Raising Awareness about Human Trafficking: A University Partnership

Overview: Human trafficking is a global issue impacting individuals from all walks of life. Consequences to victims are tragic and often life-long. Educating social work students about human trafficking which violates many basic human rights is critical. This session will share a recently developed three-part training series for social work students.Proposal text: Human trafficking is “a crime that involves compelling or coercing a person to provide labor or services, or to engage in commercial sex acts”, although commercial exploitation of a minor is always considered sex trafficking (U.S. Department of Justice, n.d.). Prevalence estimates, though flawed, do provide context to understanding its reach.

A 2017 report by the International Labour Organization estimated there were over 40 million victims worldwide. Of those, 25 million were either being exploited in forced labor or commercial sex. Another 15 million were entrapped in forced marriage; of those in forced marriages, 37% were children. Based on statistics from the National Human Trafficking Hotline from 2019, in the U.S. there were over 48,000 contacts made to the hotline, with 11,500 cases of human trafficking reported (Polaris, n.d.).

Many human trafficking victims suffer physical health consequences including physical violence, sexually transmitted infections, reproductive difficulties, cardiovascular problems, malnourishment and chronic back conditions. Some mental health sequelae include depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, self-harm, and difficulty maintaining healthy boundaries (Lederer & Wetzel, 2014; U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (n.d.).

Human trafficking and violations of human rights are inextricably linked, making this topic consistent with the conference theme of “Human Rights Are Global Rights”. According to the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking (2021), “human rights violations occur at different stages of the trafficking cycle, including unassailable rights such as: the right to life, liberty, and security; the right to freedom of movement; and the right not to be subjected to torture and/or cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment or punishment”.

Human trafficking victims often do not realize they are being trafficked, yet the frequently seek or receive services from organizations in which social workers practice including health care, the child welfare system, the criminal justice system, mental health agencies, and runaway and homeless shelters. Because of this, it is imperative that social workers understand the issue and the complexities of the working victims and survivors.

While some social work programs may offer content in courses on human trafficking or even offer a course on the issue, additional education on human trafficking is warranted for them. Lee et. al. (2021) found a significant increase in knowledge and attitudes about human trafficking after training healthcare students, so offering additional training on the issue to social work students before they begin internships or enter professional practice is beneficial.

This session will describe a partnership between social work student leaders, student organization advisors, social work faculty, and strategic university partners to increase awareness about human trafficking among students across three program locations through a series of education events held during Spring 2022. The training series included a screening of the documentary “Sold in America” (Newsy, 2018), a human trafficking “101” training for students, and a panel discussion with invited community experts as the speakers.