The Human Trafficking Leadership Academy (HTLA) seeks to develop and expand services for individuals impacted by human trafficking. Organized through OTIP’s National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center (NHTTAC), the HTLA is comprised of leaders with lived experienced and allied professionals in the anti-trafficking field. Each class responds to a unique project question and offers diverse views and perspectives for research, policies, and programs that improve awareness, understanding, and assistance for individuals who have experienced trafficking, those at risk of human trafficking, and their families.
HTLA Class 5 was the first national cohort of fellows and represented Indigenous communities. Indigenous communities are disproportionately affected by human trafficking due to various individual, relational, communal, societal, and historical factors. The HTLA Class 5 developed resources for how improved cultural awareness, understanding, and healing can be a protective factor in preventing trafficking among Indigenous youth. The information included promoting programs and resources that invest in cultural healing for all Indigenous people; providing trauma-informed cultural humility training for all child welfare and juvenile justice programs; and expanding data and research to illuminate the need for prevention and intervention of human trafficking among Indigenous youth. Read the full HTLA Class 5 Report .
Following the group HTLA leadership development experience, OTIP funding supported fellows to collaborate with organizations in their communities to implement their recommendations.
Spotlight on HTLA Class 5 Fellow Accomplishments
Anne LaFrinier-Ritchie created a 40-page youth curriculum titled Strong and Resilient: An Indigenous Trafficking Prevention Curriculum. The curriculum has four sessions that focus on (1) building a positive Indigenous identity through positive affirmations and understanding the importance of decolonizing thought patterns; (2) understanding risk and vulnerabilities Indigenous people experience due to colonization and historical trauma and how to positively reframe our views of ourselves; (3) relationship values and how not being able to define or identify unhealthy relationship behaviors may lead to being harmed or exploited; and (4) connecting Indigenous youth with ongoing cultural resources and support within their unique communities. The final session recognizes that some youth may reside in communities that do not have established cultural or traditional resources and stresses that facilitators and programs offering this curriculum should work to create spaces and opportunities for youth to have these connections. Several organizations and community teams across the state identified a desire to implement this curriculum with Indigenous youth in their communities.
Irene Countryman-Roswurm partnered with the Kansas Attorney General’s Office (KSAGO) to improve the Human Trafficking Definition and Identification Tool Revised (HT-DITR), an identification and service implementation tool she developed. The tool was previously implemented by KSAGO’s VOCA-funded victim service providers. The HT-DITR was updated to (1) be more inclusive of all people (e.g., expanding definition and identification codes to increase accessibility to Indigenous, Two-Spirit, LGBTQIA+, and third-gender individuals); (2) specifically assist in the identification of Indigenous people at risk of and/or subjected to human trafficking; and (3) more effectively track the provision of services while maintaining confidentiality. Irene held critical conversations with KSAGO that helped the state make progress on data collection and data sharing. Specifically, the state developed an online data entry system, which tracks the information on the HT-DITR. While the tool is currently only open to KSAGO VOCA-funded providers, they are continuing to pursue ways it can be available to other partners, specifically Indigenous victim service providers. One of the most encouraging outcomes is a shared commitment to making progress on the expansion of Indigenous partnerships and the inclusion of Indigenous providers who are not funded through KSAGO.
Tafilisaunoa Toleafoa and Eddy Falcon worked through Covenant House Alaska to help local municipal governments, nonprofit agencies, and tribal councils create a coalition to share resources and create trainings on cultural humility for staff of youth-serving providers. They were able to build new partnerships and strengthen their relationship with Alaska Native agencies and leaders in the community. Several Alaskan Native organizations have provided training around cultural sensitivity, Alaskan Native governance, and protocols.
Kirby Williams with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services partnered with the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation to develop comprehensive training for Nebraska service providers so they can adequately and appropriately serve Indigenous trafficking survivors, vulnerable Indigenous youth, and tribal communities. The training provides cultural humility training and understanding of tribal culture related to the trafficking of Indigenous peoples, including Indigenous youth. In addition, Kirby reviewed the Human Trafficking Initiative (HTI) Labs’ Providing Avenues for Victim Empowerment (PAVE) tool and provided feedback and recommendations to improve the tool’s ability to identify and adequately serve all adult and youth Indigenous survivors of human trafficking (e.g., Two-Spirit, Third-Gender, LGBTQIA+, girls, boys, Native American, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, American Samoan). These recommendations are currently being reviewed and implemented by HTI Labs prior to launching in Nebraska.