Reference no: EM132734520

Education and Training and Development

• A significant barrier to this understanding is the lack of education and awareness of the issue. This lack of awareness and education about human trafficking renders service providers, community members, and law enforcement ill prepared with the requisite knowledge base to identify victims and to recognize it within communities. It is this deficit in knowledge and skills that validates the need to incorporate HRD techniques and practitioners.

• HRD principles, including universal education and vocational programs, can be leveraged to reduce vulnerability to human trafficking. Moreover, since the first step toward effective prevention of human trafficking requires awareness of the issue, educational campaigns, trainings focusing on victim identification and increased outreach to vulnerable populations serve as essential tenets of prevention.

• The HRD principles of education and training and development are logically transferable to prevention of human trafficking. These tools are pertinent to increase awareness and outreach and provide training and development resources to service providers and other key first responders.

• Of course, the expertise of HRD and training specialists should be brought to bear in the design of training and education in this area as in any element of professional endeavor. Careful planning and the engagement of those involved in dealing with the human trafficking problem are essential to any effective design.

Implications for Human Resource Development

• The value of HRD and its application to the human trafficking problem remains to be fully explored and reviewed. There is a lack of research and literature around HRD efforts in connection with human trafficking. However, by expanding scholarship and current understandings of expertise and challenges in existing approaches, we offer an alternative solution. The solution proposed includes leveraging well-known, proven techniques, tools, and practices widely applied within the HRD field for combating human trafficking at the community level. Education and training will lead to greater awareness and ultimately contribute to the prevention of human trafficking as well as better victim identification measures. The implementation of NHRD to address human trafficking challenges HRD scholars to work not only within a community context but also alongside community members and organizations. This notion provides a springboard for future research and for HRD practitioners to move beyond traditional frameworks toward more complex, global issues.

HRD Practice

• This article contributes to HRD practice as practitioners require greater understanding and a larger knowledge base of the human trafficking phenomenon and its implications. Training and development efforts necessitate the acquisition of appropriate skills, tools, and techniques to address human trafficking. The facilitation of community development will help to build stronger communities, less susceptible to the harm and destruction of human trafficking. HRD practitioners will be in a unique position to inform stakeholders and provide training and education to first responders as well as NGOs, grassroots, and nonprofit organizations. Practitioners represent a group of people capable of impacting antihuman trafficking efforts, on many levels. Practitioners, equipped with the tools and skills, will be influential in the community development approach and in the change process. Community development requires community involvement and participation and HRD practitioners will provide the structure and support along with key resources for successful implementation. Through collaboration and partnerships, HRD practice will move forward in innovative ways to redirect focus on larger, societal issues that impact individuals and communities worldwide.

Discussion 1: What is this reading implying about the integration of HRD principles on the prevention of human trafficking?