RTI’s Deborah Gibbs Presenting at Combatting Human Trafficking Symposium

Federal legislation establishes a clear mandate for the child welfare system in addressing sex trafficking of children and youth. Yet states are generally in early stages of developing policy and practice, and few states address child labor trafficking at all. By contrast, Florida’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) has investigated allegations of human trafficking since 2009, with a separate allegation categories for sex and labor trafficking established in 2013.

RTI International, an independent research institute, partnered with DCF to conduct the largest study to date of human trafficking within a child welfare population. Deborah Gibbs, Principal Investigator of the study, will summarize study findings at the Third Annual Combatting Human Trafficking Symposium in Washington, D.C., Sept 20, 2019.

The presentation describes characteristics and child welfare experiences of more than 6,000 children with investigated human trafficking allegations, trafficking victimization among children who run away from foster care, and characteristics of more than 500 investigated allegations of labor trafficking.

Study findings continue to inform Florida’s ongoing policy and practice development.