Where Does My Money Go: Providing Exit Pathways
Human traffickers prey upon people’s vulnerabilities. When tragedy hit Oscar's family, he struggled to cope. Alcohol gave him some solace but led to the loss of his job in construction and, eventually, his family's home. Oscar felt ashamed and did not want to ask for help. So when someone reached out to offer him a lucrative job in construction, Oscar jumped at the chance. Unfortunately, the opportunity was a trap laid by a human trafficker.
When Oscar first arrived in the UK, he did not realize anything was wrong as he could keep in touch with his children on his cell phone. but his traffickers soon seized the phone, telling him he did not need anyone else. Oscar's son had no idea what had happened to his dad. He had no idea if Oscar was even still alive. He was devastated.
Another victim of the same criminal network that exploited Oscar, who police had freed, expressed their concern for Oscar, leading to Oscar's liberation. Oscar had to spend time in the hospital due to the abuse he endured, and a Dressember Network partner engaged and supported him there. The first thing Oscar wanted help with was tracking down his family. Our partner was able to help reunite Oscar with his son by phone from his hospital bed and continues to provide individualized care for both Oscar and his family.
Pursuing Justice for Trafficking Survivors in the United Kingdom
It is estimated that at least 100,000 victims of human trafficking are currently being exploited for labor, sex, and drug smuggling in the UK. The Covid-19 pandemic has furthered the risk of the trafficking of already vulnerable populations, many of who have had to pursue risky migration or exploitative offers of employment (Global Fund to End Modern Slavery, 2020) in order to make ends meet. Mass unemployment, high debt, and limited government safety nets created opportunities for traffickers to exploit people and led to an increase in debt bondage (Anti-Slavery International).
Through our UK-based partner's Victim Navigator Program, “Navigators” are embedded in police forces across the UK and given access to live cases and investigations, enabling them to reach some of the most vulnerable and at-risk people in society, while ensuring law enforcement prioritizes the fight against human trafficking. Through the Victim Navigation process, victims receive trauma-informed wraparound care including access to food, clothing, accommodation, transport, and health services. Survivors are encouraged to seek justice with the support of their “Navigator” advocating for them in the criminal justice system. Through this process victims and survivors feel empowered and have increased agency in their healing journey.
Evidence shows that victims and survivors who receive appropriate support in the initial stages of identification are more likely to engage in the criminal justice process. Victims and survivors who receive inadequate support in the early stages from police and frontline stakeholders are more likely to have adverse experiences with authorities, disengage, and consequently are at increased risk of being exploited or re-trafficked again.
When they are ready, survivors are encouraged to seek justice within the criminal justice system with the help of their advocate. 86% of victims supported to date have chosen to engage with police investigations, compared to 33% nationally, providing police with crucial evidence to improve investigations and prosecution rates. Through this process, victims and survivors are empowered and have increased agency in their healing journey.
Intervention is often what people think of when they hear about anti-trafficking work. Intervention work involves partnering with local organizers to remove child victims of trafficking from exploitative situations, as well as providing support and exit pathways for trafficked adults. We rely on our local Dressember Network leaders to lead this initiative through culturally sensitive and appropriate methods.
Disrupting Online Sexual Exploitation of Children in the Philippines
We have supported intervention work in The Phillippines for the last several years, particularly to disrupt the Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC). There was a nearly 265 percent increase in unconfirmed reports of OSEC in the Phillippines during the pandemic, according to the 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report.
Dressember supports the only international non-governmental organization in the Philippines, working directly with local justice and social service system officials to find and safeguard children victimized by OSEC and ensure the prosecution of their abusers. This program works side-by-side with the Philippine justice system to create legal reform and to provide OSEC survivors with comprehensive case management.
Through the program, the Dressember Network seeks to build a model to end OSEC around the world by giving vulnerable source-side governments a blueprint for how they can build a protective system in which they can respond with ease and agility. By working with trained prosecutors to get convictions for the crime of OSEC, the program works to bring traffickers involved in OSEC schemes to justice.
Trafficking is a growing epidemic, but we are not helpless. When you support Dressember, you support vital partnerships with local justice and social service systems to locate victims of trafficking of all ages, provide holistic aftercare services and prosecute their traffickers to dismantle criminal networks.
The Dressember Network is made up of 20 organizations that support programs in the following impact areas: advocacy, prevention, intervention, and survivor empowerment. The Dressember Network partners with the International Justice Mission to combat OSEC in the Philippines by working directly with local justice and social service system officials to find and safeguard children victimized by OSEC, and ensure their abusers are prosecuted. The Dressember Network partners with Justice & Care to provide exit pathways for victims of human trafficking, empower them to rebuild their lives, and work with police to pursue and dismantle criminal networks and bring perpetrators to justice. When you support Dressember, you help dismantle trafficking holistically and in a way that prioritizes survivor needs and voices. Ready to join us? Register to become an advocate or donate today.
About the Author
Sarah Koller is a long-time advocate for the dignity of all people, from fair trade practices to body autonomy to fighting against human trafficking. She is currently a copywriter intern for Dressember while she pursues her master's degree in Mental Health Counseling at Denver Seminary in Littleton, Colorado. Sarah is a mom, wife, and writer who loves to hike, practice yoga, dance in the kitchen, and share extended meals around the dining table. You can find her at @sarahmariekoller on Instagram or email her at sarah@healthyandwhole.us.