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THE COOK COUNTY HUMAN TRAFFICKING TASK FORCE
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U and T Visa Law Enforcement Resource Guide for Federal, State, Local, Tribal and Territorial Law Enforcement, Prosecutors, Judges, and Other Government Agencies

12/2/2015

 
The Department of Homeland Security created this Resource Guide to clarify the role of law enforcement agencies within T and U visa programs. This guide includes information about U and T visa requirements; the I-918B certification and I-914B declaration processes; best practices; answers to important and frequently asked questions from judges, prosecutors, law enforcement agencies, and other officials; where to look for more resources; and contact information for DHS personnel on U and T visa issues. View the resource guide here: ​http://library.niwap.org/wp-content/uploads/DHS-U-and-T-Visa-Law-Enforcement-Resource-Guide-11.30.15.pdf

Promising Practices: An Overview of Trauma-Informed Therapeutic Support for Survivors of Human Trafficking

11/2/2015

 
This report from Polaris and the Sanar Wellness Institute provides an overview of promising therapeutic support that can be used to enhance individual and group intervention for survivors of all forms of human trafficking. Based on the experiences of serving clients in Polaris’s New Jersey office over the past five years, Polaris has found that certain trauma-informed therapeutic supports helped survivors gain resiliency. These interventions include: therapeutic/restorative yoga; expressive arts therapy; and mindfulness and sensory-based practices.  View the full report here: ​http://www.polarisproject.org/resources/promising-practices-therapeutic-support

Labor Trafficking in the U.S.: A Closer Look at Temporary Work Visas

10/29/2015

 
Labor Trafficking in the U.S.: A Closer Look at Temporary Work Visas, provides insight into the experiences of these temporary workers in the U.S., the visas most frequently associated with trafficking and exploitation, and the barriers victims face in accessing help. View the full report from Polaris here: http://www.polarisproject.org/resources/labor-trafficking-us-closer-look-temporary-work-visas

Free2Work Provides Consumers with Information on How Products Relate to Modern-Day Slavery

4/1/2015

 
Free2Work provides consumers with information on how products relate to modern-day slavery. Through the site you can learn how your favorite brands are working to address forced and child labor.  You can additionally access in-depth information about industry issues through our industry pages and news feeds, and you can learn more about trafficking and supply chains through our blog posts. View this information here: http://www.free2work.org/

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Apparel Industry Trends: ​http://www.free2work.org/trends/apparel2015/Free2Work-Apparel-Industry-Trends-2015.pdf

Coffee Trends: ​http://www.free2work.org/trends/coffee/

Electronic Industry Trends: ​http://www.free2work.org/trends/electronics/

Can snowball sampling estimate human trafficking?

2/12/2015

 
Snowball sampling is a popular method of researching hidden populations, but these authors argue its limitations make it the wrong choice for counting or describing the global population of trafficked humans. Read the article here: ​https://www.opendemocracy.net/beyondslavery/ashley-greve-oliver-kaplan/can-snowball-sampling-estimate-human-trafficking

Surviving the Streets of New York: Experiences of LGBTQ Youth, YMSM, and YWSW Engaged in Survival Sex

2/1/2015

 
Based on interviews with 283 youth in New York City, this is the first study to focus on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning (LGBTQ) youth; young men who have sex with men (YMSM); and young women who have sex with women (YWSW) who get involved in the commercial sex market in order to meet basic survival needs, such as food or shelter. The report documents these youth’s experiences and characteristics to gain a better understanding of why they engage in survival sex, describes how the support networks and systems in their lives have both helped them and let them down, and makes recommendations for better meeting the needs of this vulnerable population. View the full report here: http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/alfresco/publication-pdfs/2000119-Surviving-the-Streets-of-New-York.pdf

Human Trafficking in America's Schools

1/28/2015

 
This guide was developed to help school officials „ understand how human trafficking impacts schools, recognize the indicators of possible child trafficking, develop policies, protocols, and partnerships to address and prevent the exploitation of children. View the guide here: ​http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-releases-new-guide-identifying-and-preventing-child-trafficking-schools

2014 Statistics on Human Trafficking

1/15/2015

 
National statistics from the National Human Trafficking Resource Center:

These statistics include information from the calls, emails, and webforms received by the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline (available at traffickingresourcecenter.org/statistics); from texts received by Polaris’s BeFree texting helpline; and from communications referencing overseas cases. Through these communications, Polaris has learned of, responded to, and analyzed thousands of cases of human trafficking. The data are not intended to represent the full scope of human trafficking, but to help identify trends. Statistics on this page are from Jan. 1, 2014 to Dec. 31, 2014. View the national statistics here: ​https://polarisproject.org/sites/default/files/2014Statistics.pdf

Illinois 2014 Statistics from the National Human Trafficking Resource Center: 

The following information is based on incoming signals made to the NHTRC from January 1, 2014 – December 31, 2014 from individuals in Illinois about human trafficking cases and issues related to human trafficking. Signals refer to incoming communications with the NHTRC and can take the form of phone calls, online tip reports, or emails. Signals regarding topics unrelated to human trafficking are not included in this report. View this information here. 

