Gang trafficking is not one-size-fits-all. There is a spectrum of involvement. At one end are highly organized criminal enterprises with established leadership, defined roles, and coordinated trafficking operations. In the middle are gang-affiliated offenders who exploit victims while benefiting from gang connections, reputation, or territorial control without operating under a formal trafficking structure. At the other end are traffickers who are not official gang members but are connected to neighborhoods, crews, or gang culture, where victims may still experience territorial restrictions, gang branding, retaliation, or community violence. Understanding where a survivor’s experience falls on this spectrum is essential for accurate assessment, safety planning, and effective intervention. Throughout the session, the presenter will incorporate both professional practice and lived experience to demonstrate that not every survivor connected to a gang has experienced trafficking in the same way. Participants will learn to identify indicators of gang-affiliated trafficking and exploitation, including branding practices, recruitment methods, coercive control, gang affiliation, territorial influence, familial trafficking, and the ways survivors may perceive gang involvement as identity, family, or protection. The presenter will discuss how a trauma-informed, cross-systems approach can better address the intersection of trafficking, gangs, and criminalization, helping professionals tailor their response and services to each survivor’s unique experience. Register here.

Presenter: Oree Freeman