Lunch and Learn Human Trafficking --- [Katie Stewart] All right. I want to welcome everyone to our Lunch and Learn today. Um, these Lunch-- these Lunch and Learns are brought to you by a collaboration of Oklahoma Human Services, the University of Oklahoma School of Social Work, and the Oklahoma Adoption Competency Network. We really appreciate everyone joining us during your lunch and noon hour. We wanna get started so we can respect everyone's time and have time to listen to all of Lacey's great information today. Before we get going with our presentation, um, we're gonna go over just a few housekeeping rules. Um, first, we are recording this meeting, so by participating, you've given your consent to be recorded. We also ask, um, that you keep yourselves muted until we get to the Q&A at the end so that everyone can hear our presentation. We're also gonna be monitoring the chat, so if you have questions or comments, you're welcome to put those in the chat as well. We'd love to see everyone's faces if you can, and are willing, so please turn on your video if you're able to do so. This is just a reminder that, um, we wanna remember confidentiality. So, when sharing questions or comments, if it's about specific cases, um, please do not share names, details, et cetera. Also if you need training credit, um, you are eligible for one hour of training, um, just indicate in the chat with your email if you need that, and we will get a certificate sent out to you. With that, I'm going to hand everything off to our presenter, Lacey. [Lacey Sorrels] Good afternoon everyone. Thank you, Katie. I'm gonna go ahead and share my screen real quick. [Title Slide: Human Trafficking: What it is and why our children may be at risk Lacey Sorrels Post Adoptions Clinical Social Work Team] [Lacey] Okay, so for today we're gonna be talking about human trafficking, um, and including what that is and why our kiddos may be at risk. So let's go ahead and jump right in. [Slide: What Is Human Trafficking? Human Trafficking is a crime involving the exploitation of a person for labor, services, or commercial sex. Sex Trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing, or soliciting of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age. (22 U.S.C. § 7102(11)(A)). Forced labor is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery. (22 U.S.C. § 7102(11)(B). *Definitions per United States Department of Justice*] [Lacey] So, what is human trafficking? The Department of Justice indicates that human trafficking is a crime involving the exploitation of a person for labor, services, or commercial sex. They also provide the following two definitions a little bit more specifically, defining both sex trafficking-- sex trafficking, and forced labor. For today's purposes, we're gonna be leaning a little bit more towards talking about the sex trafficking aspect, um, as that's gonna be a little bit more of the commonality in Oklahoma and in Oklahoma City. [Slide: Important Definitions and Distinctions] [Lacey] So first, some important definitions and distinctions. Um, so we, in a lot of media and news outlets, we see victims described as underaged women. And that's really an inaccurate statement as that's indicating that they're grown and able to make these decisions for themselves. So really, an underage woman is just a child. So it's important that we, um, indicate that as it is. Some additional definitions: so victims are those who are actively under the control of a trafficker, and survivors are individuals who are no longer being exploited. [Slide: What is Human Trafficking?] [Lacey] So we've all seen these Facebook stories or stories on social media about, um, "I was in Walmart, I was in Target, there was a group of men following me. I just know that they're a trafficking ring." Um, and so, this is not really what is most common. And so I wanna highlight some of the things that are a little bit more common situations. So some realistic examples. A child runs away from home and the child encounters an individual who lures them by providing basic survival needs. Runaways are usually approached within the first 48 hours of being on the street. A teen meets an older Prince Charming type online who promises them the world, but turns out to be not who they say they are. And an individual is promised to be taken to a new town or country for a job opportunity, and they'll only need to pay a service fee. That fee is never attainable. [Slide: Federal Legislation Timeline starting in 2000 2000: Trafficking Victims Protection Act 2003: TVPRA 2005: TVPRA 2008: TVPRA 2013: TVPRA 2014: Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act 2015: Justice for Victims of Human Trafficking Act 2017: TVPRA 2017: TVPRA 2018: Fredrick Douglas Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act] [Lacey] So the following we're gonna talk about is just some federal legislation surrounding human trafficking. Um, and the goal in sharing this info is not really to, um, so that you know every detail of it, but more that you have a general awareness of how we got to where we are today, as well as how recent, um, this legislation is, as the very first piece of legislation about this was passed in 2000. Now, there were laws prior to that that address it, but they were based on just kind of a common slavery concept. So in 2000, the very first law, um, comprehensive federal law was passed to address trafficking, and it offered a three-pronged approach addressing prevention, protection, and prosecution. That act was reauthorized in 2003, providing additional definitions and conditions. It established a specialty operating group within the executive branch, and it mandated that the annual report be provided by the Attorney General's office. In 2005, it was again reauthorized, which expanded legal jurisdictions and established a grant program for states, tribes, and state and local law enforcement. In 2008, it was reauthorized again, which brought new measures to prevent and deter trafficking. It also created new crimes that traffickers could be charged with, and it eliminated the requirement of a trafficker to know that the victim was a minor. In 2013, it was reauthorized again, which focused on the elimination of human trafficking from the areas of supply chain. We're gonna skip 2014 for just a minute and come back to that. It was also reauthorized in 2015, adding new definitions and producing -- or adding producing child pornography in certain circumstances. In 2017, it was reauthorized again, providing additional funding and mandates to support victims. In a second time in 2017, it was reauthorized to increase ability to assess foreign governments' compliance. In 2018 was the last time it was reauthorized as of yet, and that increased a focus on forced labor. So going back to that 2014 legislation, it was entitled the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act. And this act really put a very specific focus on child welfare systems. It added a reporting requirement for any time a child in a child welfare custody was, um, a victim of trafficking. It also included sex trafficking in AFCARS data, um, which is also collected by child welfare systems. So if you work in any kind of