List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor

12/1/2014

 
ILAB maintains a list of goods and their source countries which it has reason to believe are produced by child labor or forced labor in violation of international standards. The List is intended to raise public awareness about child labor and forced labor around the world, and to promote and inform efforts to address them. A starting point for action, the List creates opportunities for ILAB to engage and assist foreign governments. It is also a valuable resource for researchers, advocacy organizations and companies wishing to carry out risk assessments and engage in due diligence on labor rights in their supply chains. View the 2014 list here: ​http://www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/child-labor/list-of-goods/

Understanding the Organization, Operation, and Victimization Process of Labor Trafficking in the United States

10/1/2014

 
Researchers investigated 122 closed labor trafficking cases that took place across a wide array of industries, in four different regions. This study chronicles the experiences of labor trafficking victims from the point of recruitment for work, their forced labor victimization, their attempts to escape and  get help, and their efforts to seek justice through civil or criminal cases. View the full report here: ​http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/alfresco/publication-pdfs/413249-Understanding-the-Organization-Operation-and-Victimization-Process-of-Labor-Trafficking-in-the-United-States.PDF

Human Trafficking: Guidebook on Identification, Assessment, and Response in the Health Care Setting

9/1/2014

 
​The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Human Trafficking Initiative and the Massachusetts Medical Society Committee on Violence Intervention and Prevention have worked in partnership to create the first edition of Human Trafficking: Guidebook on Identification, Assessment, and Response in the Health Care Setting. This guidebook provides an overview of human trafficking, describes its clinical manifestations, and offers guidance for health care professionals regarding identification, assessment, care, and follow-up. View the full report here: ​http://www.massmed.org/Patient-Care/Health-Topics/Violence-Prevention-and-Intervention/Human-Trafficking-(pdf)/

The Institute of Medicine's Guide for Providers of Victim and Support Services

6/26/2014

 
    The Institute of Medicine and the  National Research Council have released a  guide for victim and support service providers summarizing their report "Confronting Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors in the United States." The guide highlights information relevant for providers of victim and support services and includes key terms, risk factors, emerging service strategies, challenges of providing services, and recommendations for preventing, identifying, and responding to these crimes.  The Cook County Human Trafficking Task Force and various core team partners are also specifically highlighted in this report. 

    Read the full guide here. 

Estimating the Size and Structure of the Underground Commercial Sex Economy in Eight Major U.S. Cities

3/28/2014

 
A research report by the Urban Institute takes a look at the underground commercial sex economy in eight major U.S. cities. According to the study, pimps and traffickers interviewed for the study took home between $5,000 and $32,833 each week. Read the full report here: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/413047-Underground-Commercial-Sex-Economy.pdf

The International Institute of Medicine Study: Confronting Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors in the United States

1/23/2014

 
Chicago's anti-trafficking work is highlighted in the newly released Institute of Medicine Report, Confronting Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors in the United States. Read the full report here: http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2013/Confronting-Commercial-Sexual-Exploitation-and-Sex-Trafficking-of-Minors-in-the-United-States.aspx
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Federal Strategic Action Plan on Services for Victims of Human Trafficking

1/15/2014

 
This action plan for 2013 - 2017 discusses combating human trafficking and modern-day forms of slavery through government action as well as partnerships with allied professionals and concerned citizens.

Download the full report here:
www.ovc.gov/pubs/FederalHumanTraffickingStrategicPlan.pdf‎

Illinois State Data from the National Human Trafficking Resource Center

10/1/2013

 
Between December 7, 2007 and September 30, 2013, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) received 2,334 calls from Illinois and 462 calls that referenced a potential trafficking situation in Illinois.

For a more complete breakdown, view the report here.

Guidance to States and Services on Addressing Human Trafficking of Children and Youth in the United States

9/1/2013

 
The Administration for Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) provides guidance to states and service programs to build greater awareness and a better response to the problem of child trafficking. This document offers guidance to child welfare systems and RHY service providers to improve the collective response to this issue.

Download the report here:
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/resource/human-trafficking-guidance

Legal Services Assessment for Trafficked Children

8/1/2013

 
In February 2012, the Center for the Human Rights of Children (CHRC) at Loyola University initiated a legal needs assessment project for child trafficking victims, using Cook County, Illinois as a case study. The study was released in August of 2013.

The project identified:
• Existing service providers working with both U.S. citizen and foreign national child trafficking survivors
• The legal needs of trafficked children
• Current legal services available to this population
• Gaps in those services in Cook County

Download the report here:
http://luc.edu/chrc/humantrafficking/legalservicesassessmentforchildtraffickingsurvivors/

The Meso and Macro-Level Challenges of Providing Case Management to Domestic Minor Victims of Sex Trafficking

1/8/2013

 
Case managers at three programs that work with Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking victims (the SAGE Project, Inc. in San Francisco, the Streetwork Project at Safe Horizon in New York, and the STOP-IT Program at Salvation Army in Chicago) provided case history narratives about the young people with whom they work. View the abstract here: http://www.rti.org/publications/abstract.cfm?pubid=21462

The Lawyer's Manual on Human Trafficking 

10/1/2012

 
The Lawyer’s Manual on Human Trafficking describes the nature of sex and labor trafficking, addresses the legal remedies at the disposal of prosecutors, lawyers defending victims on criminal charges, and family law practitioners, government benefits experts, and immigration advocates helping victims to rebuild their lives. It explores the relation of trafficking laws to other social justice concerns, such as labor exploitation and domestic violence, and it spotlights particular groups of victims, such as male sex trafficking victims and children exploited in the commercial sex industry. View the manual here. 
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