Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Combating Human Trafficking Using Mathematics, Alfred (Aj) Vogt

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

Human trafficking is the modern-day form of slavery. Human trafficking occurs on a daily basis throughout the United States with the majority of victims being women and children. Existing programs to reduce human trafficking are primarily focused on either the prevention of first-time victims or the aid of previously victimized individuals. In this study, we propose a mathematical model describing human trafficking of underage females and the use of prevention and short and long-term aid programs to reduce victimization. The model is a system of differential equations describing the movement of underage females between susceptible, victimized, and aided classes within …