Crisis doesn’t make an appointment. The crisis of a global pandemic was no exception to the rule. Anti-trafficking organizations across the world have been forced to innovate and adapt both during COVID-19 and in post-crisis. Now is the time, more than ever, to share the field’s inventive and iterative approach to recovery.
Children and youth who run from foster care placements are a growing concern among policymakers and practitioners. A large number of youth in foster care run away from their placement at least once, and many do multiple times. Running from care is associated with a range of serious negative consequences, including human trafficking victimization. In this brief, we first discuss the number of youth who run from foster care, factors that place youth at risk of running from care, and the evidence around running from care and sex trafficking victimization. Where applicable, we also review the evidence around running from care and labor trafficking. We conclude with a discussion of promising efforts to reduce runaway behavior.