Summer 2021Newsletter
HT-RADAR Conference
2021 HT-RADAR Annual Research Conference
A Collaboration of Point Loma Nazarene University
and the County of San Diego
- Community Solutions
- 2019 Homelessness Study Presented by Lianne Urada
- Role of Transportation in Combating HT in CA presented by Kezban Yagci Sokat
- Providing AI-based solutions to track and report human trafficking presented by Erum Afzal and Akhtar Baloch
- Labor Trafficking/Migrants presented by Meredith Dank
- Health
- Rapid Appraisal for Trafficking (RAFT) presented by Makini Chisolm-Straker,
- Compassionate Care for Sex Trafficking Survivors presented by Arduizur Carlie Richie-Zavaleta
- Survivors Voices in Case Management presented by Shireen Rajaram
- Evaluation of Dignity Health Survivor Advocate Pilot Project presented by Susie Baldwin
- Youth
- Prevalence and Correlates of Sex Trafficking Among Homeless and Runaway Youths Presenting for Shelter Services presented by Johanna Greeson and Sarah Wasch
- A Survivor-Derived Approach to Addressing Trafficking in the Pediatric ED presented by Carmelle Wallace
- Child Labor Trafficking in the United States presented by Katherine Kaufka Walts
- LGBTQ+ homeless youth vulnerabilities presented by Kimberly Hogan
- Law Enforcement/Public Policy
- Service utilization and defining resiliency among justice-involved girls presented by Mekeila Cook
- Combatting Labor Trafficking: A New Framework presented by Erin Albright
- Trick Roll Study: Forced Criminality in Sex Trafficking Situations presented by Dominique Roe-Sepowitz and Elynne Greene
- Arrests of minors in child labor trafficking circumstances presented by Bandak Lul
Researcher Spotlight
Dr. Hanni Stoklosa HT-RADAR Spotlight Interview
Attending Physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, CEO and co-founder of HEAL trafficking, assistant professor of Emergency medicine at Harvard Medical School, and much more. Dr. Hanni Stoklosa is a brilliant leader in the field of anti-trafficking. Her dedication to serving others through her work is clear.
Dr. Stoklosa was raised with a heart for service. She recalled, “very early on it was instilled in me that my life was not for myself, my purpose for living is to serve others.” As Dr. Stoklosa found herself asking the question “What does the world need from me?”, she felt that becoming a doctor would be the most impactful way to use her energy and skills both in the world and for the world. While her early work focused on gender based violence and intimate partner violence, she moved into the anti-trafficking field after data was coming out that the majority of trafficked people access healthcare.
As Dr. Stoklosa began her journey into understanding human trafficking and its intersection to heathcare, she began to look into what other researchers, advocates, and professionals were already doing in the field. It was then that she met the core founding team for HEAL trafficking. HEAL’s co-founding team was made up of the “amazing champions and advocates for healthcare across the globe” that she connected with at the beginning of her journey into the field of anti-trafficking.
As Dr. Stoklosa described, when HEAL trafficking began, it focused on shifting the gaze of the human trafficking movement towards public health solutions. Part of that work involved building up the critical thinking skills and research literacy of the people and organizations in the anti-trafficking movement.
Today HEAL Trafficking leads innovative health solutions to eradicate human trafficking in communities worldwide. HEAL is the go-to human trafficking resource for health care.
With conviction, Dr. Stoklosa believes that “we can have a world healed of trafficking someday.” She believes there is a path towards reconciliation and justice, if “we really listen to one another.” Dr. Stoklosa finds hope wherever these “courageous conversations” are taking place.
Research Highlights
From Victimization to Restoration: Multi-Disciplinary Collaborative Approaches to Care and Support Victims and Survivors of Human Trafficking
In 2000, the United States (U.S.) enacted the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, a law that defined Human Trafficking (HT). Between 2000 and 2019, every state has enacted laws criminalizing HT. In 2015, the U.S. government encouraged health-care providers to gain awareness of this issue and utilize identification protocols to screen and assist HT patient-victims. Although HT became part of the health-care discourse, few states have enacted laws requiring training for health-care providers or protocols for the identification of patient-victims. Thus, HT victims continue to go unidentified or under-screened in medical settings. The health outcomes of HT victims continue to be negatively impacted long after being trafficked; hence, intervention is crucial and requires a multi-disciplinary response. This analysis proposes the collaboration of medicine, public health, law, and human rights fields as an optimal model. It also provides the historical progression of federal and state human-trafficking laws and recommendations to ensure the protection of human rights of HT victims. Key recommendations include: (a) mandating continuous training of health-care providers for the identification of HT patient-victims, (b) mirroring federal laws at the state level to ensure the protection of HT victims’ human rights, and (c) collaboration across noted fields.
Recommendations for Educating Youth about Sex Trafficking
The need to educate youth on sex trafficking in the United States has received considerable attention; however, limited research is available to guide development of educational programming for youth. Perspectives from 32 experts in fields connected to sex trafficking and violence prevention were obtained through focus groups and interviews. Questions focused on goals/purposes of educating youth about sex trafficking, content to include in a school-based sex trafficking curriculum for middle and high school students, methods to deliver such a curriculum, and challenges to implementing a sex trafficking curriculum in schools and associated strategies. Experts recommended content on healthy and unhealthy relationships, general information about sex trafficking, factors related to sex trafficking, and identification of safe people and needed resources. Program delivery recommendations focused on delivery approach, format, facilitation, manualization, and integration throughout the school’s curriculum. Lastly, experts noted implementation challenges and associated strategies relating to time and space in school curriculum, parents’ discomfort with educating their children about sex trafficking, and buy-in from school administrators. Results build on existing literature by providing greater depth and context on educating youth about sex trafficking. Empowering youth with information and resources regarding sex trafficking is important for promoting just, peaceful, and inclusive societies.
Exploring the Nature of Anti-trafficking Laws: A Content Analysis of State Statutes
Caralin Branscum, Calli M. Cain & Seth Wyatt Fallik
ABSTRACT
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 set the tone for anti-trafficking legislation nationwide. Though all states criminalized human trafficking by 2013, policy adoption has not been widespread. This matters because criminal justice actors are constrained in their ability to respond to human trafficking when policies are limited. Furthermore, variation among state laws may displace crime and inhibit interagency coordination. The extent that states have adopted anti-trafficking legislation has not been examined. The current study analyzes 982 state anti-trafficking statutes nationwide through a content analysis (M= 19.64). Three themes were identified from state legislative approaches: 1. conceptualizing human trafficking, 2. offense severity and penalties, and 3. accountability for other parties. Overall, the nation’s anti-trafficking laws are best characterized as a patchwork of statutes. While several states made great strides to further existing legislative recommendations with innovative laws, implementation was inconsistent state-by-state. Implications for future research and legal reform are discussed.