This introductory module provides a comprehensive, research-based overview of sex trafficking in the United States. Drawing on legal definitions from the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and extensive field research, the course explains what sex trafficking is, how it differs from common misconceptions, and the many forms it can take. Learners will explore how force, fraud, and coercion operate, how trafficking often occurs within relationships rather than through abduction, and why movement across state or national borders is not required for trafficking to occur.
The course also examines vulnerabilities that increase risk, barriers that make leaving trafficking situations difficult, and current data highlighting who is most impacted. Emphasis is placed on understanding survivor experiences with compassion, recognizing structural and social factors that contribute to trafficking, and identifying practical ways individuals and communities can respond responsibly and ethically.
