Katherine Chon

Katherine Chon is the founding director of the Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) and senior advisor on human trafficking at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). OTIP is part of the HHS Administration for Children and Families, responsible for developing strategies and implementing programs to prevent trafficking, increase victim identification and access to services, and strengthen the health and well-being of survivors. OTIP also collaborates with government and non-government partners to raise public awareness, identify research priorities, and inform policy recommendations to strengthen the Nation’s public health response to human trafficking. As the director, Katherine leads the office and determines certification and eligibility for survivors of human trafficking who may be eligible for refugee benefits and services.

She is the federal executive officer of the National Advisory Committee on the Sex Trafficking of Children and Youth in the U.S. As senior advisor, Katherine serves on multiple committees under the Senior Policy Operating Group of the President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. She serves on other related federal inter-agency working groups on violence against women, child exploitation, and Native American affairs. Prior to her government service in 2012, Katherine was the co-founder and President of Polaris, establishing the global organization’s innovative programs to assist survivors of human trafficking, expand anti-trafficking policies, and fundamentally change the way local communities respond to modern slavery.

Key Points

The Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP)  fights against human trafficking in a unique way. They look at the issues impacting every aspect of human trafficking and attack many issues at the same time. They develop strategies and implement programs to prevent human trafficking, increase victim identification and access to services, and strengthen the health and well-being of survivors.

OTIP is creating a national human trafficking prevention framework and prevention action plan in order to connect efforts to combat human trafficking. They partnered with the CDC and other researchers to strengthen their prevention efforts.

Resources

Office on Trafficking in Persons

HHS Anti-Trafficking Efforts Highlighted in 2020 National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking

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Transcript

Dave [00:00:00] You’re listening to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast, this is episode number 245, Health and Human Services OTIP Resources.

Production Credits [00:00:09] Produced by Innovate Learning, Maximizing Human Potential.

Dave [00:00:30] Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. My name is Dave Stachowiak.

Sandie [00:00:36] And my name is Sandie Morgan.

Dave [00:00:38] And this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in ending human trafficking, Sandie. I’m so glad to be back with you today. We are here to feature a wonderful partner and an organization that just does tremendous work on providing resources for all of us in our efforts to end human trafficking. We’re so glad to welcome to the show today, Katherine Chan. She is the founding director of the Office on Trafficking in Persons known as OTIP and Senior Advisor on Human Trafficking at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. OTIP is part of the HHS Administration for Children and Families responsible for developing strategies and implementing programs to prevent trafficking, increase victim identification and access to services, and strengthen the health and well-being of survivors. OTIP also collaborates with government and non-government partners to raise public awareness, identify research priorities and inform policy recommendations to strengthen the nation’s public health response to human trafficking. As the director, Katherine leads the office and determines certification and eligibility of survivors of human trafficking who may be eligible for refugee benefits and services. Katherine, we’re so glad to welcome you to the show.

Kathrine [00:01:58] Thank you for having me on. Good morning.

Sandie [00:02:01] I am so glad to have you back. You were an Ensure Justice conference keynote a few years ago and I’ve been in your office a few times when I’ve been out in Washington, D.C. and we always find common ground because of our collective passion for prevention. So, I’m excited to have you back today.

Kathrine [00:02:24] Thank you, Sandie. I think when I was at that Ensure Justice conference, the focus was on the intersection between human trafficking and substance use, which continues to be an issue impacting communities across the country. And the issue of human trafficking intersects with so many other issues that communities are facing. So, I’m glad to be on here and have this conversation with you and Dave.

Sandie [00:02:51] I so value what your office is doing. And the introduction that I gave Dave for you really focused ...