OVERVIEW

Empowering Our Community: Anti-Human Trafficking Conference is organized by University of Missouri Extension (MU Extension) and will be held on Oct 28, 2026 at Stoney Creek Hotel Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America.

Purpose:
Human trafficking, including sex and labor trafficking, remains a significant issue in Missouri, where traffickers exploit vulnerable individuals. Individuals facing poverty, homelessness, substance use disorders, mental health challenges, immigration barriers, or prior trauma are at heightened risk of exploitation.

Missouri’s central location within the United States also makes it a major transit hub for trafficking networks. Interstate highways such as I-70 and I-44 provide traffickers with easy access to move victims throughout the state and across state lines.

At every level, human trafficking is underreported because victims are frequently controlled through fear, manipulation, and trauma. Victims fear retaliation from traffickers, deportation, or negative interactions with law enforcement. Some victims do not recognize themselves as victims due to grooming, trauma bonding, or misconceptions about what trafficking looks like.

Underreporting is further compounded by limited public awareness, gaps in training for frontline personnel, language barriers, victim isolation, and the concealed nature of trafficking. Consequently, cases are frequently misclassified as prostitution, runaway behavior, labor disputes, substance use, or mental health-related issues.

Combating human trafficking requires a coordinated, multi-sector approach involving law enforcement, healthcare professionals, social service agencies, educators, policymakers, and community members working together to prevent exploitation, identify victims, provide comprehensive support services, and hold traffickers and buyers accountable through investigation and prosecution. A targeted, collaborative response is essential to effectively address human trafficking in our communities and across our state.

Impactful anti-human trafficking topics such as:

Why Training on Human Trafficking Matters: Show-Me the Numbers
Trauma Influenced Behavior: Understanding the Story Behind the Behavior and Why Help Feels Threatening
Trust First, Facts Second: Improving Survivor Interviews & Documentation
Tearing Down the Silos: How to Work Together to Help Survivors, Preserve the Evidence, and Get a Conviction
A Survivor's Journey: From Surviving to Thriving
Missouri’s New Anti-Trafficking Laws: Expanded Penalties and Survivor Protections for Grooming and Sextortion
First-Time Partners Update: Collaborative Rescue Leads to Human Trafficking Conviction in Missouri

Learning Outcomes:

Learner will self-report increased awareness of the characteristics and complexities of human trafficking.
Learner will self-report increased knowledge of methods of identification of trafficking indicators in various settings and contexts (health care, law enforcement and community interactions).
Learner will self-report increased confidence in their ability to intervene using survivor-centered approaches across all sectors with victims of human trafficking.
Learners will self-report increased intention to engage in preventative efforts addressing the root causes of trafficking,
Learner will self-report increased sensitivity in working with diverse populations affected by trafficking.
Learner will self-report increased intention to practice trauma-informed care and self-care practices to prevent burnout and secondary trauma.

Competencies Addressed: