The Litmus Initiative - Enabling Teachers to Recognize Domestic Human Trafficking

Date

2018

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Western Michigan University

Abstract

Introduction Litmus paper plays a vital role in the research of scientists of many disciplines: exposing unseen changes to the acidity of substances. To the naked eye, a solution may appear unaltered, but the addition of a single drop of an acid or base, or the modification of a miniscule aspect of natural processes at play may produce vastly different results in a litmus test. It is litmus that provides consistency, constancy, and comparability in numerous studies. Without such a tool, dangerous change could go unnoticed until lasting damage had already been done. Every day, hundreds of thousands of women and children are sold for sex (The Polaris Project, 2018). This modern day form of slavery, known as human sex trafficking, has escalated globally at an increasing rate, specifically since the rise of the internet. Although its existence in developing nations is widely publicized, it is not isolated to these locations; in the United States, it is estimated that 300,000 individuals are being sex trafficked, with half of those victims under the age of 18 (Lloyd, 2011). Children from every state, of every race, and of every socio-economic status are being used and abused, and in many cases, no one outside of their exploitation is aware. Alarming is not a word for this. Distressing. Tragic. Gruesome. Catastrophic. A destruction of human life, dignity, and worth before folded hands and unseeing eyes, spitting excuses of chaotic schedules and overwhelmed minds. Yet amidst the tumult of everyday life, there exists a group of professionals who are constant in the lives of children, able to recognize inconsistencies in a child’s behavior, and afforded the opportunity to compare one day or week to the next: teachers. In a world that does not promote - and sometimes does not allow - prolonged and regular contact between teens and most discerning adults, school teachers interact with students five days every week, discuss weekend plans, and have more context than THE LITMUS INITIATIVE 2 anyone else to recognize changes in attitude, energy, or personality. Teachers are the litmus paper that can detect minor changes in a child’s well-being early, allowing the chance to act before lasting damage is carried out. Correctly equipped, teachers could be a central force in changing the tide of modern day slavery in America.

Description

Keywords

screening, domestic minor sex trafficking, knowledge, intervention, teachers

Citation

Hansen, B. (2018). The Litmus Initiative-Enabling Teachers to Recognize Domestic Human Trafficking (Master's thesis). Western Michigan University.

DOI