Human Trafficking Policy and Research Analyses Project

Project Overview

This project will conduct research to answer questions identified by the Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF’s) Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation and Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) that will inform the development of anti-trafficking strategies, policies, and programs to prevent and respond to human trafficking.

This project will include a variety of research and evaluation activities such as:

• Designing and conducting original studies that will inform policy, best practices of programs and strategies to prevent and respond to human trafficking, and the development of new research priorities;
• Identifying emerging policy and research questions or topics of special interest to ACF that can be addressed through research activities, such as literature reviews; convening and/or reviewing recommendations from various experts, relevant groups and individuals, and federal staff and initiating work based on those recommendations; and identifying sources of policy and data and conducting summaries, assessments, or secondary statistical analyses to answer questions of relevance; and
• Preparation of written products, such as syntheses of research evidence to inform policy and practice; methodological and analytic research documents to advance human trafficking research and evaluation; and, translation of research findings and issues for policymakers and implementers of anti-trafficking programs.

Project Activities

Work on the project began in October 2019. Several research topics and evaluation priorities were considered for the project. Three topics were selected for study: (1) field testing methods for estimating the prevalence of human trafficking in the U.S.; (2) a process evaluation of OTIP’s Human Trafficking Youth Prevention Education (HTYPE) Demonstration Program; and (3) a formative evaluation of OTIP’s Demonstration Grants to Strengthen the Response to Victims of Human Trafficking in Native Communities (VHT-NC) Program. Additionally, two special topics were selected: (1) a Learning Agenda for OTIP; and (2) Strategies for Survivor Economic Empowerment.

Measuring Human Trafficking Prevalence in Construction: A Field Test of Multiple Estimation Methods

The first study includes a focused prevalence inquiry of human trafficking in the U.S. The overarching goal of the study is to advance knowledge of promising methods for estimating human trafficking prevalence in the U.S. as called for in the President’s Executive Order  Visit disclaimer page. Specifically, RTI will field test two estimation methods in one U.S. geographic area in the construction industry. This research will complement, and align with when possible, the U.S. Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons and the University of Georgia’s internationally focused initiative, the Prevalence Reduction Innovation Forum (PRIF).  RTI conducted a comprehensive review of prior prevalence studies, which focused primarily on the sampling and estimation strategies that have been successfully used in prior research. The results of the review informed the selection of the construction industry and decisions regarding estimation methods. Houston, Texas has been selected for the one-time survey. A related peer reviewed journal article, “Advances in Measurement: A Scoping Review of Prior Human Trafficking Prevalence Studies and Recommendations for Future Research ” was published October 2021 in the Journal of Human Trafficking (DOI: 10.1080/23322705.2021.1984721).

For a one-page summary of this study and all related publications, please click  here. (PDF)

Human Trafficking Youth Prevention Education (HTYPE) Demonstration Grant Program Process Evaluation

The second study includes a process evaluation of the HTYPE Demonstration Program. The goal of the HTYPE Demonstration Program is to fund local educational agencies to develop and implement programs to prevent human trafficking victimization through the provision of skills-based human trafficking training and education for school staff and students as specified in the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2018. The goal of the evaluation is to assess whether the HTYPE demonstration programs are implemented as intended and the extent to which they produce expected outputs.

For a one-page summary of this study and all related publications, please click  here. (PDF)

Formative Evaluation of the Demonstration Grants to Strengthen the Response to Victims of Human Trafficking in Native Communities (VHT-NC) Program

The third study includes a formative evaluation of the VHT-NC Program. The goal of the VHT-NC Program is to fund projects that will build, expand, and sustain organizational and local capacity to provide direct services, assistance, and referrals to Native American (i.e., American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and/or Pacific Islanders) victims of severe forms of human trafficking as defined by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. The overarching goals of the evaluation are to understand the context in which the VHT-NC projects are implemented, the projects’ goals, and the paths they take to achieve their goals. A primary aim is to conduct a participatory and culturally responsive evaluation that is informed by and respects the knowledge, values, and traditions of the communities implementing the VHT-NC projects.

For a one-page summary of this study and all related publications, please click  here. (PDF)

Learning Agenda for the Office on Trafficking in Persons

As a part of the first special topic, this project developed a Learning Agenda (PDF)  outlining actionable strategies that can advance OTIP’s mission and strengthen its anti-trafficking work. The Learning Agenda, published in December 2022, is informed by a literature review of existing evidence and resources, listening sessions with individuals with lived experience in human trafficking, and interviews with OTIP leadership and staff and other subject matter experts.

For a one-page summary of this study and all related publications, please click  here. (PDF)

Strategies for Survivor Economic Empowerment

The second special topic includes creating a resource for service providers assessing the anti-trafficking field's promising practices related to economic opportunity and using or adapting practices that have been implemented to increase economic empowerment in populations with similar economic challenges. This resource will be informed by listening sessions with people with lived experience of trafficking who have participated in economic empowerment programming and systems professionals working on economic opportunity programming as well as an environmental scan of economic and employment programs serving people who have experienced human trafficking and adjacent fields (e.g., survivors of domestic violence or intimate partner violence; formerly incarcerated persons reentering communities; youth transitioning out of care; unhoused persons; immigrants or refugees). The scan includes a literature review, internet searches, and requests for program information.

This work is being conducted through a contract to RTI International.

Point(s) of contact: Mary Mueggenborg and Kelly Jedd McKenzie.

The studies from this project are registered on the Open Science Framework under the titles

• Measuring Human Trafficking Prevalence in Construction: A Field Test of Multiple Estimation Methods
• Process Evaluation of the Human Trafficking Youth Prevention Education (HTYPE) Demonstration Grant Program  Visit disclaimer page
• Formative Evaluation of Demonstration Grants to Strengthen the Response to Victims of Human Trafficking in Native Communities (VHT-NC) Program  

Information collections related to this project have been reviewed and approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs under OMB #0970-0592, #0970-0600, and #0970-0601. Related materials are available at the

• Measuring Human Trafficking Prevalence in Construction: A Field Test of Multiple Estimation Methods information collection page on RegInfo.gov
• Human Trafficking Youth Prevention Education (HTYPE) Demonstration Grant Program Process Evaluation information collection page on RegInfo.gov
• Formative Evaluation of the Demonstration Grants to Strengthen the Response to Victims of Human Trafficking in Native Communities Program information collection page on RegInfo.gov  

The most currently approved documents are accessible by clicking on the ICR Ref. No. with the most recent conclusion date. To access the information collections (E.g., interviews, surveys, protocols), click on View Information Collection (IC) List. Click on View Supporting Statement and Other Documents to access other supplementary documents.