child welfare space or have before, you're familiar with that AFCARS data that you're required to, um, report for every single individual and family. It also required states to report information about kids who had run away to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, as well as the National Crime Information Center. [Slide: Prevalence (Globally)] [Lacey] So the global prevalence, it's estimated that 40.3 million people are enslaved globally, and that works out to about 5.4 out of every thousand people. Of those identified victims, as of 2021, 46% were women, 29% were men, and 25% were children. And human trafficking generates an average of 150 billion dollars each year. An example that was provided to help understand why this is such a high amount is if you have a product such as a gun or some other, you know, drug, you sell it one time and then you no longer have that product. With a person, you sell them, you obtain the money, and then you get the person back, thus being able to sell them over and over again, which is why that generates such a high, um, amount of money each year. [Slide: Prevalence (United States)] In the United States and Oklahoma, so United States, specifically in 2021, 10,359 cases were reported to the National Hotline, resulting in identification of 16,544 victims. In Oklahoma in 2021, 91 cases were reported to the National Hotline resulting in identification of 180 victims. Um, and both nationally and in Oklahoma, 34% of those cases involved children. They also believe that only 0.05% of the cases are being reported through the National Hotline. And reasons for that being is some cases are never reported at all, um, and then some cases are handled within local law enforcement, um, and not called in through that hotline. So these particular numbers are only cases that were called in through the hotline. So if you just imagine 0.05% is what these numbers represent, and just multiply that and imagine what that, um, large number would be. [Slide: This image shows a heat map of the United States detailing the concentration of human trafficking cases, with data visualization branded by Palantir. The map uses color formatting to indicate density: red and orange represent the highest concentrations, yellow and green indicate moderate density, and blue indicates lower density or isolated cases. The distribution of cases is heavily weighted toward major metropolitan areas, transportation corridors, and highly populated regions: Primary High-Density Zones (Red and Orange) The Northeast Corridor: A massive, nearly continuous band of high density stretches from Washington, D.C., and Maryland up through Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and into New England. The West Coast: Distinct high-concentration clusters run along the entire coast of California—particularly concentrated in Southern California (Los Angeles/San Diego) and the Bay Area—extending up into western Oregon and the Seattle area of Washington. The South and Southeast: Significant hotspots cover almost the entire state of Florida, large portions of Georgia (centered around Atlanta), North Carolina, and eastern Texas (including the Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth metroplexes). The Midwest: Large, dense clusters are visible across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and southern Michigan, correlating with major urban centers and interconnected interstate hubs. Moderate to Low-Density Zones (Yellow, Green, and Blue) The Plains and Mountain West: The central and western interior of the country (including states like Montana, Wyoming, the Dakotas, and Nebraska) shows significantly lower density, with activity limited to small, isolated blue or green clusters around specific cities or transit points. Southwest Interior: Moderate pockets of activity appear in urban islands within more sparsely populated states, such as the areas surrounding Phoenix (Arizona), Las Vegas (Nevada), Denver (Colorado), and Salt Lake City (Utah). Alaska and Hawaii: Insets in the bottom-left corner show minimal activity, with small, low-density blue spots localized near major hubs like Anchorage and Honolulu.] [Lacey] So this is a heat map. The areas of red and yellow kind of indicate the super high instances of trafficking cases. So if you notice your major areas like the Miami and Orlando areas, the DC, New York City, Boston Metro areas, Charlotte, Atlanta, New Orleans, DFW, Houston, Chicago, some of those major metro areas is where a lot of this, um, trafficking cases are centered. There's other cases, as you can see throughout the United States, but the highest incidence of those is in those major metro areas. [Slide: SAFY.org] [Lacey] So all of the statistics we've talked about so far, um, are kind of very broad and not very personal, but this one really brings it in closer to home. 60% of child sex trafficking victims in the United States have a history in the child welfare system. That is a significant number. [Slide: Risk Factors = Vulnerability *Polaris Project, 2022] [Lacey] So what makes kiddos who have experience in the child welfare system more vulnerable to sex trafficking? So the Polaris Project indicates that the highest risk factor is vulnerability. So what are some of those vulnerabilities? History of childhood physical or sexual abuse, mental health issues or disorders, poor self-esteem, family rejection related to identifying as LGBTQ, current runaway or homeless status, having lived or currently living in a shelter or group home, uses drugs or involved with romantic partners who do. Family members who have bought sex or been trafficked, parents who abuse drugs, history of arrest for juvenile status offenses, current or past involvement in the child welfare system, lack of social support, poverty -- past or present, learning disabilities or developmental delay, family dysfunction or instability, and involved with or targeted by gangs. So for all of the parents on the call, whether you are an adoptive parent or a professional, um, and biological parent, I would like you to take just a few minutes and count out how many of these 16 apply to your child. And if you're comfortable, I would like you to share that number in the chat box, and I'll give you just a few minutes. And we encourage you to share this number for a few reasons. First, to see that your child isn't alone in their experiences. And second, to understand how relevant these risk factors are in our community and our shared space. So I'll give you just another minute. We have a couple of responses in the chat box. One person said, not a parent, but a foster aunt, and the number is eight. And then another said, I've worked with children who have expressed at least 10 or more. So a lot of the research, um, that is out there focuses on children in foster care being at risk for being trafficked. But in this community we know that, um, just because we get an adoption finalization date, these vulnerabilities do not go away. They're still present in our kiddos. And so that just means that adoptive kiddos are just as relevant, um, and at risk as kiddos in foster care. [Slide: Video: Can You See Me? (Sex Trafficking with a Taxi - USA)] [Lacey] So we're