house up to 75 at-risk San Diegans.

Find more details here

CDC Sex Trafficking Research and Surveillance Fellowship

An ORISE fellow is requested to support the Morbidity & Behavioral Surveillance Team and a cross-division workgroup with sex trafficking-related surveillance and research activities. The scope of the sex trafficking problem and opportunities for prevention are not fully understood. An ORISE Fellow is requested to assist with multiple projects that would allow DVP to better understand the scope of the problem, its associated risk and protective factors, and to identify a public health approach to the problem. 

The deadline to apply is June 6, 2022. 

Find application here

Apply to be an OVC Peer Reviewer

OVC is seeking reviewers from diverse backgrounds and regions to assess grant applications. Reviewers should have relevant experience in the field of victim assistance; experience in providing culturally relevant victim services, services for multicultural communities, and non-traditional victim services; or lived experience expertise. 

Find more information here

Increased Reports of Human Trafficking from Child Welfare Systems Indicate Progress and Point to Prevention

Every year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) assists thousands of children who have experienced human trafficking. OTIP child protection specialists review requests for assistance on behalf of children who have experienced forced labor, commercial sexual exploitation, and debt bondage. Sometimes the traffickers are involved in criminal organizations; more commonly, the trafficker is a family member or someone else the child knows. OTIP funds the National Human Trafficking Hotline, which identified more than 2,600 cases referencing one or more child trafficking victims in 2020. Other OTIP grant recipients provide comprehensive case management services to hundreds of survivors of child trafficking each year. 

Find more details here

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Department of Justice Launches Law Enforcement Knowledge Lab

The Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Law Enforcement Knowledge Lab, a free training, technical assistance and resource hub for law enforcement, designed to promote constitutional policing, improve public safety and build trust in communities across the country. Agencies will be able to turn to the Knowledge Lab for free, voluntary resources, including research summaries, profiles of best practices, training curricula and a roster of constitutional policing experts to support their needs.

Access Knowledge Lab here

Find press release here

Understanding and Characterizing Labor Trafficking Among U.S. Citizen Victims – National Institute of Justice

Research on U.S. citizen victims of labor trafficking has been scarce. Although studies have mainly focused on undocumented immigrant labor trafficking, the labor trafficking of U.S. citizens certainly occurs, and certain groups are thought to be at higher risk. People of lower socio-economic backgrounds and levels of education, those with cognitive disabilities, youths who have run away, and those who suffer from drug addiction and homelessness are believed to be particularly vulnerable to this type of exploitation. Researchers proposed a number of recommendations to address the problem of labor trafficking of U.S. citizens.

Find article here

Why Sex Buyers Must Be Stopped and How to Do It – National Center on Sexual Exploitation

Gender-based violence is endemic and decried by social movements and human rights organizations, so it makes sense that sex buyers and the gender-based harm they inflict must be stopped. This document highlights several recommendations aimed at achieving this vision. Recommendations A–G derive from the 2018 report Who Buys Sex? Understanding and Disrupting Illicit Market Demand by Demand Abolition.

Find recommendations here

Heyrick Research Monthly Deep Dives on Specific Aspects of Illicit Massage Industry Networks

Heyrick Research will gather deeper insights into the IMI, their analyst will be convening a series of monthly 90-minute roundtables with law enforcement officers (Ret. officers welcome too) and prosecutors with IMI case experience. The goal is to sharpen understanding of key players and activities, with the intent 

to operationalize the information. Topics will include enablers and illicit finance. 

To participate, email nicole@heyrickresearch.org

Research on the Sexual Exploitation of Boys: Findings, ethical considerations and methodological challenges – UNICEF

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) guarantees that children have the right to live free from all types of violence. The sexual exploitation of children is a grave violation of children’s rights with devastating long-term consequences. Most research centres on girls, neglecting the needs, experiences and perspectives of boys as well as youth who identify outside the gender binary. Expanding the scope of this research is a critical step in ensuring that all children’s rights can be protected. To strengthen the existing evidence base, this literature review examines: (1) the magnitude, causes, risk factors and consequences of the sexual exploitation of boys and (2) ethical and methodological challenges that pervade research on this topic. Eligible studies included quantitative and qualitative research published in English from 1999 to March 2020.

