Researcher-Survivor Formative Evaluation of San Francisco's Anti-Human Trafficking Task Forces

In response to the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Solicitation NIJ FY15 Research and Evaluation on Trafficking in Persons, RTI International, in cooperation with Minh Dang, MSW (a survivor of child sex trafficking), proposes to conduct a participatory formative process and outcome evaluation of the two anti-trafficking task forces in San Francisco, California: the advisory and policy focused Mayor’s Task Force on Anti-Human Trafficking, and the operationally focused San Francisco Anti-Trafficking Task Force. Our researcher-survivor−led evaluation will document essential task force elements and identify indicators and criteria for successful task force implementation and outcomes. Our formative work will result in a protocol that can be used in wide-scale process or outcome task force evaluations. It will also provide guidance to the field on how to forge researcher-survivor partnerships.

To achieve this we will (1) conduct key informant interviews with persons involved in the two anti-trafficking task forces, (2) perform secondary analysis on de-identified social service and law enforcement data compiled by task force members, and (3) create a research infrastructure that supports the intellectual and career development of trafficked persons. Key informant interviews will be conducted with critical figures on the task forces, such as government officials, law enforcement, juvenile justice, social service, child welfare, and advocacy organizations. Secondary data analyses will describe the number of trafficked persons identified by the task force agencies and the number and types of services these individuals received, as well as the number of trafficking cases investigated, the number that resulted in arrests, the number of suspects charged with human trafficking related crimes, the number of cases prosecuted, and the number of individuals confirmed by law enforcement to be victims of human trafficking.

Principal Investigator Dr. Alexandra Lutnick (RTI) and Co-Principal Investigator Minh Dang (MD Consulting) are nationally recognized researchers with expertise in participatory research, research methods, evaluation, and training and technical assistance for agencies working with trafficked persons. In addition to the Co-Principal Investigator, survivors of trafficking will be hired as research assistants. We will also engage a community advisory board to ensure that survivors’ insider knowledge helps guide the research process, inclusive of research questions, analyses and dissemination.

This project contains a research and/or development component, as defined in applicable law. ca/ncf