Training & Education

Training that transforms understanding — not just policies.

For over a decade, Atlanta Redemption Ink (ARI) has led survivor-informed, data-driven training that bridges gaps between advocacy, enforcement, medicine, and the tattoo industry.
 Our goal is simple: to help professionals recognize, respond, and restore—without causing harm or burnout.

Our trainings are built from lived experience, backed by research, and refined through real-world partnerships with law enforcement, medical professionals, mental health providers, advocates, tattoo artists, and body modification specialists.

We don’t just teach awareness. We equip people to respond with integrity, empathy, and skill.

Our Training Focus Areas

  1. Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice
     We train officers, detectives, prosecutors, and investigators to recognize tattoo indicators of trafficking, exploitation, and control.
     Participants learn how to engage safely with survivors, interpret body markings within context, and build trauma-informed interview practices.
     This training aligns with federal TVPA standards and supports improved victim identification and case outcomes.

  2. Medical & Mental Health Professionals
     We equip medical and behavioral health teams with the tools to identify tattoo indicators and respond compassionately during patient care.
     You’ll learn how trauma presents physically, what common tattoo patterns may signal exploitation or coercion, and how to avoid re-traumatization in clinical settings.

  3. Tattoo & Body Modification Industry
     We developed the nation’s first survivor-led training specifically for tattoo artists, piercers, and body modification professionals.
     This one-hour course fits your schedule and your shop—no fluff, no burnout, just real-world tools to help you recognize red flags, respond safely, and protect your clients.
     We’ve offered this course in-person for years, and now it’s available online so more artists can access it at their own pace.
  4. Community Advocates & Organizations
    From nonprofits to churches to survivor-led initiatives, we provide foundational awareness training that includes real stories, indicators, and trauma-informed approaches to support survivors ethically and effectively.

 

Why It Matters

Trafficking and exploitation don’t always look like the movies.
 They show up in tattoos, behaviors, silence, or fear.
 By training diverse fields—especially those closest to the body, like tattoo artists and medical professionals—we create earlier points of identification and safer environments for disclosure.

Every person trained becomes another safe space for someone ready to take their first step toward freedom

What Makes ARI Training Different

  • Survivor-Led — Every training is built on lived experience and professional expertise.

  • Data-Driven — Grounded in national tattoo indicator research and years of field observation, working alongside the Tattoo and Body Modification Industry, survivors and MDTS

  • Realistic & Engaging — We ditch the mind-numbing slides for real conversation, case insights, and actionable tools.
  • Customizable — Trainings are tailored to fit your audience: law enforcement, healthcare, tattoo industry, or community partners.

Training Options

One-hour introductory sessions (virtual or in-person)

One-hour introductory sessions (virtual or in-person)

Advanced multi-disciplinary workshops

Advanced multi-disciplinary workshops

State or regional conference presentations

State or regional conference presentations

Survivor-led discussion panels

Survivor-led discussion panels