Leave No Child Behind in the Fight Against Human Trafficking

By the time Josepharrived at a program for unaccompanied refugee minors in the United States, he had fled his home in Rwanda due to violence in the community, his father was murdered, and the rest of his family was separated when his village came under attack. Joseph received support from a caring foster family and eventually found his mother and brother. He is currently pursuing a path of public service after overcoming many challenges to finish high school and college.

Joseph is among the thousands of children served by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) every year. On July 30, we celebrate the resilience of children like Joseph and spotlight the importance of coordinated support in recognition of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons . This year's theme, "Leave No Child Behind in the Fight Against Human Trafficking," spotlights the harm of this international scourge on children with focused attention on preventing trafficking among unaccompanied refugee minors, addressing root causes, and strengthening child protection networks.

Human trafficking is a serious threat and children-particularly those disconnected from families and experiencing homelessness or abuse are at a heightened risk. There were more than 3.3 million children around the world in situations of human trafficking on any given day in 2021. In coordination with other divisions, ACF leads the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) development of anti-trafficking resources, programs, and policies in the United States.

For example, ACF's Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP)and Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)collaborate to prevent trafficking from occurring and strengthen protective factors among children and youth intersecting with refugee resettlement, unaccompanied children, and other youth-serving settings during and after receipt of services.

Connecting trafficking survivors to refugee programs -OTIP works with federal, state, and local government agencies that are required to refer concerns of human trafficking experienced by foreign national children to HHS. OTIP assesses the child's situation by consulting with federal agencies and non-government organizations and issues Eligibility Lettersfor victims of trafficking eligible for refugee services and benefits(PDF). OTIP coordinates with ORR-funded state refugee programs to connect children to case management, medical, food, housing, and other assistance.

Screening for human trafficking - ORR assesses all unaccompanied children in its care for potential trafficking concerns at intake, throughout the child's stay in care, and during the sponsor vetting process. Staff at ORR-funded care provider programs, including case managers, teachers, doctors, youth care workers, and other staff, promptly flag concerns and coordinate with OTIP if they suspect a child has experienced trafficking. If trafficking concerns arise during sponsor assessments, the case is referred for investigation to the appropriate investigative authorities and OTIP. Similarly, post-release services providers must report to ORR and law enforcement any concerns that come to light after a child has been discharged to a sponsor.

Enhancing child protection mechanisms - OTIP coordinates with child welfare and schools to strengthen coordination between federal, state, and local trafficking responses. ORR requires a home study for children with any identified trafficking concerns and connects children to post release services following a home study to aid human trafficking prevention. ORR and OTIP also coordinate with many federal agencies, including a joint effort with the Department of Labor to address exploitative child labor and other coordinated action to ensure that suspected trafficking cases are thoroughly investigated, children receive support in a timely manner, and trends and risks factors are identified to inform prevention efforts.

Synchronized and collaborative engagement is the best way to respond to and prevent human trafficking. ACF developed the following resources to increase coordination and strengthen protective factors:

• Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM) Programprovides long-term, specialized care for unaccompanied children who cannot be reunited with their families and children who have experienced human trafficking
• Micrositewith links to human trafficking prevention and protection resources when working with unaccompanied children
• SOAR Online training modulesfor health and human service professionals seeking to build skills to identify, treat, and respond appropriately to human trafficking (including modules specific to school based professionals and those working with foreign national minors who have experienced trafficking )
• HHS Look Beneath the Surface Campaignprovides downloadable outreach materials for children, including pocket hotline cards in 26 languages
• Anti-trafficking grant programsassisting survivors of human trafficking and implementing prevention education in schools (and associated program evaluations)

We invite grant recipients and other partners to join us in focusing on addressing the causes and vulnerabilities linked with the trafficking of children and youth by utilizing these resources and spotlighting promising solutions.

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