A Visionary Partnership Accelerating Innovative Solutions Presenters Alyssa Beck, Advocacy Specialist, Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center Lawanda Ravoira, President & CEO, Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center Linda Alexionok, Executive Director, The Childrens Campaign, Inc./VOICES for Florida Exercise: What do we
believe? Women choose to enter into prostitution Stripping is a quick and fast way to make money Prostitution is a personal choice Prostitution is a victimless crime Individuals can get out of the business if they wanted to Eastern Curriculum: Education and Student Trafficking Education Resource Network. Protecting American Students from Commercial Sexual Exploitation. EASTERNCurriculum.com A Survivors Perspective
What is Trafficking Process Ways/Means Goal Recruitment Threat Prostitution TransportationCoercion Pornography Transferring Abduction Violence/Sexual Harboring Fraud Exploitation Receiving Deceit
Forced Labor Deception Involuntary Servitude Abuse of Power Debt Bondage Slavery/Similar Practices Eastern Curriculum: Education and Student Trafficking Education Resource Network. Protecting American Students from Commercial Sexual Exploitation. EASTERNCurriculum.com What is Trafficking? If one condition from each category is met, the result is trafficking. For adults, consent is irrelevant if one of the
means is employed. For children, consent is irrelevant with or without the means Eastern Curriculum: Education and Student Trafficking Education Resource Network. Protecting American Students from Commercial Sexual Exploitation. EASTERNCurriculum.com Domestic Child Victims Easy targets Carry less risks than adults and foreign nationals Youth in child welfare Runaways, homeless shelters
Middle class families Common factor: History of physical and sexual abuse in the home or extended family Sharedhope International. The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: Americas Prostituted Children, May, 2009. www.sharedhope.org Vulnerability
Average age recruited 11-14 years old History of abuse Drug use by parents Runaways easy prey History of child protective services Older boyfriends Sharedhope International. The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: Americas Prostituted Children, May, 2009. www.sharedhope.org
Language Child Prostitution implies a choice vs. Victims of domestic minor sex trafficking Sharedhope International. The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: Americas Prostituted Children, May, 2009. www.sharedhope.org $32,000,000,000 The Business of DMST Driven by demand for commercial sex acts Supply of women and children serves as the fuel for the
criminal slave trade Buyers present the demand and view victims as a dehumanized product for immediate consumption and disposal Traffickers move victims like products to the market to satisfy the demand Facilitators allow the trade to occur (avoid direct responsibility) and include taxi drivers, hotel workers, adult entertainment owners Sharedhope International. The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: Americas Prostituted Children, May, 2009. www.sharedhope.org
Power & Control Tactics Using Coercion and Threats Emotional Violence Isolation Power and
Economic Dependen ce Control Purposeful Manipulati on Physical Violence
Sexual Violence The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: Americas Prostituted Children Identification of Victims Victims often do not self identify Denial due to fear or due to trauma bonds with trafficker Trauma bonds major hurdle to the identification, rescue and restoration of victims
Sharedhope International. The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: Americas Prostituted Children, May, 2009. www.sharedhope.org Trauma-Bonds This means that the victims have a certain dysfunctional attachment that occurs in the presence of danger, shame, or exploitation. There is often seduction, deception, betrayal. There is always some form of danger or risk. Patrick Carnes, The Betrayal Bond: Breaking Free of Exploitive Relationships, (Deerfield Beach, FL: HCI Publisher), pg. 29
Human Trafficking Indicators While not an exhaustive list, these are some key red flags that could alert you to a potential trafficking situation that should be reported: Living with employer Poor living conditions Multiple people in cramped space Inability to speak to individual alone Answers appear to be scripted and rehearsed Employer is holding identity documents Signs of physical abuse
Submissive or fearful Unpaid or paid very little Questions to Ask Assuming you have the opportunity to speak with a potential victim privately and without jeopardizing the victims safety, here are some sample questions to ask to follow up on the red flags you became alert to: Can you leave your job (or friends) if you want to? Can you come and go as you please? Have you been hurt or threatened if you tried to leave? Has your family been threatened?
Do you live with your employer or friend? Where do you sleep and eat? Are you in debt to your employer or friend? Do you have your identification? Who has it? Safe Harbor Laws Aiding Exploited Children Need Better Implementation According to research released in January, the nine states that enacted safe harbor laws by 2012 were found to lack adequate funding for services necessary to aid commercially sexually exploited children (CSEC) Lack of statistics Poor funding limits placements and programs
Youth end up in juvenile justice system instead of child welfare February 23, 2016 Responding to the Need Co-Authors Research
Process & Systems Adaptation for Florida Open Doors: A Statewide Service Delivery Network for Victims of Sex Trafficking A systemic response to a program service model created by the Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center and The Childrens Campaign Moving from Multiple Services & Care
(Multiple plans of support; multiple service standards) to A Child & Youth Centered System of Care (One support structure. One service standard.) Open Doors Program Model: First Responder Network The First Responder Team
Regional Advocate Assessment Initial care management Coordinate clinical services Regional expert SurvivorMentor Clinician
First Responders On Call 24/7 Mobile care management Shared narratives Specialized traumainformed, therapeutic interventions
The First Responder Team Regional Advocates Assigned geography Work collectively with the various systems Access to multiple services Troubleshoot based on the individual needs Survivor Mentors (Peer Support) Grounded in established psychosocial models Social support, experiential knowledge, helper-therapy principle, social learning theory, social comparison theory
Peer specialist to a care management team resulted in improvement in quality of life measures, fewer significant life problems and improved selfesteem and social support The First Responder Team Clinicians Trauma-specific treatment Shift away the blame, shame, discrimination, isolation and trauma experienced by victims towards a model that offers validation, support, unconditional acceptance and relational safety
Programming Components Survivor-Led Team Approach (Survivor/Mentor Regional Advocate Clinician) Statewide Response Protocol Community collaboration/partnerships/MOUs Local/Regional/Statewide Training Shared Resources On-scene crisis/trauma-informed first response 24/7 Real time Access to On-call Staff Individual assessment Total/mobile care management (follows the individual) Crisis Intervention Emergency shelter (as needed through referral/partnerships)
Basic Needs: Food, transportation, clothing, etc. based on assessed needs Accompany to Court/Court advocacy Assistance with criminal justice proceedings Legal assistance (as needed) Advocacy/support to navigate systems (legal, educational, child protection, justice, employment, medical, community referrals, etc.) Special services with managing practical problems Educational/Vocational Services Employment services Individual, Group, Family/Caregiver Clinical Services Process and Outcome Evaluation
Proposed Phase 1 Survivors receive continued care through an interconnected web of services Where we are now ? Resources 911 Emergency For urgent situations, notify local law enforcement immediately by calling 911. You may also want to alert the National Human Trafficking Resource Center described below so that they can ensure response by law
enforcement officials knowledgeable about human trafficking. 1-888-3737-888 National Human Trafficking Resource Center Call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, a national 24-hour, toll-free, multilingual anti-trafficking hotline. Call 1-888-3737-888 to report a tip; connect with anti-trafficking services in your area; or request training and technical assistance, general information, or specific anti-trafficking resources. The Center is equipped to handle calls from all regions of the United States. Questions?