gonna watch a quick video, and I do want to offer a trigger warning with this video. It does show some instances, both audibly and visually of violence. The video lasts about one minute. If you would like to mute and or take a break for just a minute. [Video plays] [Two women sit in the back of a taxi. We can see the driver only through a reflection of a portion of his face in the rearview mirror.] [Driver] Ladies, from around here? [Unintelligible] [Bonni Goodwin] Hey Lacey, I'm wondering if, uh -- [Lacey] Mm-hmm. [Bonni] The sound's not coming through very well, so I'm wondering if we need to re-share screen with that box checked. [Lacey] Okay, let me try that. Okay, I'm gonna go back and it's gonna make me restart the presentation, so bear with me for just one minute and I'll click through it real quick. [Bonni] No worries. [Lacey] Almost there. Can you hear it now? Okay. [Video restarts] [Car door slams as two women get into a taxi.] [Driver] You ladies from around here? [Woman 1] Actually, I'm from Florida. [Driver] Florida. [Woman 2] Are we paying you to talk or to drive? [Driver] My bad. [Woman 2 snatches the purse out of Woman 1's hands. The driver watches them suspiciously in the rearview mirror. Flashbacks of money passing hands between the two women. Both women at a restaurant with a man. Woman 2 looks fondly at Woman 1 and touches her hair affectionately. Woman 1 sitting down as someone behind her fastens a necklace around her neck. Woman 1 sitting down, looking nervous. Woman 1 rests her head against the car window. More flashbacks. Woman 1 is younger, resting her head against the window at her house as her parents argue in the background. Loud music, shouting. Woman 1's parents shout at her and she runs out of the house. Shots of Woman 1 on the street, sitting alone at a bus stop. Man and Woman 2 sit in a car, watching her.] [Man] Go get her. [Woman 2] Not her. [Man] She's going to make us some money. [Woman 2 approaches Woman 1 at the bus stop.] [Woman 2] Are you hungry? My man takes great care of us. [Both women sit at a restaurant with the Man. He is counting a large amount of money at the table. He hands Woman 1 a hundred-dollar bill. We see him placing a necklace around her neck. Shots of Woman 1 applying lipstick in a bathroom mirror. The Man sitting on a couch with women on either side of him. Woman 1 watching as Man throws a glass against the wall of a hotel room in anger. It shatters. He leans in to Woman 2 to shout at her.] [Man] I said where you been, not what do I think? [The taxi pulls to a stop, and Woman 1 gets out. The taxi driver watches her carefully as she walks up to a house with an older woman watching from inside. Woman 1 turns, looking back at the taxi. The words, "Can You See Me?" appear across the screen.] [Video ends] [Lacey] So after watching that, what are some of the risk factors that you observed in the video? Go ahead and drop those in the chat box. So a couple that have been noted: abusive home life, no support for the teen, any others? A possible lack of support, all very good ones. [Slide: Parenting Implications Education - Educate yourself - Educate your children: Human trafficking, Healthy Relationships, Sex (not the kind found on the internet) Awareness - Monitor your child's phone/internet usage - Know your children's friends - Know where your children are at - Pay attention to any drastic changes in your child's behaviors Communication - Encourage communication about sensitive topics - Try not to make it weird - Pick your battles] [Lacey] We're gonna talk just a little bit about parenting implications. So educating. Um, educating yourself about human trafficking. Also educating yourself about the different social media apps, um, what those privacy settings look like, how they work, so that you can better understand what your teen is accessing. Also, educating your children. It's okay to talk to them about difficult topics. Um, and we do have what's called an A21 Student Safety Guide that we're gonna drop in the chat box as a resource for you. Um, and basically it's just a couple of page guide to help you talk to your kiddos about online safety, healthy relationships, um, and red flags in both of those. Awareness. Um, so monitoring your kids' phone and internet usage, knowing your kiddos' friends, knowing where your children are at, and paying attention to any drastic changes in your children's behaviors, which we'll talk more about in just a minute. There's a pretty fine line between being protective and being controlling. And that's gonna look a little bit different for every individual family. Um, you as parents are kind of up to decide what those boundaries look like for your family, but I want to caution you to not let your actions to protect your children become so intense that you don't allow any autonomy or freedom. Kiddos need to learn how to use the internet and their technology appropriately, and so let's help them to do so versus just banning them from everything. Um, if we just ban them from everything to try and protect them, eventually they're going to seek those things out and it's not going to be in a healthy or appropriate way. And then lastly, communication. So encouraging communication about sensitive topics and trying to not make it weird. And what I mean by that is, um, having con-- or conversations about relationships or sex with your kiddo can be very awkward. Um, it doesn't have to be let's sit on the corner of the bed, or let's sit at the table and stare at each other and talk about these awkward topics. It can be as simple as maybe we're watching a TV show and there's something negative portrayed in a relationship. Um, you can just kind of casually chat with your kiddo and say, "Hey, that was a really horrible thing to do, like, how would you have reacted in that situation?" And, and in doing that, it becomes a very normal part of conversation instead of this awkward conversation that everybody is dreading. And then secondly, pick your battles. Um, and by pick your battles in communication, I mean, if we hear our kiddo say a cuss word once, or we hear our kiddo say something mean to another child, we don't always have to hop right on it that instant. But if we do see a pattern of this occurring or it increasing in frequency or intensity, obviously those are times to make sure that we're addressing those things. But it may not be necessary to have those intense conversations after one minor instance. [Slide: Video: Oklahoma Sex Trafficking case raises questions about keeping children safe] [Lacey] And this is just a quick video that talks a little bit more about the internet and social media risks. Um, there are no triggers present in this video. [Video plays] [Kilee Thomas: KOCO 5 News] Human trafficking experts say it's not unmarked vans parents should be wary of, but who their kids are talking to online. [Lauren Garder: Zero Suicide and Trauma Care for Dept. of Mental Health] It's not the van with free candy. It's not even somebody following you at Target who's gonna shove you into their unmarked van and drive off. That it's people on your social media who may not be all that they claimed to be. [Kilee Thomas] Lauren Garder