NSF Domestic Sex Trafficking Networks November 2021

Authors: G.M. Etzel; L. Giddens; S. Petter

“This report summarizes the primary findings of the second of two meetings of an interdisciplinary research team convened to examine how sex trafficking networks within the US utilize information technology and how the criminal justice system can leverage information technology to detect, disrupt, and dismantle these networks. While the purpose of Workshop I was to garner a better understanding of the nature of sex trafficking, the purpose of Workshop II was to develop a variety of academic research and intervention project ideas….Participants met in Dallas Texas on November 11 and 12, 2021, to engage in small group and plenary brainstorming sessions to generate innovative research designs and interdiction solutions to address the problem of sex trafficking in the US. After a brief explanation of the purpose of the grant, common terms, and workshop methodology, this report highlights three essential themes uniting the ideas of the research team: prevention and protection, efficacy, and systemic weaknesses. The report also assesses the role of technology in attacking sex trafficking operations.” Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the investigators and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. 

NSF Domestic Sex Trafficking Networks June 2021

Authors: G.M. Etzel; S. Petter; L. Giddens

“This report summarizes the primary findings of the first of two meetings of a multidisciplinary research team convened to examine how sex trafficking networks within the US utilize information technology and how the criminal justice system can leverage information technology to detect, disrupt, and dismantle these networks….Participants met in St. Louis, Missouri on June 24 and 25, 2021…to identify how technology is used in domestic sex trafficking networks for the development of law enforcement interdiction….After a brief explanation of the purpose of the grant, common terms, and workshop goals, this report highlights six key findings of small and large group discussions: defining success; understanding networks; debating supply and demand; communicating law enforcement practitioner obstacles; increasing public awareness; and leveraging corporate-social responsibility.” Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the investigators and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. 

Core Competencies for Human Trafficking Response in Health Care and Behavioral Health Systems

Authors: C. Batley; A. Garrett; J. Greenbaum; E. Hopper; L. Murphy;  J. Peck; E. Pfenning, R. Robitz, H. Stoklosa

“The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) and the SOAR Coordinating Group, HEAL Trafficking (HEAL), the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP), and the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC) collaborated to develop core competencies for health care and behavioral health practitioners (HCPs) in human trafficking identification, response, and service provision that is grounded in a public health approach.”

Evaluation of the Enhanced Collaborative Model to Combat Human Trafficking, Technical Report

Authors: W. Adams, J. Hussemann, E. McCoy, P. Thompson, R. Taylor, K. White, S. Esthappan

“The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact that federally funded ECM task forces are having on addressing human trafficking, including sex and labor trafficking. Specifically, this research sought to (1) understand the impact of the ECM task forces in identifying and assisting human trafficking survivors and investigating and prosecuting human trafficking, and (2) analyze differences in various task force implementation models (e.g., structure, organization, and other key characteristics) to understand which task force models and features contribute most to the prosecution of cases. In addition, this research sought to gain insight into the investigative, prosecutorial, and victim service practices among ECM task forces, challenges and barriers faced by ECM tasks forces in combatting human trafficking, and best practices for successfully developing and implementing ECM task forces across the U.S.” (p. 2).

Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force Report to the Texas Legislature (Dec 2020)

Author: Office of the Attorney General

“Pursuant to Texas Government Code § 402.035(g), the Task Force is required to submit a report to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and the Legislature on Task Force activities, findings, and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, by December 1st of every even-numbered year. This report serves as a compendium of information regarding the ongoing anti-trafficking efforts across the state. Providing a historical record of past Task Force activities and deliverables, this report fulfills the Task Force’s statutory reporting requirements. The information in this report represents not only the work of Task Force members, but also anti-trafficking partners across the state” (pp. 5-6).

Dismantling the Business of Human Trafficking: Analysis of Six U.S. Cases

Author: Human Rights First

“Human Rights First closely examines six cases of human trafficking from the moment of victim recruitment to the moment of trafficker apprehension, in order to illustrate each step in the trafficking process and each of the actors who played a role in these cases. We also describe the key methods and strategies employed by traffickers, and the key areas of risk to traffickers, including opportunities for third-party intervention” (p. 2).

Human Traffficking on Temporary Work Visas: A Data Analysis 2015-2017

Author: Polaris

“In this report, Polaris details how human traffickers are using workers under H-2A, H-2B and other popular temporary work visas as their personal ATM machines and along the way, making legitimate businesses, consumers and the U.S. government complicit in the $150 billion business of global human trafficking.” (p. 4).