The Colorado Project to Comprehensively Combat Human Trafficking: Community-Based Participatory Research in Action

Author: Miller, Annie; Alejano-Steele, Annjanette; Finger, Amanda & Napolitano, Kara

Abstract: Community-based participatory action research (CBPR) is an inclusive methodology well suited to researching, mitigating, and ending human trafficking. CBPR principles, including recognition of power dynamics across communities, allowing practitioners, stakeholders, and survivors to participate in the research design and analysis, and establishing norms of reciprocity and ongoing engagement, can enhance the quality of research produced to end human trafficking. This paper argues that CBPR can: 1) overcome limitations to common research designs currently utilized in human trafficking research efforts, 2) more effectively prioritize and respond to vulnerable populations, and 3) provide a longitudinal way to support practitioners seeking to reduce trafficking in communities. The Colorado Project is introduced as a specific example of a CBPR methodology. It highlights four ethical considerations when using CBPR: 1) balancing community values, needs, and identity with those of the individual; 2) negotiating power dynamics and relationships, particularly when working with stigmatized populations; 3) negotiating conflicting ethical requirements and expectations from Institutional Review Boards (IRBs); and 4) facilitating social action emerging from the findings.

Keywords: community-based participatory action research, methodology, longitudinal