with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health says the internet is a giant unmonitored playground for predators. [Lauren Garder] What traffickers are doing now is they're investing time in not being a stranger to your child. They're getting to know them, they're commenting on their Instagram, they're following them on TikTok. [Melissa Eick: Co Founder of Dragonfly Home] A lot of the people that we serve were recruited online initially, and that goes for sex or labor trafficking, sometimes. [Kilee Thomas] Dragonfly Home is the State's first and only certified Human Trafficking Crisis Center. [Melissa Eick] But we're not seeing people who are chained and tied up. It's more about the psychological prison that somebody creates. It's never the victim's fault, but traffickers will try and make them think that it is. [Kilee Thomas] Experts say parents need to be actively engaged in their kids' social media, be aware of who their friends are, and not be afraid to set boundaries. [Lauren Garder] Don't let them have a public account. Make sure that you understand how the safety and security settings work. Um, and maybe for some parents that's even not allowing your child to have a password to their phone that you don't know. And there's a line, of course, in there about what is invasive and what's an appropriate boundary that parents have to determine for themselves. [News jingle; video ends] [Slide: Helpful Monitoring Programs Bark - Device Monitoring, Kid Friendly Wireless Service Gabb Wireless - Kid Friendly Cell Phone and Service OurPact - Monitoring App Qustodio - Monitoring App] [Lacey] So we've talked a lot about, um, you know, monitoring kiddos' technology and things like that, but how do we actually do that? Um, so on this screen, there are quite a few different options, um, and we're gonna talk a little bit about each of those. We also have a handout that we're gonna drop in the chat box that gives an overview of each of these programs or apps and how that would be helpful for you. That way you can take it home, keep it, um, and res-- or reference it later if you need to. So the first is Bark. Um, and Bark is a program that is available for iPhones, Androids, and Amazon Fire. And it has a dashboard that monitors text messages, YouTube, emails, and over 30 different social media networks. You can monitor content 24/7, manage screen time, filter and block websites and apps, and set locations alert as it does have GPS. You can also add unlimited kids at no extra charge. So if you have multiple kiddos that you're wanting to monitor, this is super helpful as it's not gonna be really expensive the more kiddos you have. Um, they also have something called Bark phone, um, which are phone plans that include the phone, Bark premium, and you can approve certain apps and contacts. And all of these come with talk, text, and data. So if you want your kiddo to have a phone and a way to contact you, um, but not be worried about the other things that they're doing, that is a good option. Bark also has something called Bark Home, um, and Bark Home Monitors and manages your internet connected devices in your home, like your TVs and your gaming consoles. We know that cell phones and computers are not the only way that kiddos are accessing the internet. Um, and so this Bark Home is a really great addition and I've not actually seen this service with any other provider. A second provider that's really helpful is Gabb Wireless. So Gabb Wireless is a kid-friendly cell phone service. They have nationwide coverage and you can do either a phone or a watch. Um, with Gabb wireless, kiddos are not allowed to access internet, social media, or games, and there's no app store for them to download things without your knowledge. Um, it does have GPS and unlimited texting and calling, which is perfect for kiddos that you're wanting to be able to have more access to you. Third is OurPact, and this is an app. Um, so it's not a cell phone service similar to the previous ones, but it's just an app where you can monitor screen time, block certain apps, block internet pages, et cetera. Um, and that one is a pretty common one as well. And so finally we have Qustodio, and that one's very similar to OurPact. It has some very similar features. Um, that one you just pay a yearly fee instead of a monthly fee like some of the other ones. And that, um, that flyer with all of this information is in the chat box as well. [Slide: Behaviors to Watch For] [Lacey] So we briefly mentioned earlier, um, some behaviors to look out for. And so we're gonna talk about those now. And whether you are a parent or a professional, this is gonna be super helpful information. Um, as a parent, obviously you're gonna be looking for these behaviors in your kiddos. Um, this could also be things, if you have kiddos that have friends who come over often, um, those are things you could be looking for in them as well. Um, and as a professional, if you're working with clients who are children or teenagers, or you're working with parents, um, this is really helpful information to share as well. And this is the last thing that we do have a flyer with all of this information on it that we will drop in the chat box for you. So some of those behaviors to watch out for: repeated instances of running away, responding to questions with obviously rehearsed answers, signs of illicit drug use, frequent or unexplained absences from school, presence of bruises or other signs of abuse, boyfriend or girlfriend who is much older, oversexualized, withdrawn from friends or family, an uncharacteristic depression, anxiety, or fear. Now a lot of these things are actually things we see a lot with kiddos and teenagers who come from traumatic backgrounds. Um, that may be normal behaviors according to their trauma. However, when this is more of a concern is when it pops up suddenly or you have multiple of these things happening at the same time that weren't previously happening. That's definitely a time where you would need to pay a little bit more attention and maybe dive a little deeper to see where that is coming from. So we've got one more video. So in light of some of these behaviors to watch for, as you're watching the next video, I want you to think about what are some of the red flags you notice in the girl's behavior? [Slide: Video: Can You See Me? (Child Sexual Exploitation - USA)] [Video plays] [Open on a classroom full of high-school aged students. A bell rings; the teacher talks in the background. Teacher looks at Girl, noticing the small crown tattoo on her neck. Girl is wearing a short skirt and heavy makeup. After school, Teacher walks down stairs while on the phone. She sees Girl waiting alone but doesn't stop to talk to her. In the parking lot, Girl is pushed into a white SUV with loud music playing. The driver hands her a sandwich bag with a small white pill in it. Girl looks at it for a moment, then takes it. Flash back to Girl, in the classroom, wearing little or no makeup and a t-shirt and jeans.] [Teacher] Can anyone tell me what the different chromosome is for a male versus a female? [Teacher] Yes. [Girl] XX is female and XY is male. [Teacher] Correct. [Girl is sitting at a table in the library with her friends, studying