Human trafficking matters: Next steps

workers), training often is directed to only one of these two areas. However, to sustain and elevate public concern of human trafficking, both a multi-sector approach (law enforcement, schools, churches, non-governmental organizations, businesses, social services) and training on all types of human trafficking is necessary for success. A second strategy promoting the prevention of human trafficking has been the utilization of hotlines phone numbers made available for both witnesses and victims of human trafficking. Research on the effectiveness of hotlines is lacking, and still unknown is the extent to which hotlines either raise awareness of the issue of human trafficking for the general public or the extent to which they provide the most useful means for victims to extract themselves from human trafficking. Future research would necessarily be localized, but social scientists should consider how other means of communication might be more relevant for implementation and evaluation. For example, in the past, personal contact by outreach workers to street children has been believed to be an effective means to contact victims of commercial sexual exploitation, but today, the evolution of social media and technology use by minors may provide more effective interventions. Regarding the prosecution of offenders, criminal justice researchers have struggled to define the exact nature and extent of human trafficking both at the local, national and global levels. Part of the difficulty in determining exactly how prevalent human trafficking is in a given area is the confusing manner in which crimes are prosecuted. For example, a person might be charged with the criminal offenses of prostitution and/or kidnapping in addition to human trafficking, with some of these charges later dropped as part of plea bargaining.