Description
Since 2020, the U.S. Department of Education has conducted a webinar series to address the growing response of America’s schools to child trafficking. The series draws attention to the important efforts underway in our nation’s education community to address both sex and labor trafficking.
On behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Safe and Supportive Schools, the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE) invites you to join the next webinar in this series, Protecting Young People from Online Exploitation.
Date: Wednesday, October 26, 2022
Time: 3:00 – 4:30 pm EDT
This webinar is focused on understanding what online exploitation is and how schools can protect young people from it. Speakers started by defining what online exploitation is – describing how it is facilitated via technology and how online human trafficking compares with online sexual abuse – and then share what you can look out for and do if it is happening. Following a set of presentations, the speakers engaged in a panel discussion to share how they implemented mitigation strategies and how schools can educate young people to recognize grooming and other dangerous online behavior. After the panel, the speakers were available to answer a few questions from participants. Catch the recording below to learn strategies you can use tomorrow!
Speakers/Panelists
- Ruth Ryder, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education
- Jennifer O’Brien, Assistant Professor, Crimes Against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
- Wendy Walsh, Research Associate, Crimes Against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
- Stacey Robinson, Manager, Project-Grant Fund, Division of Equity and Student Empowerment, DeKalb County School District, Stone Mountain, GA
- Dave Alley, Special Agent, Homeland Security Investigations, Acting Supervisor Child Exploitation Group, Detroit, MI
- Rachel Thomas, Member, U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking, Person with Lived Experience
Webinar Materials
Related Resources
- Human Trafficking in America’s Schools
- Addressing the Growing Problem of Domestic Sex Trafficking of Minors Through PBIS
- Addressing Human Trafficking in America's Schools Staff Development Series
- Human Trafficking in America's Schools: How Schools Can Combat Human Trafficking in Partnership With People With Lived Experience
UNH Resources
- Sex Trafficking of Minors: How Many Juveniles are Being Prostituted in the US?
- Vulnerabilities Relevant for Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children/Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: A Systematic Review of Risk Factors
- Prevalence of Online Sexual Offenses Against Children in the U.S.
- Study: The role of the internet in the grooming, exploitation, and exit of United States domestic minor sex trafficking victims
- Study: Educating Youth About Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: a Systematic Review
- Study: Improving services for youth survivors of commercial sexual exploitation: Insights from interventions with other high-risk youth
- Youth Internet Safety Education: Aligning Programs with Evidence-Base
- Crimes against Children Research Center
Resources from Rachel Thomas
- https://www.rachelcthomas.com
- Resources for Parents
- United States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking, Annual Report 2022
Resources from Dave Alley
If you are a human trafficking victim or have information about a potential trafficking situation, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) at 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733. NHTRC is a national, toll-free hotline, with specialists available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also submit a tip on the NHTRC website.
If you believe a child is involved in a trafficking situation, submit a tip through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline or call 1-800-THE-LOST. FBI personnel assigned to NCMEC review information that is provided to the CyberTipline.
Source: FBI Webpage on Human Trafficking
More Information
Please contact NCSSLE if you have any questions. We look forward to sharing this information with you and hearing about the important work you are doing in your schools, communities, and states to meet the needs of students and staff.
For more information and resources, visit the following webpages dedicated to human trafficking: ED’s Human Trafficking webpage; the U.S. Department of State’s Human Trafficking webpage; and the Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Trafficking Persons’ webpage.
To view previous webinars in this series, go here. To offer questions for consideration by the speakers on this webinar, email them to ncssle@air.org with “Webinar Question” in the subject line.