  Human trafficking, the commercial exploitation of individuals, is a gross
violation of human rights and harms societies, economies, health and
development. The related disciplines of Operations Management (OM), Analytics,
and Operations Research (OR) are uniquely positioned to support trafficking
prevention and intervention efforts by efficiently evaluating a plethora of
decision alternatives, and providing quantitative, actionable insights. As
operations and analytical efforts in the counter-trafficking field emerge, it
is imperative to grasp subtle yet distinctive nuances associated with human
trafficking. This note is intended to inform those practitioners working in the
field by highlighting key features of human trafficking activity. We grouped
nine themes around three broad categories: (1) representation of human
trafficking, (2) consideration of survivors and communities, and (3) analytics
related. These insights are derived from our collective experience in working
in this area and substantiated by domain expertise.