Access publication here

Department of Health and Human Services – Peer Support as a Social Capital Strategy for Programs Serving Individuals Reentering from Incarceration and Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence or Human Sex Trafficking

Report funded by Department of Health and Human Services. Many human services programs recognize the power of “social capital,” or the value that arises from relationships. This report offers insight into how programs use peer support to help build social capital with participants who are reentering the community after incarceration or are survivors of intimate partner violence or sex trafficking. Three overarching themes on the use of peer support in these settings that are described in the report are: Considering and responding to trauma to advance healing; Valuing the cultural context of program participants; and Respecting the role of peer support providers.

Access report here

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Webinars

HT-RADAR now offers information about webinars focused on anti-trafficking work and anti-trafficking research. As many of us are working remotely, here are some resources for additional educational opportunities:

HT-RADAR offers information about webinars focused on anti-trafficking work and anti-trafficking research. As the workplace continues to shift, we will continue to offer resources for online educational opportunities, as well as in-person events.

Labor Trafficking Service Delivery: Financial Literacy

• Date: May 26, 2022 11:00 am (PST)
• Hosted by: Framework – Tools to Combat Trafficking
• Description: There are many financial goals that survivors of labor trafficking have, such as how to improve/understand credit scores, build savings, acquire assets, and support a sustainable lifestyle for themselves and family. This webinar will help providers understand the post-trafficking financial planning needs of survivors and how to reframe the field’s current approach to financial literacy to one that is more strategic, collaborative, and addresses systematic barriers to the economic wellbeing of survivors of labor trafficking.

Initial Response Strategies and Tactics When Responding to Missing Children Incidents

• Date: May 26, 2022, 6:00 am (PST)
• Hosted by: National Criminal Justice Training Center
• Description: During this training, first responders will gain knowledge of the investigative activities that occur during an endangered missing or child abduction investigation, and how their actions influence the short- and long-term response of law enforcement. Learn the impact the missing and/or abducted child incident has on the family and how this can impact your response. Examine the critical and necessary first steps for first responders and gain best practices and strategies for search and canvass implementation. Deadline to Register is May 12.

Mental Health Awareness Month TIJF Webinar Hope & Optimism: The Wonder Twins

• Date: May 26, 2022, 10:00 am (PST)
• Hosted by: The Innocent Justice Foundation
• Description: Is your glass still half full? As we are coming up on a full year of a global pandemic, multiple natural disasters, political unrest, and social strain, it seems harder and harder to be optimistic and hopeful. This interactive presentation will help you understand what optimism is, how to cultivate it and use it to your advantage. You will learn how important optimism is to your mental health and well-being and what you can do to increase your own optimism even under these difficult circumstances. We will conclude with the strong connection between optimism, hope, and resilience and how you can keep your glass full even in the face of it all!

Investigative Strategies for Child Abduction Cases

• Date: May 17, 2022 – May 18, 2022 
• Hosted by: National Criminal Justice Training Center
• Description: Understand, recognize, and investigate cases involving missing and abducted children. Determine scope and scale issues and how to manage a missing or abducted child case. Explore crime scene evidence collection and processing, profiling suspects and legal issues, including search warrants and interrogation related to a missing or abducted child.

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC 101)

• Date: May 24, 2022, 9:00 am PST
• Hosted by: Kristi House
• Description: This 3-hour workshop provides a basic overview of commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), the extent of the problem, and the impact this type of trauma has on children. It will also include tips for identifying and engaging victims and a discussion of services victims need for healing and reintegration into mainstream society. 

SOAR to Health and Wellness Training

• Date: June 8, 2022 10:00 am (PST)
• Hosted by: Office on Trafficking in Persons
• Description: This live SOAR to Health and Wellness training is jointly provided by the Postgraduate Institute for Medicine and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The training is funded by the HHS Office on Trafficking in Persons through the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center. The SOAR trainings are developed in collaboration with subject matter experts in the field, including individuals with lived experience, and partner organizations.

