Webinar: Human Trafficking Webinar Series-Protecting Young People from Online Exploitation

Since 2020, the U.S. Department of Education has conducted a webinar series to address the growing response of America’s schools to child trafficking. The series draws attention to the important efforts underway in our nation’s education community to address both sex and labor trafficking.

On behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Safe and Supportive Schools, the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE) invites you to join the next webinar in this series, Protecting Young People from Online Exploitation.

Date: Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Time: 3:00-4:30 pm EST

This webinar is focused on understanding what online exploitation is and how schools can protect young people from it. Speakers will start by defining what online exploitation is – describing how it is facilitated via technology and how online human trafficking compares with online sexual abuse – and then share what you can look out for and do if it is happening. Following a set of presentations, the speakers will engage in a panel discussion to share how they implemented mitigation strategies and how schools can educate young people to recognize grooming and other dangerous online behavior. After the panel, the speakers will be available to answer a few questions from participants. Join us to learn strategies you can use tomorrow!

·     Ruth Ryder, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education

·     Jennifer O’Brien, Assistant Professor, Crimes Against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH

·     Wendy Walsh, Research Associate, Crimes Against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH

·     Stacey Robinson, Manager, Project-Grant Fund, Division of Equity and Student Empowerment, DeKalb County School District, Stone Mountain, GA

·     Dr. Nicole Prad-Jennings, Human Trafficking Prevention/Not a Number Facilitator, DeKalb County School District, Stone Mountain, GA

·     Dave Alley, Special Agent, U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement, Detroit, MI

·     Rachel Thomas, Member, U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking, Person with Lived Experience

To register for this webinar, go here. Please note this webinar will be archived on its event webpage here, including a recording of the presentation, slides, transcript, speaker information, and related resources.