*Resources below*
By Rachel Bauldree, Communications Manager, CCAW
January marks Human Trafficking Awareness Month, a time dedicated to elevating survivor voices, deepening public understanding, and mobilizing collective action against one of the world’s most persistent and devastating crimes. Human trafficking continues to impact millions across the globe, with women and girls disproportionately harmed. Traffickers exploit vulnerabilities through manipulation, coercion, and force—fueling exploitation in the forms of sex trafficking, labor trafficking, and domestic servitude. Because this crime thrives in isolation and invisibility, awareness and education remain essential tools in disrupting trafficking networks and empowering survivors.
At the Conference on Crimes Against Women (CCAW), we recognize that combating human trafficking demands a unified, multidisciplinary response. Professionals across law enforcement, victim services, advocacy, healthcare, social services, research, and the legal field all play vital roles in prevention, identification, and survivor‑centered support. CCAW provides a national platform where these practitioners can collaborate, strengthen skillsets, and share innovative strategies to dismantle trafficking systems.
At CCAW 2026, human trafficking remains a central focus. Through specialized workshops, expert‑led sessions, and powerful survivor‑driven panels, attendees will gain actionable insights into the complexities of trafficking and the evolving methods used to exploit vulnerable populations. These sessions equip attendees with practical tools to improve response efforts in their own communities—from early identification and trauma‑informed intervention to coordinated investigations and long‑term survivor support.
How You Can Make an Impact This January
Human Trafficking Awareness Month is an opportunity for everyone—professionals, community members, and organizational leaders—to engage in meaningful action:
- Educate Yourself and Your Network: Learn the indicators of human trafficking and share this knowledge with colleagues, partners, and your community.
- Support Survivor‑Focused Organizations: Consider donating, volunteering, or amplifying the work of local and national organizations dedicated to supporting survivors.
- Advocate for Change: Encourage policies that strengthen trafficking prevention, expand victim services, and improve justice system responses.
- Join Us at CCAW 2026: Connect with experts and peers committed to ending trafficking and other forms of violence against women. Your participation helps drive innovation, collaboration, and change.
Human trafficking persists in silence. By dedicating January to education, awareness, and action, we take an essential step toward breaking that silence. At CCAW, we remain committed to building a community that is informed, empowered, and prepared to make a lasting impact.
Resources from CCAW programs on Human Trafficking:
Click each title to access the resource.
CCAW Workshops: Human Trafficking-focused
All of these workshops will be available to attend at the upcoming 2026 Conference on Crimes Against Women:
*Click HERE to view workshop descriptions.
- Avoiding Cascading Affects: Understanding the Nexus Between Natural Disasters & Exploitation
- Better Outcomes, Few Roadblocks: Combatting Human Trafficking with No Victims & No Resources
- Bridging Systems: Survivor-Led Strategies for Trafficking, DV, & Sexual Assault Cases
- Buyers Unmasked: Exposing the Links Between Incel Culture, Sex Buyers & How to Prevent Exploitation
- Call an Advocate! A Coordinate Response to Human Trafficking
- The Dark Reality: Shining a Light onto Human Trafficking
- Delving into the Mind: Typologies of Pimp-Controlled Sex Traffickers
- The Empathy Tightrope: Balancing Trauma-Informed Responses & Prosecutor Resilience
- Failing Profits: Scrutinizing Sexually-Oriented Businesses, Sex Trafficking, & Organized Crime
- From Hashtags to Handcuffs: Tracking Traffickers with OSINT
- Hidden in Plain Sight: Victims & Perpetrators of Labor Trafficking
- How Culture Impacts Demand: Discussion on Human Trafficking Reduction
- “I’m Just a Bill”: Developing a Human Trafficking Policy Framework
- The Impact of Sex Trafficking in the Latina Community
- Interstate Intersection: A Rural County’s Collaborative Approach to Combat Human Trafficking
- Missed Opportunities: Closing Gaps in Identifying Forced Labor
- Missing & Stolen: Understanding the Issue & Trends of MMIW & Trafficking of Indigenous Individuals
- Moving Towards Justice: Pretrial Motion Practice in Sex Trafficking Cases
- On-The-Ground & In the Field: Practical Strategies to Strengthen Victim-Centered Approaches to Human Trafficking
- Regulators, Mount Up! Using Code Enforcement to Address Human Trafficking
- A Strategy for Success: Bringing Traffickers to Trial
- Triple Threat: Prosecuting Human Trafficking Cases with Law Enforcement & Advocate Collaboration
- Tailored Tactics: Effective Responses to a Variety of Human Trafficking Typologies
- “Tell Me, How Are They Different?” When Sex Trafficking Meets the Military
- Trust Matters: Building Relationships in Human Trafficking Cases
- Understanding the Game: Inside Human Trafficking & Forced Criminality
- Walking Her Path: A Reentry Simulation on the Experiences of a Human Trafficking Survivor
- Why Won’t She Leave? A National Study of Sex Trafficking Survivors Motivations for Exit
ICCR Webinar: Healthcare Implications for Intimate Partner Violence and Human Trafficking
Presented by Mary Ann Contreras, RN, Injury and Violence Prevention Trauma Service at JPS Healthnetwork.
