Sex trafficking experience is often associated with various other crimes, which increases the number of charges, convictions, and arrests. Pelto (2020) states that the survey conducted by the National Survivor Network (NSN) revealed that survivors have been arrested one time or more while being trafficked. Among the key issues, there are prostitution charges, identity theft, and weapon and drug use. The mentioned research also showed that “72.7% of respondents faced barriers with employment and 57.6% with housing” (Pelto, 2020, p. 476). Since criminal records serve as a source of shame and constant abuse, there is a need to offer relief programs, such as job training initiatives and pro bono.
Freedom Network USA located in Washington proposes one of the workable solutions for human trafficking victims, who also have convictions or arrests related to their experiences. It is possible to call them or contact via the official website to seek help, such as accessing one’s criminal history, reviewing laws that can lead to remedy (Freedom Network USA, 2023). One more help option is locating lawyers that can represent victims, which is especially important for people with a lack of education and those, who know little about their civil rights. For example, the Washington Survivor Reentry Program includes more than 100 pro bono attorneys, who act to clear victims’ criminal records without payment or voluntarily, serving for the public good (Freedom Network USA, 2023). These transformative initiatives can provide hope for those people who suffered from sex trafficking, thinking that nothing can help them to have a better life.
Innovations Human Trafficking Collaborative (Innovations HTC) is another organization that pursues social change by integrating job training and related assistance to sex trafficking survivors. Often, first responders, non-profit organizations, and educational institutions do not have enough knowledge to properly recognize and meet the needs of victims. Therefore, Innovations HTC (2022) aims to train those institutions and individuals, having a great experience of educating more than 22,000 people. There are tribal programs, counties, and chemical dependency treatment hospitals.
In practice, sex trafficking survivors can also access customized screening tools by Innovations HTC to understand and work with their traumas. For example, the Mariposa Project presents in-person survivor-led cohorts and peer support, which includes life skills, addressing re-entry challenges, and financial literacy skills (Innovations HTC, 2022). In other words, this project tries to create a healthy atmosphere for survivors so that they can take advantage of the offered opportunities. Another example is the Yarrow Project that focuses on Native Americans with the experience of sexual exploitation (Innovations HTC, 2022). People can access community resources that provide spiritual and cultural healing events. Innovations HTC can be contacted by phone, social networks, email, messaging through their website form, or visiting their office in Olympia, WA. To receive help, the victims of sex trafficking can be approached not only on local levels, but also state and federal levels. The mentioned organization strives to make it clear for trafficking victims that their lives can improve through tremendous transformations leading to liberation.
To conclude, sex trafficking experience often comes together with criminal behaviors that prevent people from having a better quality of life. Therefore, Freedom Network USA and Innovations HTC prepare and implement various assisting projects to help trafficking victims rebuild hope. Job training, life skills, dependency centers, and cultural integration are some examples of help that can be received. It is especially important that these programs focus on the prevention of further crimes and pursuing social change.
References
Freedom Network USA. (2023). Survivor reentry project. Web.
Innovations HTC. (2022). Our programs & services. Web.
Pelto, A. (2020). Criminal record relief for human trafficking survivors: Analysis of current state statutes and the need for a federal model statute. Michigan Journal of Gender & Law, 27, 473-509.