Joan Reid, PhD, professor and lab director of the Trafficking in Persons Risk to Resilience Lab (TIP Lab); Shelly Wagers, PhD, associate professor and assistant director of the TIP Lab; and Kailey Pate Carter, lab manager, in the Department of Criminology, recently served as presenters at a BayCare anti-human trafficking training held last week.
Reid, Wagers and Carter were joined by representatives of Selah Freedom, a Florida-based nonprofit organization focused on ending sex trafficking and providing support for survivors; SAFE Alliance of Tampa Bay, a group that encourages collaboration in the fight against human trafficking; and iRISE Florida, which promotes economic empowerment and leadership development for survivors of human trafficking and other forms of violence and exploitation. Panel presentations also included organizations that respond to pediatric trafficking and speakers from law enforcement.
The TIP Lab became the state repository for anonymous human trafficking data in 2023. The lab operates two online platforms: the BRIGHT Network, which connects victims of trafficking with organizations and resources in their community, and TIPSTR, a data repository that illustrates the magnitude, trends and geographic scope of human trafficking across the state.