PCAW Episodes: Human Trafficking-focused
Tune in on January 26th for a brand new podcast episode titled, “The Intersection of Human Trafficking, Natural Disasters, and the Significance of Emergency Management Response.” In the meantime, listen to past PCAW episodes covering human trafficking. Click each title to listen to the corresponding episode.
The numbers are staggering, but the stories are even more urgent: sex trafficking thrives where demand goes unchecked and myths cloud our judgment. Today we sit down with human rights attorney Yasmin Vafa, co‑founder and executive director of Rights for Girls, to pull the curtain back on how this market really works—and why centering girls’ voices is the key to stopping it. From courtroom biases that turn victims into defendants to the hobby boards where men casually review the people they buy, we map the hidden infrastructures of exploitation with clarity and care.
Yasmin breaks down the “abuse to prison pipeline” and explains how forced criminality and self‑defense cases trap survivors—often Black girls—in adult courts. We discuss adultification bias, the blurred line between trafficking and prostitution, and language that normalizes harm. Then we go straight to the root: demand. Drawing from the report Buyers Unmasked, we examine buyer attitudes, the role of pornography and entitlement, and why credible buyer accountability programs focus on changing beliefs, not just counting arrests.
Policy is where culture meets consequence. We compare full decriminalization—removing penalties for buying, pimping, and brothels—with the survivor model adopted in places like Sweden and Maine, which decriminalizes the sale of sex while holding traffickers and buyers to account. You’ll hear how fines can fund survivor services, how major sporting events attract sex tourism, and why the “Sex Buying Isn’t A Game” campaign tackles this surge head‑on. Practical takeaways include how to support survivor‑led services, advocate for buyer accountability laws, and bring The Right Track documentary to your community.
If this conversation moved you, subscribe, share it with someone who needs to hear it, and leave a review telling us what policy change you’ll champion next.
The very streets of Dallas light up with a somber blue, a hue that’s become the rallying cry against the night’s darkest secret – human trafficking. It was a privilege to have Bianca Davis, CEO of New Friends, New Life, join us to unravel this crisis that casts shadows over our city. With January marking National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, our conversation wove through the brutal realities of the trade, the importance of vigilance, and the powerful legislative milestones that propel our fight forward.
Faced with the chilling statistic of four hundred trafficked teen girls a night in Dallas alone, the magnitude of this issue is staggering. We dug into the subtle yet coercive tactics that traffickers use to ensnare victims, often exploiting the most vulnerable among us. Awareness is our strongest weapon, and this dialogue serves as an urgent call to action for all. It’s not just about recognizing the signs; it’s about understanding the hidden languages of control and manipulation that traffickers speak.
And it’s not only about the victims but also the demand that fuels this black-market industry. Engaging men in the conversation around sex trafficking, through innovative programs like the manKINDness Project, is pivotal in dismantling the societal constructs that allow such exploitation to thrive. In crafting a future free from these chains, we highlighted the vital partnerships between support networks like Genesis and New Friends New Life. Their collaborative efforts not only rescue survivors but also equip them with the tools to rebuild and thrive. Our episode is a clarion call – a plea for engagement and education in the digital age where predators lurk behind screens, targeting our youth. Together, we can turn awareness into action and transform the narrative of human trafficking.
More episodes:
- PCAW Episode: Human Trafficking Investigations
- PCAW Episode: One-in-ten: The Men Who Are Driving the Commercial Sex Market
- PCAW Episode: Men with More: Educating Young Men to Lead the Culture Shift that Ends Gender-based Violence and Human Trafficking
- PCAW Episode: Generational Trauma and the Victimization of Black Women and Girls in America
- PCAW Episode: Born Out of Tragedy: Exploring the World of Human Trafficking Through the Eyes of a Bottom Girl
National Human Trafficking Resources
Click the title to access these resources.
