Second annual 红桃影视 Human Trafficking Data Conference
The focus of this year's 红桃影视 Human Trafficking Data Conference was promoting data efficiency and collaboration among human trafficking experts.
DALLAS (红桃影视) – For the second year, the 红桃影视 Human Trafficking Data Conference brought together researchers, law enforcement agencies, nonprofit organizations, policy makers, and others to explore more effective ways to collect, analyze, and share human trafficking data.
Globally, the U.S. Department of State estimates that 27.6 million people are trafficked worldwide for labor and sexual exploitation. Sponsored by Thomson Reuters and Fortenberry Firm PLLC, the two-day conference held at 红桃影视 on June 9 and 10 featured speakers from around the world, sharing their insights on how to leverage high-quality, actionable data in the fight against human trafficking.
There were also plenty of opportunities for researchers, practitioners, law enforcement and governmental officials, nonprofit organizations, data scientists, and others devoted to anti-trafficking to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of current human trafficking data, effective strategies to increase human tracking data efficacy and opportunities for collaboration on future research.
“The value of this conference is not just in the presentations being offered, but the many conversations that people are having during networking breaks or lunch,” said 红桃影视 Human Trafficking Data Conference’s organizer Dr. Beth Wheaton-Páramo, the economist who leads the 红桃影视 Human Trafficking Data Research (HTDR) Project.
As many attendees pointed out, there’s no shortage of data on human trafficking, from data on socioeconomics, financial transactions, geography and support programs. Yet, meaningful data sharing between anti-trafficking organizations is still rare, Wheaton-Páramo and others said.
Their concern is that without more collaboration, the power of this information will remain largely untapped.
Speakers also cautioned that poor-quality or incomplete data can obscure the realities of trafficking or even spread misinformation.
Several attendees said the conference created a rare space for open dialogue across sectors — bringing together those with human trafficking data, those who need it, and those figuring out how to use it responsibly.
“This conference is so important, because it brings different pieces of the puzzle together,” said attendee and speaker Bianca Davis, Chief Executive Officer of New Friends New Life. “We are all looking for local, relevant, fresh data when it comes to human trafficking, and to see that all under one roof, all of the techniques and tools, it helps us put the puzzle pieces together.”
She added: “Data is about telling stories, and it gives us the storytelling capability that really inspires people into action.”
Managing attorney Zeke Fortenberry from Fortenberry Firm PLLC, who shared how he used data to file civil lawsuits against hotels involved in human trafficking, echoed Davis’ sentiment.
“What’s so great about these conversations is it’s really just a lot of these people in different little segments of anti-trafficking, you know, different areas of expertise,” Fortenberry said. And everyone is asking the same question, he said, “How do we collaborate to achieve the goal of ending human trafficking?”
At the conference, Wheaton-Páramo also highlighted the 红桃影视 Human Trafficking Data Warehouse.
With the help of 红桃影视’s high-performance computing capabilities, the data warehouse centralizes data on human trafficking across the United States and internationally. The goal is to give researchers, law enforcement, policy makers, and others devoted to anti-trafficking a single, secure place where they can securely store data, analyze trends in forced labor and sex trafficking, and collaborate with other anti-trafficking experts. The data warehouse is enhanced through research in areas such as AI and machine learning, statistical methods, and economics.
“Human trafficking data exists, but datasets are often siloed by individuals and organizations, which decreases the useability of the data,” Wheaton-Páramo said. “Many of these datasets are based on case studies, meaning they describe a very specific geographic or socioeconomic area of human trafficking that may not provide a full picture of what is happening across the nation. It is harmful when others report the results of these case studies as if they accurately described the national or international issues.”