together.] [Friend] This is totally from here. [Friend 2] No, no, it's -- [Friend 2] It's right here. That's important. [Girl is looking at her phone, texting someone. Zoom in on the phone to see texts reading, "Rocco. We talked on line. Remember me?" There is a photo of a handsome young man, then another text that reads, "Your turn." Friend 3 leans over to see what Girl is doing.] [Friend 3] We're trying to study. [Girl rolls her eyes and leaves the table. She goes into the bathroom and we see her taking a selfie in the stall. She appears to be topless. Girl is sitting in the kitchen at home, looking through a notebook. Her mother is cooking at the stove. Girl scrolls through her text messages, including the photo of Rocco and the topless picture of herself. Mother comes to the table to grab something and see Girl's phone, grabbing it out of her hand.] [Mother] What is this? [Girl] Nothing. [Mother] What is this? What are you doing? Who's -- [Girl] Nothing, it's nothing! [Mother] Who is that? [Girl] Nobody. [Mother] Who is that? Who are you texting? [Girl] Nobody! [Girl gets up and runs out of the room. That night, Rocco leans against the hood of a white SUV, smoking a cigarette. Girl walks up to him. He brushes her hair behind her ear and takes her hand to lead her into the car.] [Rocco] So you didn't tell your parents that you were coming over here tonight, right? [Music plays. Rocco and girl walk into an apartment. The door locks behind them. Girl and Rocco go into a tattoo parlor. Girl sits, tense, in the chair as the tattoo artist works on her neck. Rocco watches, checking his phone. Girl lounges on a couch with Man beside her. She watches as Rocco walks away with another woman. She jumps up, but Man gets up and grabs her arm, stopping her.] [Man] Where you going, you don't wanna chill with us? [Man throws Girl back onto the couch.] [Girl] Get off me! [Girl stands in front of Rocco as he sits on a bed.] [Girl] What the hell is your problem? [Rocco] Who the hell do you think you are, huh? [Rocco throws Girl onto the couch and begins hitting her. Girl sits in the back seat of the white SUV, looking uncomfortable] [Rocco] Hey, hey, it's gonna be fun. Come over here. [He kisses her on the cheek, then waves her out of the car. Girl walks into a messy motel room where a balding man waits on the bed. She looks like she might be sick. Rocco smokes a cigarette in the car. The balding man motions her forward, and Girl begins to take off her dress. Cut back to the teacher in the parking lot, looking at Girl in the back seat of the white SUV. The words, "Can You See Me?" appear across the screen.] [Video ends] [Lacey] So in the chat box, drop, um, any behavioral red flags that you noticed in this situation. So Damien noted isolation, drug usage, withdrawn from friends, oversexualized, and running away as just a few. Any others that anyone noticed? Texting an older male, taking and sending inappropriate pictures of herself, tattoos, distancing, drugs, all really good ones. Anything else? Numb-like behavior? Yeah, those are all excellent. [Slide: Why Do Victims Stay?] [Lacey] Why do victims stay? This is kind of a question that we hear a lot, um, in domestic violence situations. This is also something we see a lot in human trafficking. And when someone says, "Why do victims stay?" They mean like, why don't they just go and seek help? If they're able to freely walk around, why wouldn't they just stop somebody and ask for help? There's a lot of reasons that that happens. The first, fear. A lot of times they're taught to fear law enforcement or authority. Um, you know, threats are made like, "Well, if you go and, um, try to talk to law enforcement, they're gonna arrest you for doing this," um, or, "They're not gonna believe you over me." Um, also fear due to threats of harm to the victim and/or their family. Debt bondage could look like, um, you know, telling the victim that they owe them money for their transportation, for giving them food, for giving them clothes, things like that. Dependency and isolation. So maybe the victim's in an unfamiliar place, maybe they're cut off from friends or family, or maybe they targeted someone who didn't have family or friends or those support and connections to turn to, to begin with. So now they're really alone. Trauma bonding. So this is a psychological response in a victim that causes them to develop a deep affection, empathy, or sympathy for an abuser. Um, and this is much more common in those who have had, um, abuse as a child. Shame and guilt: maybe they feel like they're too damaged to return to a normal environment, um, and maybe they're now using drugs or pregnant or have some other situation that they would be ashamed of. And then finally, maybe they just don't recognize themselves as victims. Um, they could just think, "Well, I made a a bad decision that got me in a bad situation, and so here I am." But they don't understand that they're actually a victim of trafficking. [Slide: Rescued Victim Experience] [Lacey] So when a victim is rescued, there's a lot of experiences that they're going to have, um, that are really unique to them. So the first is legal. They may have criminal charges for things like drugs, prostitution, shoplifting, just to name a few. Oklahoma actually just passed a law seven months ago that any child identified as a human trafficking victim cannot be charged with these crimes. It's truly mind blowing to me that that was only seven months ago that that law was passed. Medical. Um, so there's the potential for pregnancies or inappropriately ended pregnancies. Um, sexually transmitted diseases, lack of medical or dental care while a victim, and then broken and fractured bones, as we know that physical violence is almost always present. Substance abuse, um, the victim may have been using before, or they may have started using while being a victim to numb the pain. Also, oftentimes we see that victims are made to use drugs while they're being trafficked, as they're easier to control when they're intoxicated. Law enforcement interactions. So there may be ongoing investigations and there may be a need for them to testify against traffickers or other individuals. And then mental health, um, addressing preexisting conditions and also any new issues that arise as a result of their experience. [Slide: Modality Versus Approach] [Lacey] So in looking at research, there's no evidence-based treatment exclusively for trafficking victims, whether they're children or adults. So really in what I've found in researching this is it's more of a approach as opposed to an intervention. So various modalities are used to treat aspects of the survivor's experience, but none of them address the comprehensive experience. [Slide: Treatment Modality Options] [Lacey] So some pretty common diagnoses we see with trafficking victims are post-traumatic stress disorder, substance related disorders, disassociative disorders, depression, and anxiety. Some of the common treatment modalities that treat those diagnoses are TF-CBT, Dialectical Trauma Focused CBT, EMDR, 12 step programs, Pharmacology, and Ecologically Focused Family therapy. So as you can see, all of these treatment modalities are specific to