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TTA Catalog

Response to Labor and Sex Trafficking Training

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Every year, 14,000-17,000 people are trafficked into the United States. Human trafficking is the third-largest international crime industry and black market in the country, generating annual sales of roughly $32 billion. Because trafficking is often a hidden crime, it is important for criminal justice actors and local communities to know how to identify victims. Furthermore, developing awareness, training law enforcement professionals, and educating local communities on the indicators of human trafficking can be a major step towards reducing and preventing human trafficking in the future.

This training is intended to provide a best-practices model for identifying trafficking victims and a toolkit for rehabilitating victims who are rescued from traffickers (e.g., helping with medical, housing, and legal issues). The training is centered on principles developed by assessing various training tools and resources that focus on various aspects of human trafficking, including training and research provided by the Municipal Police Training Committee and the DOJ Office for Victims of Crime. This training will cover these principles using various topics and videos to present the material in an engaging format. It is important to note that this training centers on (1) identifying human trafficking victims, (2) educating law enforcement and victim advocates on the impacts of trafficking and methods for interviewing victims, and (3) providing community actors with an understanding of the victim services and resources that trafficking victims need in the aftermath of their victimization.

Goal and Objectives:
  • Educate criminal justice professionals on human trafficking and provide best practice models for interviews.
  • Familiarize officers with federal human trafficking laws.
  • Cultivate an increased awareness of how to identify human trafficking victims.
  • Foster a basic understanding of how trauma impacts victims of human trafficking.
Intended Audience:

Law enforcement and prosecutors

TTA Format: Available in person and virtually
Length:

The material is designed to be presented as a whole or in part as deemed most relevant to the site.

Agenda:
  • Introduction to labor and sex trafficking
  • Federal human trafficking laws
  • How do you identify human trafficking victims?
  • How does trauma impact victims of human trafficking?
  • Best practices model for interviewing victims
SMEs/Trainers:

Sarah Ohlsen is the director of the Center for Victim & Survivor Services, where she provides vision, leadership, and direction to the direct service programs at the National Center for Victims of Crime. She has counseled government leaders, law enforcement officers, and service providers on developing and implementing programs, projects, and initiatives that improve the way in which the criminal justice system responds to survivors. Her two-decade career working with the criminal justice system and survivors of crime spans leadership and strategic roles at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the Multnomah County, Oregon, Department of Community Justice, and the District of Columbia’s Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants.

Ms. Ohlsen holds her master’s degree in criminology from George Mason University. She is considered an expert in human trafficking, child sexual exploitation, system-based victim services, and post-conviction crime victims’ rights.