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June 29th, 2026
Written by: Janae O'Connell
What if one of the major challenges to trafficking is the way we talk about it? Common messages like “Be safe. Don’t talk to strangers” are well-intended, but don’t prepare teens to navigate danger. A strengths-based approach offers a different path. Practical conversations help young people develop the skills to recognize risks, seek support, and actively participate in conversations about their own safety.
Think about the average teenager's day. They might go to school, text friends, scroll social media, work a part-time job, making dozens of decisions without an adult present. A strengths-based approach recognizes that young people are already learning how to navigate the world and helps them build the skills to do so safely.
A strengths-based approach swaps warnings for skill-building. It focuses on supporting and building resilience to grow and develop each person. Let’s look at some examples below.
Fear-based messaging says:
A strengths-based approach says:
These conversations do more than raise awareness. When young people are asked to recognize manipulation, identify trusted supporters, or think through how they would respond to a situation, they are actively practicing the skills they may need in real life. Over time, these discussions can strengthen critical thinking, boundary-setting, and help-seeking behaviors.
Imagine a teen tells you they met a friend online and that friend wants to meet them in person in a private space.
A fear-based response might look like, “Absolutely not. You’re not allowed to meet them. It’s too dangerous.”
However, a strength-based response might look like, “How long have you known them? Why do they want to meet in private? What do you think are some red flags?”
Of course, the goal is not to approve the meeting. Instead, the goal is to help the youth to critically think, realize the risks and warning signs and make safe, healthy choices.
Having these conversations also creates a safe space for teens to ask questions, discuss uncomfortable situations, and seek support without fear of punishment or judgment. They can build relationships with trusted adults and peers, which strengthens their support network before danger happens.
If we teach young people to be cautious, we should also help them identify the trusted adults, friends, and support systems they can turn to when they need help.
Youth perspectives are especially important given the scale of child trafficking. While the percentage of child trafficking victims is difficult to determine because of the crime's hidden and underreported nature, the UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons (2024) found that between 2020 and 2023, 38% of identified trafficking victims were children.
As traffickers continue to adapt their methods, prevention efforts should not focus solely on educating youth but also on listening to them. Young people often have firsthand knowledge of the technology, online spaces, social pressures, and trends that shape their daily lives.
By creating opportunities for youth to share their experiences and perspectives, parents, educators, and communities can better understand emerging risks and develop prevention strategies that reflect the realities young people face today.
Young people are not simply individuals to be protected, but valuable partners in prevention efforts. They also already play a significant role in anti-trafficking advocacy and awareness. For example, the World Without Exploitation Youth Coalition is a U.S.-based, youth-led network of individuals ages 15 to 20 that combats human trafficking and sexual exploitation through advocacy, education, and awareness initiatives.
Organizations like these demonstrate that young people are not only capable of learning about trafficking prevention but are also capable of contributing to it. Youth-led advocacy and awareness organizations can also provide opportunities to develop leadership, communication, and public speaking skills while helping educate others about trafficking prevention.
When youth are empowered to share their experiences and perspectives, they can become powerful advocates, educators, and leaders in efforts to prevent trafficking and exploitation within their communities.
This week, try replacing one warning with a question. Instead of saying, “Be careful online,” ask, “What are some warning signs that someone online may not be who they say they are?” Sometimes, the smallest conversations today can create a safer tomorrow.
2019. "Adolescent Development." In The Promise of Adolescence: Realizing Opportunity for All Youth, by Engineering, and Medicine National Academies of Sciences, Health and Medicine Division, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, Youth, and Families Board on Children and Committee on the Neurobiological and Socio-behavioral Science of Adolescent Development and Its Applications, edited by Bonnie RJ Backes EP. Washington DC: National Academies Press.
UNDOC. 2024. Global Report on Trafficking in Persons. Vienna: United Nations.
Workers, National Association of Social. 2016. NASW Standards for Social Work Practice in Health Care Settings. Accessed June 13, 2026. https://www.socialworkers.org/Practice/NASW-Practice-Standards-Guidelines/NASW-Standards-for-Social-Work-Practice-in-Health-Care-Settings
World Without Exploitation. 2026. Introducing the World Without Exploitation Youth Coalition. Accessed June 13, 2026. https://www.worldwithoutexploitation.org/youth
https://www.verywellmind.com/strengths-based-therapy-definition-and-techniques-5211679
https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/glotip/2024/GLOTIP2024_BOOK.pdf
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