Human Trafficking & Sexual Abuse
Featured Resource
Children growing up in a digital world need extra tools to stay safe from predators. The resources on this website have been compiled to empower parents, educators, child-care providers, and community members to protect children against sex trafficking and other forms of child sexual abuse. Many things can increase a child's vulnerability, such as unhealthy relationships, unfiltered social media or internet access, exposure to pornography, sexting, bullying, substance abuse, homelessness, low self-confidence, etc. With increased awareness and education, you can help Montana children become resistant to all forms of sexual exploitation.
Resources
The following Montana Codes guide the Office of Public Instruction’s (OPI) work on sex trafficking and sexual abuse prevention. For more information, visit the Child Trafficking Awareness and Prevention course on the Teacher’s Learning Hub .
Montana Code Annotated 20-7-1311
- The Office of Public Instruction is encouraged to develop and maintain model school district policies and procedures for child sexual abuse awareness, prevention, response, and reporting. These may include:
- Basic principles of child sexual abuse prevention
- Warning signs of child sexual abuse
- Actions a child victim may take to obtain assistance
- Counseling options
- Educational support to help a child reach full educational potential
- Response and reporting procedures
Montana Code Annotated 20-7-1316
- The Office of Public Instruction is encouraged to educate Montanans about and prevent child sex trafficking. Activities may include:
- Reviewing best practices for prevention
- Providing educational resources for parents, teachers, child-care providers, and community members on: preventing child sex trafficking, recognizing warning signs, and identifying predatory behaviors
- Coordinating efforts with law enforcement, the Department of Public Health and Human Services, and local organizations
- Supporting school districts in developing:
- Policies on awareness, prevention, response, and reporting
- Educational materials and curricula
Montana Code Annotated 41-3-201
- Mandated reporting statute
Anti-human trafficking response protocols should be tailored to an individual community's resources. Protocols should be developed and piloted through partnerships including schools; Child Protective Services; local, county, state, and federal policy/law enforcement; prosecutors; medical providers; and victim services organizations.
The Polaris Projectdeveloped a generic protocol designed for educators - it is shown here with some modifications tospecifically identify sex trafficking red flags and indicators, as well as identifying 911 as the preferred contact.
Montana's Statewide Toll-Free Child Abuse Hotline: 1-866-820-KIDS (1-866-820-5437)
Montana School Guidelines for the Identification and Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect 2025–2026
- This research-based, positive school climate program helps children make healthy choices in media and technology. Daily, students learn a new principle of online behavior reinforced through discussion and fun activities. Volunteers or teachers can present this program.
- Media safety program for youth ages 11–14 (developed for middle school students) – End Exploitation Montana .
- This interactive educational program from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children provides age-appropriate resources to teach children how to be safer on and offline. It is designed for children ages 5–17, parents and guardians, educators, and law enforcement, and uses videos, games, activity cards, and presentations to both entertain and educate.
- This site offers resources specifically for parents to help children stay safe while online.
- This service helps individuals remove online nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit content that was created when they were a minor.
Montana School Guidelines for the Identification and Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect 2024–2025 , MT Department of Public Health and Human Services
Human Trafficking in America's Schools :
- A guide funded through the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Healthy Students that helps school officials understand how human trafficking impacts schools, recognize indicators of possible child trafficking, and develop policies, protocols, and partnerships to address and prevent the exploitation of children.[web:28][web:34]
Addressing the Growing Problem of Domestic Sex Trafficking of Minors through PBIS :
- This practice brief suggests a framework for integrating school-based prevention and intervention strategies through Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and is designed to complement the above report.[web:32][web:29]
Human Trafficking of Children in the United States: A Fact Sheet for Schools - U.S. Department of Education
The Facts Around Sex Trafficking - Polaris Project
How to Recognize the Signs of Human Trafficking - Polaris Project
Improving Prevention and Survivor Outcomes - Nurse Practitioner Online
- A resource for human trafficking victims, healthcare workers, and other caregivers, with links to prevention information, professional resources, organizations, articles, books, videos, and podcasts.[web:31]
- The Montana Department of Justice has partnered with local anti-trafficking organizations to discuss how human trafficking affects local communities.[web:29][web:35] The site includes courses developed in Montana, including the Enlightened course, which was designed for Montana schools and features videos that can be shown in classrooms for students and teachers.[web:29][web:35] The teaching guide below supports classroom discussions about the course content, and the site also provides additional resources and insight into this issue.[web:29][web:35]
National Educators to Stop Trafficking (NEST) :
- Provides age-appropriate curriculum and resources to educate and empower youth, teaching them how to avoid being trafficked, stand up for victims, and raise awareness in their communities to end sexual exploitation and human trafficking.[web:44][web:38]
- Every 34 seconds, another teenager enters a life of exploitation.[web:45] This 45–60 minute sensory-rich assembly experience encourages students to be difference makers in their friends’ and classmates’ lives, challenging the idea of “mind your own business.”[web:45] The program aims to educate and empower students, teachers, and communities by highlighting the reality of modern-day slavery (human trafficking) and includes an assembly program, staff training, classroom sessions, and a community rally.[web:45]
- This five-lesson toolkit, created in 2012 in Red Lodge, Montana, encourages middle school students to think critically about healthy relationships, power dynamics, boundaries, and consent.[web:29] Lessons focus on what to do, rather than what not to do, and resonate with youth across the state.[web:29] The program meets Montana Health Enhancement Standards and National School Counselor Association standards, and by 2017 had trained over 500 educators and reached 27,000 youth in half of Montana’s counties.[web:29] Everyone deserves healthy relationships—join the uprising!
- Provides links to vetted curriculum organized by grade level, cost, and type of resource.[web:29]
- This resource, provided by the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center Foundation, includes videos, lesson plans, and activities to educate about child sexual abuse topics such as unsafe touch, and is available at no cost.[web:46]
The Learning Hub Is Under Construction
Teacher Learning Hub Courses:
Child Trafficking Awareness and Prevention .
- This course was developed through a partnership between the Office of Public Instruction and the University of Montana Center for Children, Families, and Workforce Development.
Warning Signs: Child Sexual Abuse :
- This course provides training for Montana educators on the awareness and prevention of child sexual abuse.
Mandatory Reporter Hub Course:
School employees in Montana are mandatory reporters. When there is suspected child abuse or neglect, you are required to report it. If there is knowledge of child abuse or neglect and it is not reported, this is a felony offense. If you have concerns or questions regarding your obligation to report child abuse of any kind, contact the Child and Family Services Division at 1-866-820-5437 .
MT Department of Justice: Human Trafficking 101 Training
Montana Department of Justice - Human Trafficking
The year 2020 marked the 20th anniversary of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. In recognition of this milestone, the U.S. Department of Education conducted a webinar series to address the growing response of America's schools to child trafficking.[web:49][web:50] As a result, they produced the following webinars:
- Addressing Human Trafficking: An Expanded Look at Online Safety
- Identifying and Supporting Students Affected by Human Trafficking
- Human Trafficking: Online Safety
Development for other school professionals
OPI Staff are here to help
Genie Zeeck, Health Enhancement Program Specialist - 406.444.3178
Sarah Music, Coordinated School Health Unit Director- 406.590.8086