A Community-Based Transdisciplinary Vision for the Future of Human Trafficking Research

We present a 10-year vision for human trafficking research developed through a two-day workshop with 30 human trafficking experts from within and outside of academia. Led by the Human-centered Action Research to Disrupt Human Trafficking (HART) team, the workshop brought together researchers from diverse disciplines (social science, computational science, public policy, and healthcare) alongside lived experience experts, service providers, policy advocates, and governmental employees. Using a World Café facilitation approach, the HART team surfaced ideas and synthesized themes in real-time. Following the workshop, members of the HART team conducted thematic analysis of all notes, which participants reviewed and refined. This process yielded a vision for action-focused research to advance prevention, intervention, and long-term support for survivors. This includes co-creating research with affected communities, particularly those with lived experience of trafficking; addressing issues and experiences that co-occur with human trafficking, restructuring institutional and funding support to facilitate community partnerships and translation; and prioritizing evaluation, implementation science, and policy research. This vision aims to amplify the practical contributions of research to promote safety, wellbeing and flourishing for individuals, families, and communities affected by human trafficking in the United States.