Initial Response Strategies and Tactics When Responding to Missing Children Incidents

• Date: June 8, 2022, 8:00 am (PST) 
• Hosted by: National Criminal Justice Training Center
• Description: During this training, first responders will gain knowledge of the investigative activities that occur during an endangered missing or child abduction investigation, and how their actions influence the short- and long-term response of law enforcement. Learn the impact the missing and/or abducted child incident has on the family and how this can impact your response. Examine the critical and necessary first steps for first responders and gain best practices and strategies for search and canvass implementation.

The Importance of Optimism and Purpose

• Date:  June 8, 2022, 11:00 am (PST)
• Hosted by: National Training and Technical Assistance Center
• Description: Law enforcement, prosecutors, and other professionals involved in investigating and prosecuting technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation face the occupational challenge of secondary trauma and stress due to their frequent contact with victims. This webinar will focus on optimism and purpose and how they affect the health and wellness of Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) teams and their affiliates to enhance the effectiveness of those professionals in their work. Tools and resources for building optimism and purpose within ICAC teams will be explored. 

Building Relationships between Law Enforcement and Youth: Innovative Policies and Practices

• Date: June 9 – 10 2022
• Hosted by: National District Attorneys Association Juvenile Justice
• Description: What makes offending by youth different than offending by adults? How can jurisdictions build better relationships between youth and law enforcement in the community? What is the role of the juvenile court prosecutor and how they can balance educating stakeholders, collaborating with juvenile justice partners, diverting minor cases, and prosecuting serious and violent cases in juvenile court? 

Following the Evidence in Child Abuse and Child Exploitation Cases

• Date: June 28, 2022 – June 29, 2022
• Hosted by: National Criminal Justice Training Center
• Description: This virtual training will explore the importance of case coordination and evidence corroboration by multidisciplinary teams when investigating cases of child abuse. Attendees will learn the roles and responsibilities of multidisciplinary team members; how to evaluate evidentiary findings through crime scene images, interviews, and case studies; and how technology is used to groom and manipulate child victims.

Sleep and Well-Being

• Date: July 6, 2022, 11:00 am (PST)
• Hosted by: National Training and Technical Assistance Center 
• Description: Law enforcement, prosecutors, and other professionals involved in investigating and prosecuting technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation face the occupational challenge of secondary trauma and stress due to their frequent contact with victims. This webinar will focus on sleep and well-being and how they affect the health and wellness of (Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force) ICAC teams and their affiliates to enhance the effectiveness of those professionals in their work. We will discuss the stages of sleep, the consequences of good sleep versus sleep deprivation, and conclude with steps to increase the quality of your own sleep. In high-stress careers such as law enforcement, first responders, and affiliated agencies, better sleep can improve quality of life and performance as we all work toward the goal of saving children from harm.

Child Abuse: From Suspicion to Disclosure

• Date: July 14, 2022, 8:00 am (PST)
• Hosted by: National Criminal Justice Training Center
• Description: Learn the best approach with children who are alleged victims of child abuse in the initial phases of a case, after a concern has been identified. Develop the skills and techniques necessary to engage a child in such a way as to minimize suggestibility but still provide support, beyond what is taught in a First Responder Training. Review best practices in the identification of concern and learn to engage these children in a way that maximizes positive case outcomes and minimizes potential behaviors that can hurt cases.

Multidisciplinary Team Response to Child Sex Trafficking

• Date: August 1 – 4, 2022
• Hosted by: Framework 
• Description: This virtual training will focus on improving multidisciplinary team responses in child sex trafficking cases. Topics will include differentiating between traditional cases of child abuse and child sex trafficking cases and recognizing and locating youth at risk for victimization. Attendees must be part of a multidisciplinary team and all team members must attend together. 

Webinars are regularly updated here. 

Conferences

Questions?  Or, know of conferences that you’d like to share with the HT-RADAR network? Contact us!

Funding Opportunities

Find Funding Opportunities Here

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