Community

Community Response Against Child Sex Trafficking

Commercial sexual exploitation of children happens in every community, and is everyone’s problem. Human trafficking permeates our schools, businesses, hospitals, criminal justice system, and foster care system. While national research shows that many trafficked youth come from poverty and/or poor family structures, those characteristics are not universally true…

H.E.A.T. Watch Response:

  • Read about community challenges and solutions to commercial sexual exploitation of children.
  • Learn about the various outreach and community engagement programs H.E.A.T. Watch has, such as a radio show, newsletter, social media, graphic novel series, the Bay Area H.E.A.T. Coalition, and our Youth Action Network to name a few.
  • Access resources, training examples, information, and more.

To request further assistance, training, and outreach, email us at info@heatwatch.org.

Success Story

Community Response Against Child Sex Trafficking

Commercial sexual exploitation of children happens in every community, and is everyone’s problem. Human trafficking permeates our schools, businesses, hospitals, criminal justice system, and foster care system. While national research shows that many trafficked youth come from poverty and/or poor family structures, those characteristics are not universally true.

Community Success Story

Many youth are vulnerable to being “seduced” into a relationship with human trafficking at its core; many youth have experienced sexual and other forms of abuse as children; and, it is estimated that one in four youth were trafficked out of foster care.

By learning how to identify the signs of child sex trafficking, the community can help law enforcement, service agencies, schools, and non-governmental organizations respond and prevent it from occurring in the first place. When the community understands the intricacies of this issue, they can play a crucial role in preventing local child sex trafficking before it begins.

An overarching goal is to empower communities to identify and respond to human trafficking by helping them create H.E.A.T. Watch Neighborhood programs throughout the nation. These programs act as protectors of our children who are at-risk. Participants in the programs use their eyes and ears to recognize human trafficking and take action to do something about it, such as calling the authorities who can rescue victims and the police who can arrest perpetrators. No one community or agency can do it alone, but there are various tools that have proven to be effective. With these tools, you can expand your outreach and awareness efforts to establish a cohesive community network.

The H.E.A.T. Watch Toolkit is designed to aid your efforts to combat human trafficking. Each section of the online Toolkit contains guidelines and resources that correspond to the five points of H.E.A.T. Watch. We hope that the following information will inspire and assist you in your fight against child sex trafficking. You will find templates, resources, and guides to support your own development of response to domestic minor sex trafficking under community tools. Additionally, H.E.A.T. Watch offers training and technical assistance to help you combat human trafficking in your community.

H.E.A.T. Watch Response

  • Read about community challenges and solutions to commercial sexual exploitation of children.
  • Learn about the various outreach and community engagement programs H.E.A.T. Watch has, such as a radio show, newsletter, social media, graphic novel series, the Bay Area H.E.A.T. Coalition, and our Youth Action Network to name a few.
  • Access resources, training examples, information, and more.

To request further assistance, training, and outreach, email us at info@heatwatch.org.

Identifying Challenges & Solutions

Identifying Challenges

As one of the 5-points of H.E.A.T. Watch, community engagement is also one of the most important. Law enforcement cannot be everywhere at all times, so ensuring that the community is properly trained on issues regarding the commercial sexual exploitation of children is a necessary component to an effective response. H.E.A.T. Watch’s training model includes dispelling myths and misconceptions, breaking down “the game”, identifying risk factors and red flags, and providing local data on sexually exploited minors. People learn and engage with one another differently. Therefore, to raise awareness and reach more individuals, H.E.A.T. Watch utilizes various platforms through our website, social media, newsletters, an online radio show, public service announcements, billboards, and our graphic novel series.

H.E.A.T. Watch strives to build a new community that empathizes and understands the victimology associated with human trafficking. Responsible community awareness depends on promoting a mindset that views and treats exploited youth as victims.

