2012 Trafficking In Persons Final Report.pdf - NCJTC Home

Trafficking in Persons symposium
Subject Matter Expert and survivor interviews were also conducted during the Symposium. These faceto-face,
videotaped, interviews provided an opportunity to ask in-depth questions about various child
trafficking topics. Potential interview subjects were identified from the list of registered Symposium participants
with representation from all of the subject matter expert groups. Potential subjects were sent invitation emails,
which clearly outlined the purpose of the interview, the questions, and the voluntary nature of participation. Interview
participants were given options to protect their identity if desired. Interview schedules were developed
for law enforcement, prosecution, survivors and other subject matter experts (interview questions available upon
request). Time and content considerations dictated a semi-structured interview format. When possible, subjects
were asked all of the questions on the instrument; but often time limitations restricted the researcher's ability to
complete the entire interview schedule. In total, 7 law enforcement officers, 4 prosecutors, 8 other subject matter
experts (2 tribal experts, 5 social services and 1 expert from the medical field), and 9 sex trafficking survivor
interviews were completed during the Symposium. These 28 subject matter experts produced approximately 35
hours of videotaped data on child sex and labor trafficking. The interviews will be reviewed and data will be
extracted to supplement and validate the focus group conclusions. This component of the research has not yet
been completed; therefore the interview findings are not presented in the results section.
Four weeks after the event, participants were invited to complete a post-Symposium outcome evaluation.
The 22 item post-event questionnaire measured participants' perception of the Symposium, learning of new information,
and interest in further collaboration on child trafficking issues. The instrument was reviewed by the
research team and pre-tested with a small group of Symposium participants to ensure that the questionnaire was
clear, concise and comprehensive. Participants were given up to six weeks to complete the questionnaire and two
options for finishing the instrument: a web-based server or self-administered mailed surveys. Seventy-four of the
123 registered Symposium participants completed the post-event survey (60 percent completion rate).
Symposium Results
Using surveys, focus groups and interviews, the Symposium provided a platform for collecting detailed
information on child sex and labor trafficking. This data provide meaningful guidance from subject matter experts
on successful approaches to addressing child trafficking, and challenges in identification, investigation, prosecution
and restoration. The discussion below outlines the results of the pre-event survey, focus group discussions,
interviews, and post-Symposium outcome questionnaire.
Pre-Event Survey
Beginning with the pre-event survey, the research team gathered information on participants and topics
for the Symposium. Data generated by the participant survey was used to guide Symposium planning, presentations
and focus group themes. Combining pre-event survey data with Symposium registration information, table
1, provides basic descriptive information on Symposium participants. Symposium participants from local, state
and federal agencies included representatives from law enforcement, prosecution, AMBER Alert, social services,
educators, faith organizations, non-profits, policy groups, sex-trafficking survivors and federal partners. Most
Symposium attendees were from law enforcement agencies (39.8 percent); followed by federal partners (10.6
percent) from the Federal Bureau of Investigations and Office of Victims of Crime. International representatives
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