Human trafficking remains a prevalent global issue, yet it is significantly underrepresented in criminology education. As a result, many future professionals enter careers in law enforcement, victim advocacy, and social services without the foundational knowledge needed to identify or respond to trafficking. This presentation shares findings from a research study evaluating an innovative undergraduate course- “Human Trafficking: Awareness to Action”- that integrates community engaged learning and technology to deepen students’ understanding and inspire meaningful action. Partnering with Give Way to Freedom, a Vermont-based anti-trafficking organization, the course immerses students in survivor informed perspectives, local case contexts, and real-world advocacy work. Simultaneously, students develop digital literacy and modern advocacy skills podcasts and social media campaigns designed to raise awareness among peers and the broader community. Using the validated Perceptions, Knowledge, and Attitudes about Human Trafficking Questionnaire (PKA HTQ), the study measures changes in student understanding from the beginning to the end of the semester. Qualitative data from reflection essays, action projects, and campaign content further illuminate how students conceptualize root causes such as poverty, migration, and gender inequality. Preliminary analysis results will be discussed as they relate to growth in student awareness, interdisciplinary competence, and civic responsibility. The presentation will highlight replicable strategies for educators, insights from community partnership, and examples of student-led digital advocacy. This model offers a transformative approach to trafficking education, one that moves students beyond passive learning and equips them with the tools to become informed, ethical, and engaged change agents.
Omara Rivera-Vazquez is the Director of the Criminology Program at Saint Michael’s College (SMC) in Vermont. She co-developed a community-engaged human trafficking course at SMC and SUNY Oswego’s first online trafficking course, and previously managed Vermont’s Enhanced Collaborative Model Task Force to Combat Human Trafficking, focused on prevention, policy, and survivor-centered responses.
In 2009, Edith Klimoski managed the start-up process of Give Way to Freedom, and she has since been the director. She operates its Rapid Response Support System, provides trainings, mentors research projects, and sits on a variety of multi-disciplinary collaboratives. She also works with Rotary International to decrease vulnerabilities to victimization.
Evelyn Mercier is a first-year MSW student at New Mexico Highlands University in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She previously studied Sociology and Anthropology at Saint Michael's College and conducted research related to education in undergraduate programs about human trafficking.