either a symptom or a diagnosis of the victim. None of them address the entire experience. [Slide: Unique Approach] [Lacey] So a unique approach that a lot of providers are using with human trafficking victim are the following four steps. So first, conducting a very thorough needs assessment. And why this is important is you can really get an understanding for all of the needs of the client, whether that be physical, spiritual, emotional, mental, um, and really just determining everything that they need so that it can be addressed. The second is a full psychological evaluation, if available. And we put if available here because we know that oftentimes psychological evaluations can be a six month to a year waiting list or more. And so many times this is not available in the moment when a survivor has been rescued. Um, but if it's available, it really gives a whole picture of, you know, what diagnoses or what, um, things may have been present prior to their trafficking experience versus what things are now as a result of the trafficking ex-- trafficking experience. And in doing this, they're able to get a full picture of their psychological functioning and what treatments might be best. Third, they follow a survivor-centered approach. And fourth, they wrap-around focused treatment plans. And we'll talk more about those two things next. [Slide: Survivor Centered Approach] [Lacey] So what's a survivor-centered approach? First, acknowledging and validating the survivor's experience. You want to make sure that they understand that the experience they had is heard and understood, and while no one else may have experienced the exact same thing, um, we just wanna validate their experience. Second, helping the survivor gain control and what that might look like is, you know, overly involving them in the treatment planning or helping them to determine what things they need or what steps they would like to take next, and just giving them a sense of control back. And lastly, building a sense of safety and trust. [Slide: Wrap-Around Treatment Plans] [Lacey] So what is a wrap-around treatment plan? It was noted by Polaris that trafficking survivors reentering society has proven to be similar to those coming back from war or those getting out of prison after a lengthy amount of time. So some of those immediate needs to be addressed are ensuring their safety, medical care, food and shelter, counseling, and legal or immigration care. And some of the ongoing needs that they would potentially need help with are gaining and sustaining employment, completing education or returning to education, and then building connections with safe people. [Slide: Other Treatment Considerations] [Lacey] So some other treatment considerations. Um, and I want to note that on this end, all of these treatment considerations were provided by survivors who, um, participated in the study and indicated what things were helpful for them. So the first was group therapy. A safe place that they can share their experiences and generate community with people who are similar to themselves. They also found it helpful that being able to discuss stigmatized topics reduced the shame associated with that experience. Next, peer support. They found it that peer support was a key motivating factor in them staying in therapy and bettering themself. Secondly, peer support was a key factor in deterring them from returning to their trafficker. And then last, street outreach. So street outreach isn't really a treatment consideration necessarily, um, but kind of a method of outreach and rescue prior to the beginning of treatment. Um, nonetheless, survivors reported that this was significant in their opportunities to, um, get out of their situation. So they felt like it breaks down that sense of isolation and feeling like they're alone. They felt like it helped bring an awareness of outside context and supports, and it aided in building trust. [Slide: Oklahoma Attorney General Requirements] [Lacey] So the Oklahoma, Oklahoma Attorney General is the one who approves or certifies all programs in human trafficking, sexual assault, and domestic violence in the state of Oklahoma. And regarding human trafficking, the Attorney General's requirements, um, or mission is to eliminate human trafficking. And they have some certain requirements for each individual program that I'm gonna kind of explain. Um, so every program that would like to be certified by the Attorney General has to meet these seven requirements. And when-- within each of these seven requirements, there's many more requirements. So the first is Program's Core Services. They wanna know what crisis intervention services you're providing, what court advocacy services, will you have a shelter program? Will you have any services for children? And what will your transitional living program look like? If you have one second, they want, uh, detailed identification of how you're gonna keep your client records and your client confidentiality. Um, third physical environments. Um, this one kind of struck me as odd, I didn't even think about it, but they wanna know that your buildings are up to code. They wanna know that you have disaster procedures in place. What is your first first aid equipment like? Um, and is your building on a road that can be accessed in all weather situations? Fourth is technology. Um, what technologies will you be using within your agency? Um, how are you gonna ensure internet safety on your technologies? Fifth is program management and performance improvement. So what is your admission criteria? What are the policies for your program? Um, what is your annual program evaluation process like? And then what is your critical incident procedure? Sixth is personnel and volunteers. So what are your policies? What are your hiring procedures? How do you keep your employee records? What does your performance evaluation process look like? Um, what is your outline for supervision and what is your training requirements? And then finally, your governing, governing authority. So what are the duties of the governing authority? Who are they? Is it a board of directors? Is it somebody within the agency? What does that look like? Um, what does the governing authority's meetings and minutes look like? Um, so all of these categories, it's a bunch of logistical things, but these are the things that the Attorney General wants laid out plain and clear, um, in order to certify you as one of their approved programs. Now, that doesn't mean because you're not approved through the Attorney General's office that you can't offer services or have a program, but you won't be on their list of certified programs within the state. So next I'm gonna talk about a couple of opportunities for programs and other services within the state of Oklahoma. [Slide: The Spring (Formerly Dayspring Villa) Services - 63 bed shelter for women/children - 24 hours Crisis Hotline - Support Groups - Case Management - Legal Advocacy - Transportation - Spiritual Guidance - Non-Residential Services Contact - 918-245-3995 (Business Line) - 918-245-4075 (24/7 Crisis Line) https://thespringok.org Sand Springs, OK Oklahoma's only Faith-Based AG Certified Program] The first is The Spring, formerly