National Human Trafficking Prevention Month

A teenage boy ages out of foster care and finds himself on the streets, desperate for food, shelter, and belonging. 

A mother escapes her abusive husband but is now desperate to make money somehow to pay rent and feed her children.

A young woman with an intellectual disability meets someone online who promises to take care of her but manipulates her into sending him illicit images so that he can sell them online.

During National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, these are stories we hear, often paired with tragic endings: vulnerable people victimized by human traffickers.

These are also examples of real-life experiences Buckner International is presented with daily as we welcome children, single mothers, and families in need into our children and family services programs domestically and internationally. The difference is in the endings to their stories.

Since 1879, Buckner continues to serve as a leader in child and family welfare, preventing the trafficking and exploitation of vulnerable people by helping them find safety, healing, and hope for a brighter future.

Buckner does not provide programs aimed at immediate solutions for victims of human and sex trafficking, but we are an organization involved in human and sex trafficking prevention. The nature of our faith-based nonprofit work positively impacts prevention for potential victims who may be vulnerable and at a higher risk for human or sex trafficking. Our nonprofit work involves healing and hope for survivors of a variety of traumas.

Healing for Children and Families

Buckner’s nonprofit children and family programs help support a journey of healing for those impacted, including trauma-informed and responsive care, assistance with basic life needs, coaching and equipping individuals and families to meet and sustain their own needs, educational and economic opportunities, family strengthening, community building, bilingual counseling to address mental health issues and trauma, and promotion of self-worth and belief in one’s own inherent goodness.

Prevention of Human Trafficking and Exploitation

Our work helps prevent human trafficking every day. Raising awareness and calling law enforcement are important activities, but human trafficking prevention encompasses much more.

Prevention goes deeper and addresses risks earlier. Human trafficking prevention includes a variety of protective factors, all of which Buckner provides through Family Hope Center programs, in our single-mother-focused Family Pathways communities, and in the homes of our Christ-serving families dedicated to foster care and adoption.

Nonprofit programs at Buckner International help preserve and strengthen families through:

Family Stabilization

The Buckner Family Hope Center model focuses on strengthening families by equipping children and parents with practical tools, guidance, and support. Through education, coaching, and resources, families build resilience and protective factors that reduce their vulnerability to exploitation. Programs include family coaching and goal setting that work toward strengthening family relationships as well as building self-reliance and self-sufficiency. Parenting education teaching positive family communication for healthy, strong connection with children. Child and youth development programs offer fun, safe activities aimed at academic enhancement, social development, character development, and practical life skills. Engaging social activities for families of all ages foster relationships that create a strong community and support system.

Support for At-Risk Youth

Foster care, adoption, reunification, aftercare, and foster youth aging out of care programs provide stability and consistent care for children, youth, and young women who have experienced abuse or neglect. These services help create safe environments and ongoing support systems that lessen the risks of trafficking.

Community Connections and Holistic Aid

Buckner connects families and individuals to free counseling, church ministries, and humanitarian resources. These broader community services help provide for basic needs, address underlying problems, and promote social networks that reinforce well-being and health.

Vulnerable Populations

It’s critical that nonprofit organizations and local communities work together to address the root cause of trafficking: vulnerability. That’s why our programming aimed at strengthening families, protecting, children, and transforming generations of families, allows vulnerable people to thrive in a place of stability with hope for a bright future.

For example, the Buckner Family Pathways program creates a supportive residential housing solution for single mothers so they can achieve higher education and a career while caring for their children, changing the trajectory of the family’s lives.

In the Buckner Family Hope Centers, families are strengthened through counseling and family coaching programs that help at-risk families, children, and youth stay safely at home instead of entering foster care or the juvenile justice system. Our downloadable Safe Internet Search (SIS) Guide helps parents learn about the dangers of online grooming that can lead to human trafficking. Kinship care, foster care, and adoption programs ensure children can grow in healthy families. Youth aging out programs help teens and young adults transitioning from foster care, juvenile justice, or other hard circumstances achieve stability, education, occupation, and a sense of belonging in their communities.

Everyone Can Do Something to Help Prevent Human Trafficking

This January during National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, how will you take action? Please join prevention efforts by getting involved in our work to prevent human trafficking by strengthening families, protecting children, and transforming families for generations to come.