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The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 established the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking (“the Council”) as a formal platform for individuals with lived experience to provide advice and recommendations to the Senior Policy Operating Group and the President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking (PITF). As a member of these coordinating bodies, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) implements the Council’s agency-specific recommendations and those for PITF agencies at large. This Information Memorandum summarizes the Council’s past recommendations and overviews implementation efforts by the HHS Administration for Children and Families (ACF). The status of each recommendation relating to ACF is available in the Appendix.

The Toolkit for Building Survivor-Informed Organizations is a collection of new and existing resources that builds organizational capacity to meaningfully collaborate with and support staff, volunteers, and consultants with lived experience in human trafficking. The toolkit is a resource for anti-trafficking organizations, coalitions, task forces, volunteer programs, and other community and faith-based organizations that want to improve collaboration with those impacted by human trafficking. This toolkit provides guidance, tools, and resources that support professionally engaging people with lived experience when developing, delivering, and evaluating programs and policies. The 2023 update to this previously published toolkit includes three new chapters with recommendations and resources on (1) survivor leadership engagement; (2) diversity, equity, and inclusion; and (3) wellness.

Survivor-Informed Toolkit  (PDF)

 

The Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) Annual Report highlights fiscal year 2021 accomplishments. The report is structured in two main sections outlining OTIP's efforts to prevent and protect individuals who have experienced human trafficking, including providing access to crucial benefits and services, delivering training and technical assistance to build the capacity of frontline professionals to address human trafficking concerns in their workplace, investing in public awareness and outreach initiatives to increase awareness, and collaborating with diverse partners to strengthen an integrated response to human trafficking, among others. The report notes how OTIP remained flexible, adaptive, and responsive to challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, which exacerbated many underlying social and economic conditions that put individuals at risk for human trafficking. Data is integrated throughout the report to demonstrate how OTIP and grant recipients found creative ways to respond to increased needs. 

Trafficking is usually not an individual’s first experience with trauma. This fact sheet describes adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, and their relationship to human trafficking.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)  (PDF)

Individuals who have increased risk factors for trafficking or have experienced trafficking are often not recognized for various reasons. This fact sheet describes individual- and provider-related barriers to identification.

Barriers That Prevent Identification  (PDF)

When first speaking with an individual about potential trafficking, it is important to begin with broad inquiry, using universal education and/or a screening tool. This fact sheet describes considerations for when to use each approach.

Screening and Universal Education: Choosing Your Approach  (PDF)

Universal education and screening are two different ways to identify the needs of someone who may have increased risk factors for trafficking or be experiencing trafficking. This fact sheet provides examples of evidence-based tools that are available for each approach and tips for fostering rapport and safety. 

Different Approaches to the Conversation: Universal Education and Screening Tools  (PDF)

Ethical Considerations

November 11, 2022

When working with individuals who have experienced trafficking, decision-making regarding reporting, service provision, safety planning, and other processes may involve ethical dilemmas. This fact sheet describes the ethical principles and the ethics of working with sensitive information.

Ethical Considerations  (PDF)

A vital component of responding to trafficking is looking beyond your own organization to collaborate across sectors. This fact sheet includes examples of potential community partners and how each partner can support a response to trafficking.

Multidisciplinary Treatment and Referral Team  (PDF)

Protocol Components

November 11, 2022

This fact sheet describes the components of developing and implementing a trafficking protocol, which should include staff training and supports, screening and care coordination procedures, mandatory reporting, multidisciplinary response, follow-up or follow-through procedures, and continuous quality improvement.

Fact Sheet: Protocol Components  (PDF)