New Human Trafficking Response Training Available in January

The United States is ranked as one of the worst countries globally for human trafficking. According to World Population Review, an estimated 199,000 incidents occur in the U.S. every year. In 2023, Texas and Florida had the second and third-highest number of human trafficking cases identified in the country.

While traffickers are willing to exploit anyone, Homeland Security notes that there are groups that may be at increased risk, including:

• People who have experienced childhood abuse or neglect
• Children and youth in foster care
• People experiencing homelessness
• People living in poverty
• Survivors of domestic violence

According to the Federal Human Trafficking Institute, in 2023, the most common victim vulnerability identified in reported cases was drug or substance abuse.

Step back and take a good, clear look at this information. Do you know anyone like this at your corps? In your shelter? In your Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC)? The Salvation Army interacts with people vulnerable to human trafficking schemes daily. Adding the geographical compounding factors of seasonal hurricanes, flooding, and tornados, the Southern Territory in particular sees an even greater number of people who are at risk of being trafficked.

“Every corps officer works with someone vulnerable to trafficking,” Sheena Evans, territorial services coordinator against human trafficking, states. “It’s in their most vulnerable state that they’re walking into these corps and Kroc Centers and ARCs.”

To better support the officers serving on the front lines, Territorial Headquarters is releasing a series of training videos to help educate corps officers on red flags, how to respond, and available resources.

This Human Trafficking Response Training is broken up into four videos on the topics of God’s heart for justice, human trafficking 101, strategies to combat trafficking, and available resources. Each video will be 10-20 minutes long, making the entire course about an hour to complete, and an accompanying booklet and resource guide with facts and helpful details provides additional reinforcement.

“We created it this way so officers could break it up and watch the videos in their own time,” Sheena explains. “Because of the nature of who we work with in the field, it’s vital that we take in this information however best they do.” Videos can be viewed once a week, once a month in staff meetings, or all in one sitting if desired.

“This training is specifically for corps officers, but it would also be beneficial for other team members,” Sheena shares. She suggests that officers get their employees, board members, and volunteers involved, either by sharing the videos or through prayer support and distribution of useful resources. “It’s something that will empower them to serve vulnerable populations well.”

This resource was born out of the need to provide more consistent care for people receiving essential human trafficking response services across the territory. “There’s a disconnect with how vital this is,” Sheena says. “There’s not a lot of officers that really understand the nature of having these programs.” As a result, during changes in leadership, sometimes programs and services are discontinued. This can have a detrimental effect on survivors in our care. “The lack of consistency, for someone who has already had a lack of consistency in their life, is very hard.”

With a recent revamp of the Territorial Anti- Human Trafficking Council’s Human Trafficking Response Strategic Action Plan, the Southern Territory is focusing in on ways to ensure that those vulnerable to trafficking, as well as survivors in our care, are well taken care of.

“Historically,” Sheena shares, “when you hear about biblical justice and social justice and being on the front lines, The Salvation Army has been that. We want to bring that back, specifically to the Southern Territory, as we are one of the most vulnerable to trafficking due to poverty rates and natural disasters.”

This educational resource is intended to empower corps officers, not add additional burdens on already busy ministers. “We were hearing, ‘We don’t have time for it. We don’t know how to serve this population,’” Sheena shares. “We want to break down that wall and say, ‘You are already serving very well with food pantries and case workers and social services. Let us walk alongside you to help you understand the nature of the vulnerable populations you’re serving.’”

The training booklet, which can be printed from Ministry Toolkit, is a great physical resource that can be kept on hand for quick reference. “If they hear of an encounter or someone comes to their corps running for their life… I just hope that this empowers our corps and strengthens us to be able to serve well,” Sheena says. She also encourages corps to print posters for bathroom stalls with important assistance information for those that may pass unnoticed by staff and officers in person.

“I really hope that this training at least starts to scratch the surface on how we can better engage the topic,” Sheena shares. “My goal is to equip our officers with the information and resources necessary to do this work at even the smallest scale, even if that is just bringing education to the corps leadership.”

“If and when they see a red flag in their corps or at an event, an outreach situation, they’ll know who to call, what to do, and how to better handle that situation.”

Sheena emphasizes that the territory wants to empower corps officers to follow after God’s heart for justice and righteousness through this training.

This educational series will be available on Ministry Toolkit in January. The Anti-Human Trafficking Resource Booklet and additional resources are available for download now.