Date
Wednesday, October 15, 2025
Time
10:45 AM - 12:00 PM
Name
Dismantling Human Trafficking Markets Through the 10 Points of Disruption
Track
Prevention
Nic McKinley
Description

For human trafficking markets to exist, criminals rely on a series of 10 transactional points common to most illicit markets. This workshop dissects each point necessary for human traffickers to succeed in the acquisition, sale, and purchase of other human beings. It provides an understanding of the environments and circumstances that allow criminals to flourish and highlights the vulnerabilities at each stage and what we can do at every intersection to stop them. Through engaging discussions and case studies, attendees will explore the 10 opportunities we have to disrupt human trafficking markets, including identifying a market opportunity, recruiting victims, exerting control, advertising the illicit service, communicating with buyers, transporting victims, providing the illicit service, receiving payment, banking or laundering the proceeds, and legal compliance (i.e., evading law enforcement). Attendees will leave with an understanding of each point, their unique opportunity for intervention, the circumstances that allow criminals to succeed, the tools they rely on, and the vital role of technology in both completing the transaction and disrupting the market. This data-driven approach gives participants knowledge of cutting-edge tools, including DeliverFund’s proprietary platforms, proven to enhance abilities to monitor, mitigate, and eradicate human trafficking activity at every point of disruption. The “10 Points of Disruption” is a comprehensive framework for breaking the trafficking supply chain by targeting each specific transaction point. Introducing friction at every stage makes human trafficking more difficult and less profitable, thereby increasing the risk, lowering the reward, and making it less appealing for criminals to pursue. Traditional counter-trafficking efforts have predominantly relied on a law-enforcement-first approach, placing most of the burden of disruption on the final link—legal compliance and avoiding law enforcement. We know that if any single transaction in the chain fails, the entire illicit operation will likely collapse. Therefore, rather than focusing on just one intervention that responds to a crime after its occurrence, the “10 Points of Disruption” targets multiple points along the chain to dramatically raise the odds that the criminal’s pathway is interrupted. With a heavy emphasis on collaboration, this workshop encourages and explores the power of partnerships with law enforcement and other organizations to create a robust network that can tackle every stage of transactions within illicit markets. This powerful approach is vital to creating a sustainable, effective, and scalable model to eliminate a human trafficker’s ability to operate. During a question-and-answer period, participants will collaboratively discuss each market transaction point and practical strategies to disrupt them, providing actionable takeaways to proactively stop human trafficking activity before it occurs.