Meagan Morris
Demand Reduction Roundtable Conference Coordinator
Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking

Colorado’s ongoing efforts to better understand human trafficking in our communities has received a lot of momentum in the past year and LCHT is jumping in the conversation with both feet. We recently announced that more information would be forthcoming on two of LCHT’s primary 2011 projects: the Colorado Project to Comprehensively Combat Human Trafficking and a new initiative on demand reduction. This blog kicks off our 2011 Demand Reduction Roundtable project.

I have joined the LCHT team to coordinate the Demand Reduction Roundtable. I came to the issue of human trafficking during my undergraduate studies. As a student in the political science department, I found myself in a course addressing human trafficking taught by the co-founders of LCHT. Following the course, I completed an internship with LCHT and have become wholly dedicated to the issue.

People talk about the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. I think there can be an analogous model as it relates to a person’s experience learning about human trafficking. For me it was: outrage, sadness, helplessness, the do-something-no-matter-what-it-is feeling, and finally a feeling that it is possible to address human trafficking through collaborative, concerted efforts. It is from this place that I come to the discussion surrounding demand reduction. It is my hope that this blog serves as a forum for the anti-trafficking community and the general public to begin to engage in a discussion about how to carefully and meaningfully apply demand reduction strategies as a component of an holistic approach to combat human trafficking in Colorado.

Whether you are looking to media coverage, policy trends, or scholarly works, people are talking about the role of demand in perpetuating human trafficking. Colorado - a state facing incidences of labor and sex trafficking as well as a major transit point for trafficking - is constantly being pushed to better refine our anti-trafficking strategies. Following the national trend, our state has begun to explore how to best approach demand reduction initiatives. Such efforts around the country have included public awareness campaigns; prevention education; “john schools” (diversion programs to dissuade first time buyers or solicitors of commercial sex similar to the proposed SB 11-085); boycotts of businesses known to exploit workers; among many others.

It is not enough to know what efforts are out there. We have to begin to ask, what are the demonstrated outcomes in reducing trafficking?

LCHT’s goal for the Fall 2011 Demand Reduction Roundtable is to create a space for critical dialogue around effective demand reduction strategies for human trafficking in Colorado. LCHT plays a unique role in the process, as we are not direct service providers, law enforcement, nor policy makers, but we are educators and community organizers. At the present moment, while there is demand for both labor and sex trafficking, current momentum for 2011 points toward a greater will to discuss sex trafficking. This is our starting point.

In the ongoing weeks, we invite you to read, comment, discuss and engage on this topic. And with that I will leave you to ponder!