Preventing human trafficking and exploitation: evidence review

Recommendations for Human Trafficking Prevention

This evidence review has summarised current understandings of prevention strategies and interventions aimed at addressing human trafficking and exploitation in the UK. Whilst robust evidence on effective interventions and prevention as a whole is limited, some key insights and recommendations identified in the literature are briefly summarised below:

Public health prevention strategies

• Consider taking a public health approach or set out a definition of prevention in human trafficking strategies which is underpinned by a public health approach
• Prioritise coordinated “whole system” responses to preventing human trafficking at all levels of prevention – primary, secondary and tertiary. Target prevention on the root causes of human trafficking.
• Consider a child-specific exploitation strategy with clear links to the wider approach.
• Consider a more coordinated, comprehensive, joined-up UK-wide prevention approach and prioritise multi agency/partnership working.

Intervention design, research and evaluation

• Prioritise meaningful community-based and survivor-led initiatives. Include survivors’ voices, including children, in service user engagement and in the design and evaluation of interventions that affect them.
• Ensure intervention programmes demonstrate a clear theory of change.
• Ensure that all strategies and interventions are evaluated and monitored effectively to determine what is working, for whom, and what areas need improvement. More impact evaluations, as well as innovative methods are needed.
• Increase the research and evidence base on the root causes of human trafficking, as well as evidence on “what works”. Prioritise research on the effectiveness of prevention activities and policies.
• Consider using established outcomes sets such as UK Modern Slavery Core Outcome Set and Creating Stable Futures in research, service and intervention design, evaluation and development, and policymaking.

Victim identification and support and criminal justice responses

• Awareness raising and training should be tailored, targeted to specific groups and have a behaviour change focus.
• Ensure ongoing and consistent training for all relevant professional groups, in health, education and criminal justice to support identification and appropriate responses.
• Ensure victim/survivor support is multi-disciplinary, multi-agency, trauma informed, culturally competent, patient centred and available long term to aid victim/survivors’ recovery.
• Prioritise secure and appropriate accommodation and access to mental health services for victim/survivors.
• Review and use existing legal provisions effectively to deter, disrupt and prevent perpetrators from committing human trafficking and exploitation.