Trafficking in Persons Symposium Final Report (April 10-13, 2012, Salt Lake City, UT)

• NCJ Number: 250199
• Author(s): Stephanie Ryon; Phil Keith; Elizabeth Brown
• Date Published: July 2012
• Length: 100 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2009-MC-CK-K058
• Agencies: OJJDP-Sponsored

Annotation

Discussion themes and recommendations are presented from an April 2016 symposium on trafficking in persons.

Abstract

The intent of the symposium was to examine several issues that are significant in effectively addressing child trafficking. Among the issues discussed are identification of victims and offenders, engaging victims, investigation and prosecution, response, survivor restoration, and the survivor perspective. Symposium presentations and discussions noted that the identification of victims and offenders is complicated by a number of factors, including cultural considerations, the hidden nature of the crime, the uniqueness of the victim/offender relationship, the victim's age, and society's perception of the issue. Improving the identification of victims and offenders is dependent on consistent data collection techniques or the development of a national tracking system that tags high-risk youth and captures information on case outcomes. The investigation and prosecution of child trafficking is hindered by cross-border/jurisdictional issues and lack of cooperation among Federal, State, and Tribal jurisdictions. Investigation and prosecution must be conducted by properly trained personnel. Also, effective programming must be in place for victims. The symposium developed objectives designed to address these issues. Data collected from symposium participants highlight several directions for future research, policy, and programming. 2 tables, 1 exhibit, 47 references, and appended symposium agenda