Expansion of University of South Florida's BRIGHT Project to Combat Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is the profit-driven exploitation of men, women, or children facilitated by force, fraud, or coercion. Human trafficking exists in nearly every job setting or industry from agriculture to manufacturing. Human traffickers prey on persons made susceptible to exploitation by poverty, economic upheaval, family dysfunction, disability, and adverse life circumstances. Carving a wide path of destruction, human trafficking has severe impacts not only on exploited individuals, but also on local communities by increasing poverty and hindering economic and social development. As a human rights violation and impediment to the development of sustainable communities, eliminating human trafficking is a top concern. Gaining quick access to care for survivors is an issue that many human trafficking service providers and law enforcement recovery teams face. This can lead to inappropriate placement, problems with survivor engagement, and overall blindsides for those working with survivors, as they are often only working with those that they have a previously fostered relationship with. Effectively assisting victims of human trafficking requires the ability for recovery teams to be able to quickly identify and access safe services. The Expansion of University of South Florida's BRIGHT Project to Combat Human Trafficking project will provide Florida with a comprehensive picture of survivor demographics, service rich areas, and service deserts to inform policy makers and local legislators on means to better allocate funding for anti-trafficking resources. By transforming data into actionable knowledge, this project will enable the development of a cohesive, data-driven statewide anti-human trafficking strategy. The University of South Florida’s Trafficking in Persons Risk to Resilience Research Lab is uniquely positioned to lead this effort, with the expertise and infrastructure needed to securely collect, integrate, analyze, and disseminate human trafficking data insights from service providers across the state. These providers range in categories from crisis, substance abuse/detox, mental health, residential, daily needs, transportation, education, employment, case management, health services, legal services, and peer-led support.