RESEARCH
We believe that the best organizations make data-driven decisions, centering the voices of lived experience experts each step of the way. That’s why we integrate survivors’ lived experiences into every analytical project we take on, to help your organization make informed decisions to intelligently end exploitation.
Experts at The Avery Center are engaged in local, national and international research. Collaboration is at the heart of our work; whether we are consulting with a non-profit organization in Hawaii, the United Kingdom, or with Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, we approach ongoing projects with the same data-driven perspective, centering survivors’ voices in all of our work.
We hold a large contact database of individuals with lived experience in the sex trade – not just survivors, but those still being victimized by pimps and traffickers. This sets our research and training capabilities completely apart from any other existing organizations. We have gathered one of the largest qualitative data sets on domestic pimp-controlled sex trafficking in US history at this time.
TRAINING SESSIONS
We offer introductory and intermediate training sessions, as well as custom and advanced training sessions for those already well-versed in the basic issues of domestic sex trafficking.
"Exceptional material. I did not understand the true depth of this problem until she brought attention to the ads that she had posted and how many responses she was getting. It hit home in a real and powerful way!"
ONLYFANS REPORT
Today, OnlyFans is a household name, and a debate rages on about how the platform will be held accountable for exploitative and abusive content bought and sold on the site. Read this case study report of exploitation in the digital age.
"Nearly one-third of respondents said it was very obvious when a trafficker was managing a victims' account on OnlyFans."
WEBINARS
Join The Avery Center for live and recorded webinars on a wide range of topics, including:
- The Intersection of Substance Use, Mental Health & Commercial Sexual Exploitation
- Identifying Sex Trafficking Victims From a Trauma-Informed Perspective
- Sex Trafficking Training for Health Care Professionals
We explore a variety of indicators of commercial sexual exploitation, the Stages of Change model as it relates to survivors of CSE, and effective, trauma-informed methods to interact with trafficked individuals.
"Angie and Megan take the complex social issues facing our society today and translate them into bite-sized chunks for the rest of us. Their passion, vision and perspective is lively, insightful, professional and applicable. As a leader in the anti-trafficking work of our area, I can always count on them to bring timely answers to challenging problems, answers that invite me to think differently and with a clarity I'd not yet known. We would not be where we are in our work today without Angie and Megan."
Chris Bruno, LPC
Restoration Counseling
"I would like to give a Huge shout out to the Avery Center, Megan Lundstrom and Suleman Masood for their recent 3 hour training they provided to the New Jersey Coalition against Human trafficking. Anyone looking for professional and survivor informed training I would highly recommend using them. As the NJCAHT HT Consultant I wear many hats, one which constantly involves evaluating our needs as a Coalition. There’s a lot of research and responsibility that’s involved inviting the right survivor experts to the table. Although I also train, speak and advocate I don’t pretend to know everything since no one does. I welcome times where I could sit back and have my cup filled and learn from others too, this is how we grow. With that being said, I cannot thank Megan and Suleman enough through this entire process. Going back and forth with emails, for months asking questions and getting their recommendations they met all of our needs beyond any expectations. They certainly left our Coalition more survivor informed covering a multitude of areas. Thank you Megan and Suleman and thank you to the NJCAHT for entrusting me with being your consultant, I have the utmost respect for the NJC they really care about the issue of trafficking and always want to ensure that survivors are treated with dignity and respect."
Gina Cavallo
New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking
"The Avery Center is a wonderful organisation, right at the forefront of the fight against exploitation in the USA. Their approach, research, and commitment to building dedicated partnerships allows us to work together and build innovative projects powered by data and technology. Through global relationships, we can all achieve more than the sum of our parts."
Ruth Dearnley
Chief Executive, STOP THE TRAFFIK
"Breaking the phases into the categories of boyfriend pimp, CEO pimp, and CSE is a breakdown I would have never thought to apply but seems really crucial to our understanding. That has given me a lot of pause. This proves the importance of having individuals with lived [experience] as active participants (and ideally leaders) of the work...there is a tremendous amount of work to be done to develop more refined, nuanced, and targeted information."
The Avery Center
Financial Crimes Investigators Presentation
CONSULTING SERVICES
Have a specific question or need something different than what we're offering with training sessions? We can provide customized content, models, and research to exactly meet your organization's unique needs.
"Megan's presentation was extremely helpful and her finance-ology framework really worked for me."
ARTICLES & PUBLICATIONS
Published works from co-founders Dr. Angie Henderson and Megan Lundstrom, podcast episodes discussing our work, and articles from organizations we partner with.
SURVIVOR-LED RESEARCH
We are a truly unique partnership between academia and survivors of the sex trade. Survivors are not merely “researched;” they are actively learning and becoming the researchers within our organization. This ensures that our perspective stays aligned with current lived experiences and provides skilled employment opportunities for survivors (one of our many direct service opportunities!)
"She struck a perfect balance of sharing [her] records and the context for transactions, including some of her own accounting during exploitation. I'm very grateful to Megan for sharing this with us as I feel I understand a lot more now."