Polaris Project is a nonprofit that works to combat and prevent sex and labor trafficking in North America. It has operated the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline, connecting victims and survivors of human trafficking to support and services. They also work to ensure traffickers are held accountable. The work this organization does is invaluable to the fight against human trafficking.
Polaris Project has a FREE introductory course, Human Trafficking 101, that explains in depth what human trafficking is, how it happens, and how to be part of the solution. The training takes around an hour and a half to complete and a certificate is provided at the end. Please provide the certificate to your school as proof of completion of this course.
For any technical support or inquiries regarding this training, please contact Polaris Project at webmaster@polarisproject.org.
The Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign has a vast amount of resources and materials that are available to the public and completely FREE. The DHS How to Talk to Youth Guide and DHS Human Trafficking 101 Fact Sheet are great materials to keep on hand and familiarize yourself with to help better protect the students in your school.
The school district response protocol gives detailed step-by-step instructions on how to respond if a students tells you that they are a victim of online exploitation or human trafficking. It is not your job to investigate and ask the student further questions, it is your responsibility to start the response protocol.
The response protocols are broken down by counties in NJ at the below link. Print out your county’s response protocol and review it. If you have questions, please discuss with school security and/or the principal.