Identifying Solutions

The following strategies provide a basic foundation to create H.E.A.T. Watch Neighborhood Programs specific to your region:

Recognize stakeholders. One of the first steps your community can take is to find agencies, organizations, survivors, faith based organizations, and community advocates that are already working to combat human trafficking. If there is already a response network in place, see how you can join and provide assistance to support their efforts rather than duplicate them. If no such network exists, invite interested parties to come together to create a working group that opens up dialogue around child sex trafficking in your community. Meet and communicate regularly, and track progress in order to ensure the group’s goals are being met.

Establish community goals. Upon convening a working group, establish your community’s goals around addressing and talking about child sex trafficking. Ask your working group what they hope to accomplish, and define your short-term and long-term goals. Though some ideologies may differ amongst partners, come up with one to three similar objectives for the first year on which all partners can agree, with an understanding that these objectives are flexible. When you decide together on the direction, you allow all groups to take ownership of this collective effort that will facilitate a unified outreach effort.

Create awareness campaign. It is beneficial for the community and working group to come together and create a strategic campaign to raise awareness about child sex trafficking. It does not take marketing experts to develop an awareness campaign, though many experts will donate their time to help create effective messaging and publicity.

  • The first step is to identify what level of understanding your community has around the issue, and set expectations for how you hope they will respond to your efforts.
  • The next step is to decide what message you want to communicate based on that information. Make sure the message is simple and straightforward so you do not confuse your audience. For example, do you want to communicate to the community that commercial sexual exploitation of children is happening on your streets? Do you want to focus on a particular aspect of trafficking, such as boys, exploiters, or the purchasers who buy victims?
  • The third step is to find out if any national, state, and local efforts may coincide with your campaign, such as National Human Trafficking Awareness Month. By coordinating your campaign with larger strategies, you can leverage your efforts and maximize your campaign’s exposure.
  • The fourth step is to decide on the mode or medium for delivering your message. Will you be using billboards, social media, video, or in-person trainings? Be aware that companies that manage billboards and bus shelter signage will often provide free space for public awareness campaigns; media stations, both radio and television will provide free airtime for public service announcements. More often than not you’ll use all of the above, but be as strategic as possible regarding campaign placement and the type of audiences who will see it.
  • The fifth and final step is to bring resources together and make sure your message has a Call to Action (CTA) that directs the community to an action plan, to website, phone number, or agency that can respond accordingly.

H.E.A.T. Watch Community Response

H.E.A.T. Watch COMMUNITY Engagement Response

H.E.A.T. Watch raises awareness through the following programs and efforts. Make sure to stay up to date with news and events, by signing up for our mailing list.

Bay Area H.E.A.T. Coalition (BAHC). BAHC is a quarterly training and networking opportunity for law enforcement, service providers, government agencies, community members, and elected officials. During each BAHC training, H.E.A.T. Watch brings together experts in the field to highlight a particular aspect of modern day slavery, such as the current state of human trafficking policy & law, how various disciplines come into contact and respond to the commercial sexual exploitation of children, and how to better serve exploited youth who have development or cognitive disabilities. The goal is to bring partners together, inform them of particular aspects trafficking, and update them on local data on the population. Join our mailing list, so you can learn when our next BAHC training will be.

Social Media. The Alameda County DA’s Office created a specific H.E.A.T. Watch website with information and resources on human trafficking. Housed within the site is the online Toolkit for partners interested in creating their own H.E.A.T. Watch program. In addition to the website, H.E.A.T. Watch can be found on Facebook and Twitter where we share news stories, statistics, infographics, videos, and upcoming events. We also utilize social media tools like Prezi, SlideShare, Instagram, and Vine. For more information go to our website.

Trainings & Outreach Events. H.E.A.T. Watch has provided hundreds of trainings and outreach events, locally, statewide, and nationally. We train law enforcement, service providers, probation, social services, schools, hospitals, prosecutors, community members, labor unions, and elected officials, to name a few. We also provide webinars, attend local neighborhood watch meetings, and major outreach events like National Night Out. To request training by H.E.A.T. Watch, email us at info@heatwatch.org.

