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DISRUPT: Recap of the first national training, featuring the Escape Truck

By January 24, 2025News, Top Story
Marta Baldacci
Fri 24 Jan 2025

The DISRUPT project recently held its first Belgian national training in Brussels, bringing together law enforcement officers, prosecutors, social workers and nurses from across Belgium to tackle human trafficking through innovative digital means. This one-day training, held on January 16, focused on advancing the use of digital evidence in investigating and prosecuting trafficking cases, through a victim-centric approach. 

 

Background of the project 

DISRUPT, which stands for “Enhance Digital-led Investigations, Prosecutions, and Judicial Responses for dismantling Trafficking chains of children,” aims to equip professionals with digital tools and strategies to more effectively dismantle trafficking networks. With human trafficking becoming increasingly digitalised, the project addresses the need for more robust investigative and prosecutorial frameworks, especially in cases where perpetrators use online platforms to exploit vulnerable individuals. 

 

Training Modules 

The training event featured a series of in-depth sessions, each focused on an essential aspect of handling trafficking cases:

Victim identification through online investigation

In an era where electronic evidence is indispensable yet challenging to manage, this session covered best practices for evidence collection, preservation, and analysis. Special focus was given to a Romanian case study, where participants learned more about a real-life example of online investigations. 

Ethical considerations and victim protection

This session explored the ethical responsibilities of professionals working with trafficking victims. Emphasis was placed on the impact of this crime on a victim’s life and the specific needs they have, as well as safeguarding a victim-centric approach. 

Transnational cooperation

Since human trafficking is a crime that affects several aspects of a society, this session underscored the importance of collaboration between different stakeholders on national level. A case study highlighting successful cooperation between a variety of actors in the Netherlands, illustrated how joint investigation teams can strengthen investigations and enhance justice outcomes in trafficking cases. 

The training included a special feature, the Escape Truck, to fully immerse participants for the purpose of the training. 

 

The Escape Truck

The training tools available to practitioners are  primarily theory-based and lack a more engaging, hands-on component.  

The Escape Truck project bridges this gap by creating a tool focused on real-world applicability, with the primary aim of giving participants an immersive experience of what being trapped in a human trafficking situation truly feels like. The Escape Truck is an innovative training tool  ReShape Foundation, based on the concept of the popular game Escape Rooms. It features a mobile apartment designed to simulate the experience of a human trafficking victim. Through 4D stimulation—engaging sight, sound, smell, and touch—the truck enhances awareness and understanding of human trafficking and victimisation. But most of all, the truck shows you how hard it is to get out!

 

The goal of the escape truck is two-fold. On one side it aims to reach (potential) victims and their friends and family and educate them on the signs and dangers of human trafficking. On the other side it has the intention of acting as at training tool for staff and personnel of first line contact institutions.

“By educating them with the use of a popular game structure such as an Escape Room we hope to reach people who otherwise would not be reached and that the shared knowledge is not only seen and heard, but that it also lingers in the mind so that the gained knowledge can be applied when necessary.”Annemieke ReShape Foundation 

The general response has been overwhelmingly positive! Below, you can read the feedback from participants in this training.

“The Escape Truck is a genius idea; it gives a really good impression of the situation” 

“The escape truck was really touching, and it really helped us to understand what victims go through…The last clue was brilliant!”  

“The message of the truck is really clear…You can’t escape!” 

Moreover, its use has already led to positive results. For example, in Poland and Hungary, children who visited the Escape Truck were able to recognise warning signs of human trafficking in the behaviour of friends and family. They reported what they had learned to local authorities, allowing immediate help to be provided. This led to the arrest of several traffickers and support for multiple victims. 

Future of the Escape Truck

ReShape Foundation is expanding its educational efforts by developing gamified tools for middle school students. Additionally, the Escape Truck will be donated to Moldova for use by local authorities, and plans are in place for tours in Romania, Bulgaria, and Poland. The foundation is also committed to continuously improving the Escape Truck based on feedback and findings.

 

Did you miss this unique training opportunity? Don’t hesitate and register now for the second training that will take place on February 5 in the Provincie Huis of Limburg in Hasselt. A limited number of spaces are still available, you can register following this link.

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