Recommendations for Educating Youth about Sex Trafficking

ABSTRACT

The need to educate youth on sex trafficking in the United States has received considerable attention; however, limited research is available to guide development of educational programming for youth. Perspectives from 32 experts in fields connected to sex trafficking and violence prevention were obtained through focus groups and interviews. Questions focused on goals/purposes of educating youth about sex trafficking, content to include in a school-based sex trafficking curriculum for middle and high school students, methods to deliver such a curriculum, and challenges to implementing a sex trafficking curriculum in schools and associated strategies. Experts recommended content on healthy and unhealthy relationships, general information about sex trafficking, factors related to sex trafficking, and identification of safe people and needed resources. Program delivery recommendations focused on delivery approach, format, facilitation, manualization, and integration throughout the school’s curriculum. Lastly, experts noted implementation challenges and associated strategies relating to time and space in school curriculum, parents’ discomfort with educating their children about sex trafficking, and buy-in from school administrators. Results build on existing literature by providing greater depth and context on educating youth about sex trafficking. Empowering youth with information and resources regarding sex trafficking is important for promoting just, peaceful, and inclusive societies.

KEYWORDS:

• Sex trafficking
• qualitative
• stakeholder engagement
• education
• youth

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to extend their deepest gratitude to all experts who participated in this study. We would like to thank Kate Crissman, MPH and Marlowe Crews Kovach, MSW, LCSW-A for their help with coding and analyzing discussion notes. Additionally, the authors would like to thank reviewers for their time and insightful recommendations to strengthen this manuscript.

Declaration of interest statement

No potential competing interests were reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Grant No. 2016-VA-GX-0075 and 2017-VA-GX-0050 awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime. Alexandria M. Lesak and Hannah Winslow were supported by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health Science, Education, and Practice, funded by an award to the Department of Maternal and Child Health from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration (T76MC00004). L. B. Klein is an Injury and Violence Prevention Fellow supported by the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center (R49/CE003092).