**Session Recap**

**Spotlight on Russell Wilson**

The 2025 Bakken Human Trafficking Summit opened with a powerful keynote from Russell Wilson, North Dakota’s statewide human trafficking training coordinator and a leader with over 30 years of experience in law enforcement and victim services. With his trademark directness and deep compassion, Wilson spoke about an often-overlooked truth: boys are trafficked too.

Boys Are Trafficked Too
While public awareness of human trafficking has grown, our societal understanding remains incomplete. Wilson’s presentation centered on the urgent need to recognize male victims—a population often misunderstood, misidentified, or entirely invisible in trafficking narratives.

He emphasized that these boys are not "in hiding"—they're in plain sight. They show up in schools, in juvenile justice systems, in our communities. And yet, because of stigma and assumptions about gender and exploitation, they are too often dismissed or unseen.

“These kids aren’t invisible. They’re just not being seen for what they’ve gone through,” Wilson said.

Why This Conversation Matters
Wilson challenged attendees to expand their lens—to question how bias may shape our responses, who we think of when we say “victim,” and how systems and services must evolve to respond better to the needs of all survivors, regardless of gender.

This talk was not about statistics or policy—it was about human dignity. It was a call to look closer, listen more carefully, and act more bravely.

Takeaway: Don’t Look Away
As Wilson reminded us, the path to justice begins with recognition. We can’t intervene in what we refuse to see.

“You don’t need to be a therapist. You need to be a person who sees someone else’s pain.”

Let this be the year we look—really look—and ensure no child goes unseen.