The Center on Human Trafficking Research & Outreach (CenHTRO) and the U.S. Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons hosted the Prevalence Reduction Innovation Forum (PRIF) on the University of Georgia campus on May 22-24, 2023. 

Download the conference program.  (PDF)

For the past three years, PRIF has supported seven international teams of researchers in testing the effectiveness of various methodological approaches to measuring human trafficking in six countries across the world. PRIF teams have evaluated methods that are geographically specific and industry-focused. Focused prevalence estimates help governments and NGOs develop tailored interventions to effectively reduce human trafficking. Teams gathered in Athens, Georgia on May 22-24, 2023  to share and hone the toolbox they’ve produced during the three-day conference. 

“In addition to documenting the efficacy of a variety of methodologies, PRIF has built a global community of researchers in the science of human trafficking prevalence estimation. We’re excited to welcome this team to the UGA campus,” said Lydia Aletraris, CenHTRO associate director, PRIF coordinator, and associate research scientist in the School of Social Work. “Through their collective efforts, this community has fostered collaboration and sharing of best practices, while upholding and promoting ethical research principles. We look forward to sharing the teams' valuable insights during the conference proceedings.” This in-person conference was not open to the public.	CenHTRO Associate Director Lydia Aletraris
PRIF researchers, as well as guests from national and international anti-human trafficking agencies, reviewed the results of their trials. Participants discussed indicators and definitions employed in the research and discuss how this knowledge can improve outcomes for victims and survivors of human trafficking. Additionally, the conference debuted an innovative meta-analysis, which uses simulation to compare the accuracy and cost-effectiveness of various methodologies in different geographic contexts and industries.
Researchers from the following institutions presented during the conference: The Freedom Fund, Stanford University, New York University, NORC at the University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins University, University of Massachusetts Lowell, and the WZB Berlin Social Science Center. PRIF research teams are working in Brazil, Costa Rica, Morocco, Pakistan, Tanzania, and Tunisia. Partners from these research sites will also travel to UGA to participate in proceedings.  “Accurate and specific measurements are essential in helping us determine the scope and severity of human trafficking in different contexts. But they also inform us about what’s working and what’s not working when it comes to combating the problem,” said David Okech, CenHTRO director, PRIF director, and professor of social work. “PRIF has already made incredible strides in the field of human trafficking prevalence estimation, and this conference will continue to build on this impressive foundation.”	Elizabeth Anderson of the Freedom Fund Ridhi Sahai (l) and Kareem Kysia of NORC at the University of Chicago
CenHTRO Director David Okech	Sheldon Zhang of the University of Massachusetts Lowell
Courtland Robinson of Johns Hopkins University	Meredith Dank of New York University and Alina Cedeño of the International Organization for Migration
Macartan Humphreys (l) and Georgiy Syunyaev of WZB Berlin Social Science Center	Kimberly Babiarz of Stanford University