Randolph becomes first College in the country to offer Freedom 4/24’s human trafficking awareness training for young adults

Randolph College will be the first college or university in the country to implement Freedom 4/24’s Human Trafficking and Exploitation Training for students and young adults. 

“It is a deep dive into all the things that college students and young adults need to understand as it relates to trafficking and exploitation,” said Joy Cover, the nonprofit’s president. “When we decided to tailor this for college students, we recognized their specific vulnerability during this time in life. They’re in a new environment. It could be their first time away from home, so they’re dealing with loneliness. All of these things open them up to potential exploitation.” 

Freedom 4/24, based in Lynchburg, works to prevent and end sexual exploitation and trafficking through awareness and prevention education.

Human trafficking comes in many forms, and some of them start closer to home than many people realize. 

“It’s a very relational crime, where 95 percent or more of victims knew their trafficker before they were exploited,” Cover said. “It’s typically a romantic partner or family member who trafficks someone. It unfortunately happens much more often than people realize, typically through underground hidden channels, and it’s hard to identify. And it’s often initiated by an online platform, so internet safety is a big piece of this as well.” 

Freedom 4/24 already offers a human trafficking prevention curriculum for 5th through 12th graders, based on family life and health Standards of Learning in Virginia. In addition to providing a comprehensive understanding of exploitation and human trafficking in today’s world, it also teaches students about boundaries and consent in healthy relationships, online safety, and sextortion. 

The module for college students and young adults was developed after a bill requiring public colleges and universities to incorporate human trafficking awareness and prevention into their first-year orientation programs was signed into law in 2023. 

“As a private school, Randolph isn’t required to do this, yet the College is still taking this step to make sure your students are well-protected and informed,” Cover said. “We are excited to speak into the lives of Randolph students as they explore their independence and learn what it’s like to be on their own. We want them to be safe and healthy citizens.” 

The curriculum explores the supply and demand dynamics of human trafficking, along with the recruitment and control tactics used by traffickers, risk factors for college students and young adults, and how to respond to actual or potential cases of it. 

“This type of training is helpful for everyone, no matter their risk factors,” Cover said. “It allows them to form and recognize healthy relationships and put these boundaries and safe practices into place.”

It is offered asynchronously, so students can complete it at their own pace. The College is also having student leaders, including head residents and resident assistants, complete the training. 

“We want them to know how to recognize and respond to the signs that someone is being actively groomed or trafficked,” said Donna Burckhard, director of student engagement and support. 

The College has also built in a response and after-care plan for students who recognize signs in their own lives.

“If a student goes through the training and begins to realize this might be happening to them,” Burckhard said, “they will receive a tiered response—starting with immediate support, and connecting them to the right resources based on what they need.”