Blue Campaign Evaluation

In 2019, the United States had 11,500 reported human trafficking cases. Human trafficking is a complex phenomenon that is led by the demand for cheap labor and the supply of people willing to leave home in search of better economic opportunities. Experiences are diverse, influenced by dominant cultural practices, family structures, community support systems, and other factors all may impact the shape and prevalence of trafficking and efforts to prevent its occurrence.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Blue Campaign is a national public awareness campaign designed to educate the public, law enforcement, and industry partners to recognize the indicators of human trafficking and how to appropriately respond to possible cases.

The DHS Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate’s Mission and Capability Support Office (MCS) assists in the development of science-based policy, programs, and technologies in support of DHS’ strategic initiatives. Among the strategic initiatives MCS’s Public Safety and Violence Prevention Division (PSVP) supports Countering Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation, Countering Violent Extremism and Countering Foreign Influence.

This project seeks to conduct an impact evaluation of the Blue Campaign’s program and its human trafficking advertising. The objectives of this effort include identifying high-quality data to:

• Conduct a comprehensive assessment of the Blue Campaign from a public health perspective to determine the impact of its training products and campaign activities.
•  Aspects of prevention, mitigation, and response to these activities while providing an independent and objective assessment to ensure that state and local authorities can continually improve and integrate new evidence and basic research in pursuit of the general welfare of our citizens.

The video below provides an example of a quasi-experimental study conducted to date.