Statewide Community Round Tables on Prevention

Intersections of Sexual Violence, Domestic Violence and Sex Trafficking: Bringing the Community Together Around Prevention

Between November 2018 and April 2019, the Minnesota Department of Health and the University of Minnesota’s Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC) sponsored a series of statewide public round tables geared to service providers and systems professionals who work in the areas of sexual and domestic violence, sexual exploitation and trafficking, public health, and other intersecting fields.

The round tables offered providers and systems professionals an opportunity to learn how to apply the latest research to community contexts for collaboration and prevention, as well as inspiration for action and a deeper understanding of the complex ways sexual violence, domestic violence and sex trafficking are interrelated. The round tables used a design thinking process to collaboratively create prevention solutions based on community context.

About the Project and Round Tables

These series are the culmination of a two-year partnership between the Minnesota Department of Health and UROC to deepen our understanding of the intersections of sex trafficking with other forms of sexual and domestic violence. The project seeks to surface opportunities for prevention gathered from community wisdom and experience. Research findings will be shared on our website at the conclusion of this project. For more information or questions contact Christina Melander via email at [email protected] or phone (612)-624-4618, or Amy Kenzie at the Minnesota Department of Health via email at [email protected] or phone 651-201-5410.

UROC-MDH Project and Partnership Goals:

  • Deepen understanding of connections between sex trafficking and other forms of violence (sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and family violence)
  • Foster relationships between public health, research and community-based programs
  • Identify upstream prevention opportunities
  • Launch community engagement through community awareness and partnerships; collaboration opportunity