January: National Human Trafficking Awareness Month January 11th is #HumanTrafficking Awareness Day. The Institute is collaborating with its affiliates, the Florida Department of Children and Families, and other stakeholders to help better identify and work with survivors.
If you suspect a child is a victim, please call the Florida Abuse Hotline at 1-800-96-ABUSE
Facts & Figures
rd 3
Florida ranks
in the U.S. for human trafficking prevalence.1
Between 2011 and 2015, there were
4,413
trafficking allegations
investigated in Florida, which were coded as
sex (58.3%), labor (5.7%), or 2
unspecified trafficking (40.5%).
Over 1/5 of allegations were for children in out-of-home care (21.2%) and of those, over 1/3 were missing from care (37.1%).3
The Florida abuse hotline received
1,901
reports of human trafficking allegations in SFY 2019-2020,
approximately 1/4 of which were deemed verified as trafficking.4
Compared to other types of maltreatment investigations, Florida youth with human trafficking investigations are
more likely to have previous child welfare involvement. 3
Consequences of youth sex trafficking include
significant adverse physical and mental health impacts (e.g., injuries from violence, sexually transmitted infections, major depression, suicidality).5
which encourages Departmental
To better meet the needs of these
circuits to better address the
vulnerable youth, the Florida Legislature enacted the
needs of sexually exploited youth,
safe harbor act of 2012
including expansion efforts for short-term safe housing
(fla. stat. § 409.1678),
availability and use.6
Institute Affiliates We have several affiliates who do human trafficking-related work. Learn more about their work in our affiliate directory:
ficw.fsu.edu/affiliates
Nairruti Jani, Ph.D.
Lisa Magruder, Ph.D.
Michael Killian, Ph.D.
Karen Oehme, JD
Florida Gulf Coast University
Florida State University
Florida Institute for Child Welfare
Florida State University
Gihan Omar, Ph.D. Citrus Health
Institute Spotlight The Institute for Family Violence Studies, led by Institute affiliate Karen Oehme (Florida State University), recently co-developed the
Professional
Certification in Human Trafficking Prevention and Intervention. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the certification focuses on human trafficking dynamics, prevention strategies, and evidence-based, traumainformed interventions. Information on protections and services for at-risk you and child victims is included. The self-paced curriculum has twelve hours of content and is appropriate for a range of professionals, with several roles eligible for Continuing Education Credits. To learn more about the Certification, click
here.
Join our mailing list for updates ficw.fsu.edu/subscribe 1 2 3
National Human Trafficking Hotline. (2018). Hotline statistics. Retrieved December 20, 2019 from https://humantraffickinghotline.org/states
Unspecified trafficking type was coded as such because, prior to 2013, DCF used one allegation type, which did not differentiate sex and labor trafficking.
Gibbs, D. A., Henninger, A. M., Tueller, S. J., & Kluckman, M. N. (2018). Human trafficking and the child welfare population in Florida. Children and Youth Services Review, 88,1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018d.02.045
4
Florida Department of Children and Families [DCF]. (2020). Annual human trafficking report. Retrieved January 6, 2020 from
5
Barnert, E., Iqbal, Z., Bruce, J., Anoshiravani, A., Kolhatkar, G., & Greenbaum, J. (2017). Commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of children and adolescents: A narrative review. Academy of
https://www.myflfamilies.com/service-programs/child-welfare/lmr/docs/2020LMRs/Human%20Trafficking%20Annual%20Report%202020.pdf Pediatrics, 17(8), 825-829. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2017.07.009
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