known as Dayspring Villa, and they were Oklahoma's only faith-based, Attorney General-certified program. So the services, they offer a 63-bed shelter for women and children, a 24-hour crisis hotline, support groups, case management, legal advocacy, transportation, spiritual guidance, and non-residential services. And then the following is their contact information, both, um, phone number, email, website, and they're located in Sand Springs, Oklahoma. So I'm gonna leave this up for just a second. And each of the additional ones, I'll leave up for just a second too in case you wanna take a screenshot or anything like that. And this 24/7 crisis line with The Spring is accessible by the victim themself, or if you're a service provider or professional of any sort working with a client, um, you can help them access it that way as well. [Slide: The Dragonfly Home Services - Oklahoma's 1st Certified Crisis Center; serves men, women, and children age 15+ - Transitional Home; 24 hour care for adult women - Housing Assistance Program Contact - 405-212-3378 (Office) - 405-212-3377 (24/7 Help Line) https://thedragonflyhome.org Oklahoma City, OK] [Lacey] Our second agency is the Dragonfly Home. And so they are Oklahoma's first certified Crisis Center, they have a 24/7 crisis center that serves men, women, and children ages 15 and above. They also have a transitional home with 24-hour care for adult women, and a housing assistance program to help survivors get into their own housing upon completing their transitional home program. They also have a 24/7 helpline accessible both by service providers and professionals as well as the victim themself. And Dragonfly Home is located in Oklahoma City. [Slide: No Boundaries International Services - Firehouse Community Center - Street Outreach - Homeless Outreach - Sunday Funday - Food Truck Ministry - Discovery Bible Study - Podcast - A Journey to Restoration ecourse Contact - 405-513-5453 (business office) - info@nbint.org Oklahoma City, OK] [Lacey] So No Boundaries International, um, is a little bit different. So they are not focused as much on the treatment aspect as they are the outreach and rescue. Um, they're not Attorney General certified because they don't have all of those things in place that we previously talked about since they are more of the outreach and rescue. So their services include the Firehouse Community Center, um, which is a community center in a, a well-known area for prostitution and drugs and gang violence in Oklahoma City. And they specifically took over, um, that old building to create kind of a, just a community center that was just a hub of positivity and their outreach services. They also do street outreach on South Robinson in Oklahoma City, which is a known strip of prostitution and trafficking. Um, they, their street outreach looks like providing care packages to the girls, which includes snacks, water, hygiene products. Um, they offer to pray with them, they offer to just like, have conversations and get to know them. If somebody indicates they're hungry, they're gonna go get them some food. Um, and they really are just seeking to build those relationships. Um, and like we talked about before, um, survivors had mentioned that those street outreach programs were key in helping them to know that somebody was out there trying to look out for them, paying attention for them, and when they were ready to take that step and reach out, knowing that they were there. No Boundaries also has a homeless outreach program, um, and then the Sunday Funday program. So Sunday Funday is at the Firehouse Community Center and it's basically like a, a church type day. Um, but whereas some of these marginalized populations might not feel comfortable going into a traditional church setting, um, they bring it to the Firehouse and basically it looks like board games, coloring, a free meal, and then just sitting and chatting and fellowshipping with each other and building that community. They also have the Food Truck Ministry, which goes out twice a month. Um, they park at a local motel that is a hotspot for drugs, trafficking and all kinds of violence. Um, and they offer a free meal and an opportunity to just build relationships. They provide outdoor games for the kiddos and then just that fellowship time among the residents to be able to build a positive community. They also do a couple of online options, like a Discovery Bible Study, a podcast, and then a "Journey to Restoration" eCourse. And all of these resources are available to both professionals and families and survivors or victims of trafficking. And then this is their contact information here, and they are primarily in Oklahoma City area. And they do also do some international work in Sierra Leone. [Slide: Inside Out Re-Entry Services Services - 4 Primary Focuses: Re-Entry, Recovery, Reunification, Restoration Contact - 918-949-4664 (Office) - https://iors.org Tulsa, OK] [Lacey] Next is Inside Out Re-entry Services. So this program is not specific to trafficking victims, however, um, trafficking victims do fit into a lot of their areas of need. And so they're able to obtain services through them. Um, so the reentry process is for women who are getting out of prison to be able to help with that reentry into society. And as of yet, they have a 0% reincarceration rate. Recovery is a one-year, faith-based recovery program. Reunification is a program that helps children and moms reunite. And then Restoration is helping women find healing from the inside out. And so that is their therapy-based program. [Slide: Hotlines - National Hotline 1-888-373-7888 - Oklahoma Hotline 1-855-617-2288] [Lacey] So these two are just our hotlines that you can access if you have a concern, um, that someone is being trafficked or you're aware of a situation that you would like to report. There's the National Hotline and then there's the Oklahoma Hotline. So the Oklahoma Hotline is directly connected to the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics because the OBN has a human trafficking division and they also work closely with their Vice Division and Oklahoma City's Vice Division because those are, um, those are like the ways that Oklahoma City works together to kind of combat that human trafficking here. Um, and then in the chat she said an extra eight on the national hotline. Yes, there is definitely an extra eight there. So it should just be 7888, not three. [Slide: Questions? References https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5618827/ https://polarisproject.org/understanding-human-trafficking/ https://polarisproject.org/policy-and-legislation https://www.a21.org/content/human-trafficking/gqe0rc https://tpcjournal.nbcc.org/a-comprehensive-perspective-on-treating-victims-of-human-trafficking/ https://evolvetreatment.com/blog/teen-risk-human-trafficking https://themendproject.com/trauma-bonding/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwslejBhDOARIsANYqkD0BiZIWIokUOAOu3RIO7wb6076RxHNca443FbdycKnPYMHSoFbOiMUaAm_IEALw_wcB] [Lacey] So that kind of wraps up our content. Um, I know that was a lot of information in a short amount of time. And does anybody have any questions or comments over anything we covered? If so, just