National Human Trafficking Prevention Month

Guest Blog by CA Alliance Member - Sycamores

As we commemorate Human Trafficking month, we feel gratitude for all the important work that is being conducted statewide to ensure awareness, education, and effective interventions for our youth, not only in child welfare and juvenile justice systems but in our schools, homes, and community at large. As we know, there is extensive hidden risk, intersection, and complexities we are still discovering. The needs are vast!

As January progresses, we highlight the need for continued focus on male victims.  Those of us who develop and lead programming for male youth, see the work with a greater sense of urgency, more now than ever before.  As we gain momentum as a treatment community toward treating this highly vulnerable, often hidden group, we should ask ourselves if we can do more. What are the next steps and how can we work collaboratively and swiftly toward greater gains?  As the research indicates that the population of male victims are higher than previously thought, we can feel overwhelmed with the amount of work to do.  As we look forward to working together toward best practice outcomes, let’s be sure to focus our efforts on developing guidance for effective prevention and intervention protocols for male youth in congregate and community-based treatment settings.

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The work is now!

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