Project Highlight
Prevalence of Sex Trafficking Pilot Study in Sacramento
RTI is working with the Community Against Sexual Harm to estimate the prevalence of sex trafficking in Sacramento County, California. This project, funded by the California Department of Justice, relies on a dedicated partnership, including local law enforcement, the District Attorney’s Office, a specialty human trafficking medical clinic, direct service providers, a survivor-centered advisory group, and a multidisciplinary research team. The prevalence of sex trafficking will be estimated through two independent data collection and analysis strategies. First, administrative data on sex trafficking victims provided by the partnering agencies will be analyzed using multiple systems estimation techniques. The secondary data will be supplemented with semi-structured interviews conducted with a representative sample of sex workers identified through respondent-driven sampling. Collectively, these complementary data collection and analysis strategies will yield a robust prevalence estimate. Data collected through this effort can be used to both leverage resources and inform a coordinated, cross-sector response to combat sex trafficking and serve trafficking victims.
