The Journey to Oz: How Practice, Research, and Law Have Been Used to Combat Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking in Kansas

Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking is a form of modern day slavery and is one of the most hidden means of child abuse in the United States. In response to encountering the reality of this abuse and exploitation of our children, multidisciplinary professionals in Kansas were impassioned to develop and implement collaborative practices, community-based research, and law and policy in order to combat trafficking. This paper presents a summary of such efforts that, expanding over a decade, have culminated in a new Kansas Anti-Trafficking Law. A brief summary of the definitions and demographics of trafficking are provided followed by a discussion of the collaborative multidisciplinary practice and research efforts that occurred in the largest city in Kansas. With an understanding that it was these works that empowered a statewide paradigm shift and thus, ultimately led to policy development, a comparative summary of key Anti-Trafficking legislation is then reviewed. In conclusion, this paper offers recommendations for others who wish to combat trafficking in their own communities.