The National Judicial Institute on Domestic Child Sex Trafficking is the result of a dynamic partnership between OJJDP, Rights4Girls, and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.

The interactive institute provides judges and court officers with the training and tools they need to identify children who are being trafficked or are at risk for victimization. It also provides effective intervention strategies for responding to the individualized needs of each victim. The 2-day institute is led by a team of experienced judges and other youth-serving professionals who have pioneered work on domestic child sex trafficking in the courtroom and beyond.

“Judicial officials are in a unique position to identify at-risk and exploited youth in the court system,” said OJJDP Acting Administrator Eileen M. Garry. “The institute seeks to increase the judiciary’s understanding of and response to child sex trafficking victims.”

Designed for new and experienced judges, the National Judicial Institute on Domestic Child Sex Trafficking covers a range of topics, including victim demographics, risk factors, sex trafficking recruitment and control tactics, and trafficking legislation. Other topics include intergenerational trauma, cultural considerations, engagement of victims in court, and standards of care and services. Judicial officers return to their courtrooms and communities with a greater sense of their roles in preventing and ending domestic child sex trafficking.

The institute has been offered in various locations throughout the country since its inception in 2014; the next training is scheduled for June 5–7, 2017, in San Diego, CA. Registration is free. Only judges and judicial officers, including commissioners and referees, are eligible to attend.

The National Judicial Institute on Domestic Child Sex Trafficking website also offers a comprehensive resources page, which includes sample court orders, model protocols, bench cards, evaluation tools, training curriculums, legal analysis, and audio and visual resources.

“We hope to help judges and court officials work effectively with their partners to eradicate child sex trafficking in the United States and to better support child sex trafficking survivors as they rebuild their lives,” said Acting Administrator Garry.

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For information on other OJJDP-funded efforts to combat the sexual exploitation of children, visit the Office’s website.