My Experience at the Human Trafficking Conference
I went to the University of Toledo Human Trafficking Conference hoping to learn more about international human trafficking as is occurs in the United States. While I did accomplish this by going to talks on Mexican sex trafficking, reproductive coercion, and the effects of trafficking on LGBTQ youth, I was surprised to learn more about how understanding social identity was key to becoming a leader in this field. One of the talks that stuck with me most was about disability and human trafficking. The speaker made a clear link between the importance of identifying and understanding disability to know if a disabled person is being mistreated. Because it is often times a caregiver who might attempt to traffic a disabled person, it is essential that all organizational leaders learn to identify the signs and intersections between the two. This is the importance of relating social identity back to leadership to better serve a population. As a leader, I will certainly try to educate myself more about the differences and effects of social identities in order to improve my work and help others.