University of Nebraska–Lincoln students recruited to work with former professor on anti-human trafficking report

Wednesday, February 14, 2018 - 4:00pm

by Molly Chapple

Several students helped collect data to produce a report on the prevention of human trafficking that could be designed to use in Nebraska schools. The research was led by former CoJMC professor Sriyani Tidball, an advocate for anti-human trafficking awareness. Dr Shireen Rajaram, associate professor of public health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), was a co-investigator on this study and helped with the analysis of the data.

Students involved in the study included members of Tidball’s JOMC222: Social Justice, Human Rights and the Media class. The students involved were Molly George, Kamryn Sannicks, Jayden Garrett, Maddyson Meuret and Celie Knudsen.

The students’ role was to collect background information on educational programs developed and implemented in other states regarding human trafficking prevention in the school systems.

Some states had legislated training for teachers about human trafficking and students’ safety. Other states provided optional programs targeted toward teachers and students, said Molly George, a graduate student in the integrated media communications program who took part in collecting data for the study.

California is the only state that has human trafficking education legislated for students, George said. One of Tidball’s goals is to eventually create a program in Nebraska, beginning with the Lincoln Public Schools. Her hope is that eventually this program would be compulsory in the Nebraska schools. The report generated by Tidball, Rajaram and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln students will act as a research base for understanding the best way to share an educational program that can be used in the school system and shared by staff and influencers of students. The study can be found at http://bit.ly/2BZzIcz

In a previous qualitative study, funded by Omaha Women’s Fund and completed in 2016, Tidball and Rajaram spoke with 22 survivors of sex trafficking in Nebraska. Many of the participants underscored the need for education and training of sex trafficking prevention in the schools, because they were attending school when they got trafficked, Tidball said.

Tidball conducted interviews with people in the Lincoln Public Schools; principals, teachers, social workers, counselors and some running after school programs and mentor programs. George said students also looked up non-legislated anti-human trafficking programs across the nation.

As part of the study, students helped Tidball organize focus groups on the subject of human trafficking that were conducted in all six high schools in Lincoln. Tidball said she was grateful for all the support she received from LPS administrators, who are very supportive of having an effective prevention program that would keep their students safe from being trafficked. There were 44 individuals from LPS who helped contribute valuable insights for the study. 

The report highlighted key findings related to anti-human trafficking legislation in other states, as well as strategies and challenges to increase awareness of the subject.

The study concluded: This study provides important insights into the perspectives of 
key influences at LPS on the development and implementation
 of human trafficking education and training for student, school personnel and parents. The next phase of the study is to develop a training curriculum (online and in-person) to raise awareness of sex trafficking among LPS key influencers, pilot test the curriculum in the LPS high schools and middle schools, and develop and provide online curriculum resources for teachers and other staff to use in the classroom in educating their students of the issue.

The Lincoln Community Foundation, Humanities Nebraska, University of Nebraska–Lincoln and a few concerned Nebraska citizens funded the study.

“The support, collaboration and interest among our partners in being a part of the solution was commendable and together we have completed the first part of the study,” Tidball said. “It is our hope that we can raise funds to develop the curriculum and test it for effectiveness so we can have an impactful intervention available to all schools in Nebraska.”

Sriyani Tidball headshot
The research was led by former CoJMC professor Sriyani Tidball, an advocate for anti-human trafficking awareness.