ABSTRACT
Human trafficking prevention efforts primarily focus on intervention after exploitation though raising awareness of red flags. This chapter provides an overview of three types of human trafficking prevention efforts –victim screening tools, K-12 prevention education, and prevention programs designed for vulnerable groups. The review of these programs found that a great number of screening tools primarily serve as invalidated guides for service providers, K-12 educational programs are mandated by only a few U.S. states with limited information on effectiveness, and specialized prevention programs are rarely evaluated. Recommendations for moving toward evidence-based human trafficking prevention include the collection of baseline and trend data of human trafficking at local, state, and national levels required for the impact evaluations of prevention programs. Second, while secondary and tertiary prevention efforts are needed to stem the consequences of human trafficking, we recommended greater emphasis on primary prevention strategies to reduce the incidence of human trafficking.
