NCJ Number
251186
Journal
North Carolina Medical Journal Volume: 77 Issue: 6 Dated: November 2016 Pages: 433-436
Date Published
November 2016
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes North Carolina's project NO REST (North Carolina Organizing and Responding to the Exploitation and Sexual Trafficking of Children), which is a 5-year effort funded by the U.S. Children's Bureau in an effort to counter the trafficking of persons 25 years old and younger in North Carolina.
Abstract
Specifically, NO REST aims to increase awareness of trafficking that affects children and youth, particularly those who come into the child welfare system; to reduce the number of youth trafficked; and to improve outcomes for the victims. In the project's first year, about 100 stakeholders statewide developed a comprehensive plan to address trafficking. The plan focuses on labor trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of children and youth, both of which are addressed in the federal Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000. After developing this plan, five communities were recruited for the implementation of the plan at the local level. The experiences of these communities will be used to develop a toolkit for future anti-trafficking efforts. The project is mining existing data sources in developing valid and reliable estimates of the number of youth who are trafficking victims. NO REST's plan is to use a trauma-informed approach in dealing with youth who may have been trafficked. This approach includes activities for outreach, screening, and ongoing services, as well as prevention services. 1 table and 8 references