Youth Action Network (YAN). YAN provides human trafficking prevention education to Alameda County middle and high school students, staff, teachers, and parents. In addition to trainings, we work with local parents and service providers to create strategic awareness campaigns, which include billboards, social media outreach, mailings and more. H.E.A.T. Watch also empowers students to become H.E.A.T. Watch Youth Ambassadors by creating clubs on school campuses, organizing events and fundraisers for victim-supported programs, and law enforcement trainings. Human trafficking of youth is not foreign to kids today. They have a keen awareness and many have taken charge to do something about it. Giving youth a vehicle for developing their own strategies to combat trafficking of their peers and youth in their communities is productive and action-oriented. Just as Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) has become a nationally recognized, youth-driven initiative to stop teen driving under the influence that has led to too many deaths and serious injuries, YAN has the potential to be as effective and as engaging as SADD.To partner up with the Youth Action Network, or to become a H.E.A.T. Watch Youth Ambassador, email us at info@heatwatch.org.

Community Tools

H.E.A.T. Watch actively engages the community to raise awareness and action about human trafficking and exploitation. Below are some tools, resources, templates, and training examples that you can use in your own community’s response. Make sure to check back often for updated material and information. For programmatic support, email info@heatwatch.org.

If you plan to use specific H.E.A.T. Watch material, please credit the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, H.E.A.T. Watch Program.


 

 

H.E.A.T. Watch Outreach Materials (Examples)

H.E.A.T. Watch Data on Human Trafficking

*These numbers are likely to change in the coming months as they are derived from a database, which is currently being updated. We are still gathering relevant data.

Templates

  • Community Outreach Presentation on Human Trafficking – Use this PowerPoint to assist you in developing your own community training curriculum. The purpose of this template is to provide you with information that you can pick and choose as you see fit. This presentation includes background about the commercial sexual exploitation of children, myths & misconceptions, risk factors, statistics, and more (look in the “notes” section of the PowerPoint for talking points, sources, and links to external videos). (8.9MB)

Trainings

  • Creating Successful Presentations – As you prepare or update your own presentations using PowerPoint, there are certain rules that you can utilize to optimize the audience’s experience. Quickly review this how-to guide on creating powerful presentations about human trafficking, while utilizing Guy Kawasaki’s 10-20-30 Presentation Rule (0.7MB)
  • Social Media + Social Causes (Prezi) – Learn social media and online strategies to support your anti-trafficking movement. Updated September 2013.
  • Social Media + Social Causes (Live Recording) – This training was recorded on January 26, 2013 at the 2013 Freedom Summit. Though this training has been updated since then, feel free to listen to this recording as you also follow along with the “Social Media + Social Causes (Prezi)” listed above.
  • The Sexual Exploitation of Minors (Webinar Recording) – This webinar was recorded by the National Family Justice Association, and given by H.E.A.T. Unit Supervisor, DDA Casey Bates and H.E.A.T. Watch Program Coordinator, Maia Sciupac in June 2013. Access the webinar PowerPoint, additional material and the webinar recording.

Resources

  • Black Girls for Sale“, Essence Magazine (2010) (2.6MB)
  • H.E.A.T. Watch Newsletter – Read news stories, interviews, and community highlights from previous newsletter editions that are housed on our blog. Get notified when our quarterly newsletter goes live by signing up for our mailing list.
  • H.E.A.T. Watch Radio – Listen to interviews and news stories about human trafficking on H.E.A.T. Watch Radio.
  • Poem by a Sexually Exploited Minor – This poem was written by a youth in juvenile hall. (0.9MB)
  • The Protection Project, Johns Hopkins University (Syllabi)– “The Protection Project, in conjunction with the Association of Scholars, encourages the incorporation of information about human trafficking into academic coursework across a variety of disciplines. Below are a collection of syllabi for courses which either focus entirely on human trafficking or which incorporate human trafficking into the presentation of another subject. Those courses which are cross-listed in multiple disciplines are listed under both possible subjects.”