Detecting and Responding: The Role of Youth Workers in Tackling Human Trafficking

Abstract

Human trafficking remains a hidden yet urgent issue in the Netherlands, with young people particularly vulnerable to forms of criminal and sexual exploitation. While youth workers are uniquely positioned to detect and respond to early signs of trafficking, their role in this context remains underexplored. This qualitative study investigates how youth workers detect and respond to suspected cases of human trafficking.

Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with youth workers from various regions and organisational contexts across the Netherlands. Thematic analysis revealed that detection relies heavily on trust-based relationships with youth, through which subtle signs and disclosures can emerge. However, detection is often complicated by the ambiguity of victimhood, social norms, and institutional blind spots. In responding to human trafficking, youth workers must balance their commitment to youth with external demands from formal systems (e.g. law enforcement, municipalities). Key themes include the strategic protection of trust-based relationships, the barriers of collaboration in siloed systems, and the moral dilemmas involved.

Although this study is based on youth workers who volunteered to participate and shared their own experiences, which may not represent all views, it provides rich insights into how they detect and respond to human trafficking. This is the first study to use an interdisciplinary lens to explore this issue in the Dutch context, showing the need to go beyond standard procedures and invest in relational, and well-supported youth work as a frontline defence.