The Freedom Connection Conference

Shared Problems Calls for Shared Solutions

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    The Freedom Connection Conference

    An anti-human trafficking conference focused on understanding exploitation and survivorship, in-demand skills, and best practices for volunteering. Hosted by Rotaractors from GMU, UVA, and the NoVA area.

    9am-4:30pm, April 19th, 2026

    Van Metre Hall, GMU Arlington Campus, VA

    Paid Parking at Van Metre Hall

    3351 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22201

    (The Arlington campus is accessible from Fairfax via bus or metro)

    What Is It?

    The Freedom Connection Conference will educate and empower attendees to understand human trafficking and support survivors of human trafficking. The conference is designed to bring together the entire community, highlighting the diverse avenues in which we can all support survivors.
    A shared problem calls for shared solutions - What is your role?

    Who Can Join?

    You! This event is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

    The conference is geared towards university students and community volunteers and Rotarians to learn more about human trafficking, survivorship, and current issues in anti-trafficking.

    Sessions will be facilitated by industry-leaders and lived-experience experts.

    This conference is great for all levels of knowledge on anti-human trafficking. The speakers and represented organizations will also have information on employment, internships, and volunteer opportunities as well as other key resources -- it’s a great opportunity to develop your network and meet the people doing the work!

    What's the Schedule?

    8:30AM-9:00AM - Registration/Check-In and Breakfast
    9:00AM - Opening Remarks

    9:15AM-10:15AM - Understanding Human Trafficking Dynamics, and Current Trends in the DC-MD-VA area
    10:20AM-11:20AM - Survivorship Challenges and Successes 
    11:30AM-12:30PM - Focus: Labor Trafficking

    12:30PM-1:20PM - LUNCH (provided) and optional service project

    1:20PM-2:20PM - Focus: Medical Impacts of Human Trafficking
    2:25PM-3:25PM - Focus: Policy and Legislation
    3:30PM-4:30PM - Focus: Best practices for volunteering with survivors of human trafficking

    4:30PM-4:40PM - Closing remarks

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    Focus Session Descriptions

    Our sessions highlight pressing issues in the field. All sessions are led by established leaders in the field and lived-experience experts.

    Understanding Human Trafficking Dynamics and Impacts on Communities

    Develop a firm understanding of human trafficking dynamics and impacts on our community. We'll tackle questions like:

    1) What is human trafficking, and what does it look like in the DMV?
    2) How does it happen and who is involved?
    3) How does trafficking impact a person, family, community, or national security? 4) How is HT a criminal, community health, and human rights issue? 5) How are human trafficking and smuggling different, and how does one affect the other?

    Survivor Journeys and Experiences

    In this session, we'll learn more about the survivor journey after exploitation. Oftentimes we are focused on victim and prevention, but survivors of human trafficking have a life to live beyond their experience. We'll dive into topics like:

    • What is the process to seek justice and acquire services?
    • What does "wrap around services" and "trauma-informed" mean?
    • Who are the survivors of human trafficking? What can we learn from them?
    • What happens immediately after people exit their trafficking situation or are "rescued"?
    • What happens in the long-term? How does trauma impact them? What exists to support them?
    • What happens to survivors who are wrongfully convicted of a crime during their trafficking situation?

    Labor Trafficking

    Labor trafficking and forced labor is often overlooked despite its impact on millions of people and our economy.

    Industries like agriculture, mining, cosmetics, and fashion have been known to use exploitative labor practices and child labor to make cheap, unsustainable products.

    From forced labor, child labor, wage-theft and domestic servitude, learn from experts how labor trafficking shows up in our everyday economy, what this crime is, and how this international issue affects our community in the DMV.

    The Medical Impacts of Human Trafficking

    Survivors are often coping with medical issues during and after exploitation. Victims of trafficking may even visit the emergency room, healthcare provider, or dentists and go undetected. Survivors face physical, mental, and psychosocial impacts after exploitation, but what exists to help?

    This session focuses on the medical challenges survivors face after they exit their trafficking situation. Our panelists have expertise on the experience in the emergency services, evidence collection, and long-term survivor care.

    Policy and Legislation

    Policy and legislation creates the structure and funding for prosecution of traffickers, protection of victims and provisions of service, prevention of human trafficking, and partnering for holistic responses to trafficking.

    This session focuses on current policy and legislation, as well as gaps in policy and research.

    What can you do?

    Best Practices for Volunteering and Raising Awareness

    Our final session tackles how you can take action in your community and your profession. From doing prevention work, raising awareness, fundraising, or doing a donation drive, you can make an impact.

    We will also explore questions about their professional experience and how to contribute professionally to anti-human trafficking.

    Who’s leading our sessions?
    Click the link to read about the speakers ➡️

    speaker Bios 🗣️

    Click the link to read about our speakers

    REGISTER HERE!

    GMU STUDENTS, and NON-Mason Attendees CLICK HERE
    ROTARIANS may register on DACdb here (Rotarians must still register through Mason360!)

    Questions? Comments? Contact us!

    theFCconference@gmail.com

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