Research Published - CSEC & CAB

First Qualitative Research Study of Adults that experienced Child Trafficking Under the Age 11. Lived experience experts created a Community Advisory Board to work with the researcher.

Sept 9, 2025

In August of 2024 WSAT member Angela Clark co-presented findings of a research project at an International Conference. Research can be healing when participants feel heard and understood. Questions and process design by lived experience create a meaningful and restorative experience for the CAB and the research participants. Please find our presentation recording here: https://youtu.be/E1jdHV5pVuM.

In July of 2025 the first research paper was published featuring the project design. Lessons learned by the researcher, the CAB, and the participants bring the shared experiences of trauma full circle. Even the researcher found support and hope by sitting in zoom calls with the CAB research team after experiencing vicarious trauma from the interviews.

For the first time, many of us felt heard and seen by each other as we understood the shared experiences of our childhoods. We were unburdened by understanding we were not alone in our pain and suffering.

Our article ““This is the First Time I’ve Felt Seen”: How Community-Engagement Can Improve Human Trafficking Research” is now published and is available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069251339086

This was the culmination of 2 years of work for the research team.

Three more papers covering the results of the research project will be published in the next year. Angela is presenting the findings at the COVA conference in Keystone at the end of this month. If you'd like to book Angela or the research team, please email Angela (at) risebeyondfreedom(.com). Or send us a note through this website asking for Angela.

Feel free to share widely.