drop those in the chat box. [Slide show ends] [Bonni] Yeah, Lacey, I, there's uh, you got some good, good feedback here. A lot of good information. [reading] "Glad to see the support for male victims." I think that's a really good point, Tammera. Yeah, not often... Kind of like the same thing with domestic violence where we, it's, uh, [Lacey] Mm-hmm. [Bonni] not often as noticed or seen, um, that we have male victims just, um, the majority is female, but definitely we have male victims that need just as much support, if not more, I think. [Lacey] Yeah. Um, it was clear in articulating that victims can be any age, gender, race, socioeconomic status. But the services were primarily targeted to women from what I found, both in Oklahoma City and on a national scale. And so it was helpful to see something specifically for men, but I do wish there were a lot more. For men and children. [Bonni] I'm also grateful for all of the, um, resources and things that you've provided for everyone on here to share with families, to be able to, to help figure out ways to, to protect kiddos as they're growing up in this environment. Um, you know, not to be scared, like you said, there's a balance right, of, of not being too scared and not being, locking down your children forever, even if you want to, but, but knowing that it's, the best thing is, is how to teach them and train them and help them practice ways to keep themselves in the uh, safe in the future because they're, it's their future and it's our world for sure. And I love, the last thing I'm gonna share with you, Lacey, is I appreciate how you've really connected this to the population that we're talking about of, um, our kiddos who have been adopted from foster care and how, man, that's sticking in my brain. That 60%. Um, that's a lot. Six out of 10 of our kids have, um, what was it exactly? Have been either... [Lacey] So 60% of those who are child sex trafficking victims were in the child welfare system at some point. [Bonni] Yeah. Yeah. That's a big deal. It's a big deal. Um, and like you said earlier, it's not something that just goes away once they're adopted, right? Like that's, adoption is, is a step towards, hopefully, stability and permanency and uh, good support and connection in their future. But, but it's rocky and it's challenging and there are things that come up and trauma that's triggered and, and all those things. So it's a lifelong process of, of recognizing the things that our, um, kids might face and also knowing the best ways to support them. [Lacey] Sure. [Bonni] Thank you so much. Thank you. See, Lynn put, "91 reported in 180 victims. So more victims came from those that did report." Hmm. That's a good point. Reporting is important. That's one thing, that's one thing I've, no-- I don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but on I-35, I know I-35 is a big major, major highway and those major, um, cross the entire nation highways are a big, especially where they cross ways, right. Um, so on I-35, I've seen a couple billboards that have like, uh, "Trafficking" on it, but then there's a number at the bottom and I'm never able, like I've got the fir-- it's 1-800 and then the first couple numbers, but then I'm always, you know, you're driving 70 miles an hour past it, it's really hard cuz it's tiny little print. So I think there's some interesting things that, kind of similar when working in domestic violence in the past. There's different ways and nuances of how to reach this population and how to be savvy and aware of what it's like, you know, being in that situation. So I'm not sure, I mean maybe you guys have different perspectives or a different thought, but I'm like, I'm not sure a billboard on I-35 is gonna be the most helpful, especially when I can't even read the number. As you're thinking someone who might need to use it will have to like memorize it cuz they won't be able to just write it down, um, while they're driving quickly by. But interesting. I mean at least there's something there, but I think there's a lot to be done. [Lacey] Something I found somewhere, I didn't include in the presentation cause it's more of a national thing, but, um, it's called Truckers Against Trafficking. And what they do is they focus on truck stop bathrooms and things like that. And so they have little stickers that they'll put in the truck stop bathrooms on the stall. Um, they get removed, you know, eventually, but they just kind of carry them with them if they're a member of this group. Um, and then they'll, they'll just stick the stickers on the wall, um, because at, at some point, you know, your victim will have to use the bathroom. Um, and so, um, they just kind of, it's like a grassroots effort to do what they can to help it, because we know that truck stops and trucking, um, is a big factor in trafficking, um, in transporting trafficking victims. And so a group of truckers just banded together and like, "We're gonna do something, do what we can about this." And so that was a really neat effort that I noticed as well. [Bonni] That is cool. That is cool. And like what Lynn put in the chat just now, [reading] "the agencies doing the street work, helping but not putting the victims in danger." Yeah. Being there for when they're ready. Mm-hmm. Building relationship and support. It's good. All right. Well thank you Lacey, so very much. Um, thank you to everyone who's joined us today. We do have, I think Katie's gonna put in the chat a link to an evaluation survey that we would love, just a couple questions, um, if you could take a few minutes and give us some feedback, um, about this presentation in particular, but also other topics that you would like a Lunch and Learn to cover in the future. So please, if you can just take a few minutes. If there's anyone who needs a certificate of attendance, please don't forget to put that in the chat as well so we can make sure and get you that. Um, we have more Lunch and Learns coming up and we are in the middle, this Friday will be our second meeting of a book club going over "Beneath the Mask: Understanding Adopted Teens." So once again, if you're interested in joining our Oklahoma Adoption Competency Network, please get us your email. You can either look, just if you put in Google, "Oklahoma Aadoption Competency Network," you'll get to our page. And at the bottom of that page is where you can fill in a form field -- Oh, perfect, Katie. Thank you. She put the QR code there in chat as well. Um, at the bottom of that, you can give us your email address. We're working on ways to be able to expand our communication. Um, we've got an email list, but we're also hoping to start using some, some reminder apps to be able to keep, keep people in the loop of knowing when our Lunch and Learns are happening and our book clubs. And we've got some other exciting things that we're planning and working on for the summer, like meetups, social meetups for families, um, post-adopt families, and our adopted, uh, persons, so adoptees, either adolescent or young adult. So we're excited to see, um, see you all and connect with you in the future. Please reach out to us and stay contacted with us. I really am excited for our future. Thank you, Lacey.