In the decades since global and national measurement has proven elusive, communities have grappled with the challenge of measuring prevalence with imperfect data. Estimates of the scope of the problem continue to vary, with evolving systems perpetually adapting to turnover, funding fluctuations, and societal stereotypes. Understanding statewide and regional contexts beyond prosecution and other system counts have been possible through the Colorado Projects’ 10-year longitudinal community-based participatory research (CBPR). Using theoretical public health frameworks, this session focuses upon the key findings from the Colorado Projects to provide contextualized knowledge about the nature of human trafficking and who is counted, who has access to systems, who is overrepresented, and who is missing. Inclusive CBPR methods empower survivors, underserved community members, practitioners, and activists with data that help to answer the research question of how trust, equity, and effectiveness are reflected in anti-trafficking responses. Focusing upon Colorado Project 2023 findings, this session will illustrate ways communities of color including immigrant and tribal communities, individuals who hold LGBTQ+ identities, and youth experiencing homelessness continue to be more vulnerable to exploitation and human trafficking in Colorado. The session will focus on the nature of trust, equity, and effectiveness within the anti-trafficking partnerships across Colorado that contribute to these inequities, notably the lack of critical representation in partnerships necessary to be more effective. This session will engage participants in the Colorado Project research recommendations focused on inclusion, training, partnership actions, and housing needed to sustain survivor-centered trauma-informed anti- trafficking responses across urban, rural, and frontier communities.
Dr. Annjanette Alejano-Steele (she/her/siya) is the co-founder of the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking and professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Her health psychology expertise has focused on reproductive health equity and community responses to human trafficking. She has supported over 70 survivors of human trafficking to attend college.
Kara Napolitano (she/her) works at the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking (LCHT) based in Denver. She spent 10 years working internationally with NGOs in post-conflict areas. For six years she has led training and education efforts at LCHT, training more than 20,000 individuals across rural and urban Colorado.