To examine the impact of the extent of education and/or training on sex trafficking among healthcare, social and community service providers and the impact of education and/or training on their capacity to respond to sex trafficked persons.

Cross-sectional survey.

An anonymous, online survey assessing perceptions of, and capacity to respond to, sex trafficking was distributed between February and August 2023 via social media platforms and with professional healthcare, social service and community associations and organisations across Canada to share with their members.

553 healthcare, social and community service providers.

Seven 6-point Likert scale items were used, as part of a larger survey, to measure capacity to respond to sex trafficking. Specifically, respondents were asked to rate their awareness of red flags and capacity to identify, talk to, interview, enhance the safety of, provide appropriate resources or referrals for and collaborate with other professionals to support sex trafficked persons.

Although most respondents (86.8%) reported having received some education and/or training on sex trafficking, the vast majority (94.8%) believed that they would benefit from additional education and/or training. Compared with those with no previous sex trafficking education and/or training, those who received less than 5 hours of education and/or training (b=3.56, p

As the number of hours of education and/or training on sex trafficking increased, so did respondents’ capacity to respond to sex trafficked persons. These results highlight a need for more education and training to help build capacity among healthcare, social and community service providers in identifying sex trafficked persons and providing appropriate care. Appropriately trained service providers can better support sex trafficked persons’ complex needs and potentially mitigate adverse outcomes.