Why education?

Schools are beginning to address human trafficking by identifying students who are or have been trafficked. For instance, supportive and inquisitive teachers have uncovered child domestic servitude, where students were going to school by day but then cooking and cleaning in a home against their will throughout the night. Similarly, they have discovered child sex trafficking, where students were in school by day but forced to perform commercial sex acts after school and on weekends. Additionally, pimps are using students to recruit within the schools and boyfriends on school campuses are acting as pimps.

School personnel including administrators, law enforcement (school resource officers), nurses and teachersmay be the most consistent presence in a minor’s life. They can learn how to recognize the signs of human trafficking among their students and adopt necessary response protocols. Trafficked students can then be connected to services to safely emerge from trafficking. Additionally, school personnel can develop prevention strategies including outreach to students.

The Global Freedom Center offers school systems, municipalities, states, and education associations customized training to increase identification and prevention of human trafficking within schools. Experts are also available to work with you to create response protocols and provide individualized technical assistance to support your efforts.

FACT SHEET: Educating Our Way Out of Human Trafficking