Partnering to protect DoD kids Published April 1, 2022 April is the Month of the Military Child. Created in 1986, this military child appreciation month is a time to recognize the sacrifice and bravery of the more than 1.6 million military children in our country. Military families relocate an average of every two to three years, and though they are often praised for their resilience and flexibility, constantly changing schools and support networks can be challenging for kids. Military children face unique risks due to their parent/guardian's military service, ​including high stress, mental health issues, bullying, and even human trafficking. Recently JKO assisted The U.S. Department of Defense Combating Trafficking in Persons (CTIP) Program Management Office (PMO) in developing a new course, the CTIP Student Guide to Preventing Human Trafficking. The course teaches military-connected high school students (10th – 12th grade) about human trafficking. Teens will understand how human trafficking is occurring in student settings and particularly online where exploitation of children and teens is increasingly occurring today. As we celebrate and thank our military children this month, we'd like to take this opportunity to showcase the great work being done by CTIP to educate and protect military children from the dangers of human trafficking. This specialized prevention course teaches students the issues of human trafficking in ways that are age appropriate and relevant to high school age military-connected students. The creative design approach moves online education away from standard, computer-based review and assessment to a multimedia-rich experience. The course includes: blocks of learning delivered as 5-10 minute “action cards” peer conversations, survivor stories, graphic novels, and social media platforms micro-content, short videos, games, and self-assessments Students finish with an understanding of the nature and scope of human trafficking, the signs and indicators, how to recognize potential trafficking situations, and how to seek help and report suspicious behavior. In every lesson, a way to seek help is prominently displayed. “Children are a vulnerable population that traffickers target through social media and just about everywhere they frequent. Our military connected students who may be new to a school or a country are even more vulnerable, that's why this training is so important. It gives them the tools they need to recognize the signs and indicators of human trafficking and to know what to do when they see it,” said Linda Dixon, CTIP Program Manager. “JKO is proud to partner with the CTIP PMO in bringing this critical and creative training program to our military-connected kids,” said Mr. Howard “Tank” Thorp, JKO Division Chief. Get Help National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).