Human Trafficking
Local government staff are in homes, businesses, construction sites, and public spaces every day as a part of their work. Given how much they know and care about their communities, they hold untapped potential for recognizing the indicators of sex and labor trafficking.
The resources available on this page were developed to inform local government staff and elected officials of resources available to assist communities in addressing human trafficking. Here are steps local governments can take:
Build awareness of the indicators and basic dynamics of trafficking across all governmental departments, beyond law enforcement and social services.
Develop protocols for reporting indicators of potential trafficking. Debrief and adjust as needed, once reports are made.
If your community has a particular challenge with any of the environmental conditions that enable trafficking or any of the business models that traffickers employ, consider taking a focused approach. Suggestion: Convene a multi-departmental team to apply existing processes, policies, and procedures to the challenge that enables trafficking, in order to develop strategies of prevention or intervention.
If your community is working on any wicked problem (homelessness, food scarcity, success in school, etc.), know that you are also working to prevent trafficking. Suggestion: Take time out in those existing work groups to consider the issue through the lens of human trafficking.