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Human Trafficking Prevention

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A women presenting at a human trafficking prevention event

The SAFE Center’s prevention and community outreach initiatives aim to facilitate the identification of potential survivors and reduce vulnerabilities to trafficking. We have reached over 12,000 students, parents, caregivers, educators, medical professionals, and other community members through outreach events and training and technical assistance.

We build partnerships with additional local service providers and conduct on-the-ground outreach to vulnerable individuals.

Prevention and Outreach

Reducing Youth Vulnerability to Trafficking

The SAFE Center leads human trafficking prevention programming in middle schools and high schools in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties. We provide human trafficking prevention workshops and outreach to students, parents/caregivers, and educators that address human trafficking 101, healthy relationships and dating violence prevention, and warning signs of exploitation. We also worked with Bowie High School to facilitate meetings of the B.L.E.U. Club (Being Loving, Empathetic, and Understanding), a mental health-focused peer leadership program.

The SAFE Center collaborated with the Prince George’s County Central School District to train countywide pupil personnel workers who work directly with students and serve as a referral source to school-based and community resources for students and families.

Girls Retreat

Girls Leadership Retreat

As part of a three-year federal grant aimed at expanding our trafficking prevention program to additional schools and foster care programs, the SAFE Center’s Clinical Mental Health team developed and led a Girls Leadership Retreat in June 2024. The retreat’s objectives were to empower the girls, boost their confidence, provide mentorship and networking opportunities, and encourage self-discovery as a means of reducing their vulnerability to trafficking. 

Community Engagement, Training, and Technical Assistance

In partnership with other local service providers, the SAFE Center regularly participates in community outreach events and expert panels. We lead presentations and trainings on sex trafficking, labor trafficking, and signs of exploitation to raise awareness among social workers, lawyers, medical professionals, school counselors, foreign consulate officials, students, and other community members. Our collaborations for training and technical assistance have included working with the Maryland Hospital Association and University of Maryland Capital Region Health to help hospital-based professionals across the state recognize and more effectively treat survivors.

The SAFE Center participates in community events including:  

  • National Night Out: New Carrollton, Oxon Hill, Berwyn Heights, and Hyattsville locations 
  • Back to School Jam & Health Fair, Langley Park MD
  • Annual Fatherhood Festival hosted by Judy Center Early Learning Hub and Child Resource Connect, Adelphi MD
  • Red Sand Project, Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services – Trauma Services
  • Women’s Legislative Briefing, Montgomery County Commission for Women

Guidelines for Hospital Healthcare Providers and Comprehensive Implementation at UMD Capital Region Health

 

In partnership with the Maryland Hospital Association, the SAFE Center developed Human Trafficking: Guidelines for Healthcare Providers to help Maryland’s medical professionals identify and support survivors of human trafficking in hospitals. At the University of Maryland Capital Region Health, we are providing technical assistance for the establishment of a comprehensive human trafficking response and referral pathway in five hospital units: Emergency Room; Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Center; OB/GYN; Behavioral Health; and Outpatient Clinic. This Serve, Identify, Respond, and eValuate (SIRV) Model is aimed at improving identification of and response to victims of sex and labor trafficking within healthcare systems by providing best practices for screening, identification, and support of victims in a medical setting.