The National Survivor Study (NSS), developed in 2020 by Polaris, was conceptualized and implemented as participatory action research. Research has been a critical need in the anti-trafficking field, but it typically tokenizes and alienates survivors. The researchers ensured wide and deep survivor engagement in all aspects of the project including who was invited and included in the project team, the way the team was structured, and the use of a variety of research tools that have been shown to be effective for getting community input and feedback (e.g., focus group discussions, individual interviews, surveys, consensus–building activities, cognitive pre-test). In the end, the NSS is the largest primary research on human trafficking (457 survivors) and has provided relevant and impactful data that is already being used to push for change in several spaces (criminal record vacatur, awareness of child custody issues, barriers to livelihoods). The critical value of the NSS was achieved not despite its challenges, but because of them, and the team’s approach to growing and learning together. It required the whole project team of survivors and allies to start a partnership journey that valued and centered different expertise, perspectives, and lived experiences as critical for the project’s success. The presenters will discuss a more equitable and inclusive way to do research that empowers survivors and leads to better findings and outcomes.
After working to connect survivors with local resources on the National Human Trafficking Hotline, Michael Chan now works with Polaris's Learning, Innovation, and Data Systems team as a Systems and Data Analyst. He currently assists on various projects including the National Survivor Study, monitoring and evaluation, and the survivor consultant database.
Ashley Maha'a is a subject matter expert and consultant specializing in the areas of sex trafficking, domestic violence, substance abuse and recovery, and their intersections. She has worked with Polaris since the start of the National Survivor Study as a research team member guiding the study and planning dissemination.
Sara Woldehanna is a director of research and evaluation at Polaris, a national anti‐trafficking organization. Sara is a social science researcher and evaluator, with more than 20 years of experience. Sara has a Masters in Applied Anthropology, a Masters in Mechanical Engineering, and a Bachelors in Physics.