The Dressember Network: Economic Empowerment in NYC
If we’re at a dinner party and someone asks what we do, we are unlikely to highlight the awesome cross stitch we completed while watching our new favorite Netflix series, the weekend trip we took to Acadia National Park, the hug we gave our significant other, the long run we went on the other day, or even the book that we read that completely changed our life. We know that what we “do” is inherently our job.
Since the Middle Ages, many of us have defined ourselves by the work we do. The most common surname in Germany and Switzerland is Müller, while in Ukraine, it is Melnik. Both of these surnames mean miller, something that was, at least in the Middle Ages, an exceedingly common profession. For better or for worse, we tend to define ourselves by our employment.
The opportunity to choose and pursue a career in an industry that speaks to us in one way or another is empowering and immeasurably valuable.
And it is one often not accessible to survivors of human trafficking. Many lack the network and necessary support to procure gainful employment. And those that do find employment through job support programs are often not able to choose their industry or their job - rather, many job programs specialize in just one area. Gainful employment and the opportunity for financial freedom is empowering in its own right, and that should not be understated. But the opportunity to choose what you will do to achieve those goals is also valuable.
A key solution to trafficking is creating safe and sustainable work opportunities for survivors.
Foreign nationals of trafficking often experience compounding barriers to safe work, including complex trauma coupled with lack of documentation and language barriers. Moreover, human trafficking often occurs within the business sector. This means that some survivors have been able to continue earning an income of some sort during the time that they were trafficked, but may experience serious trauma associated with certain work environments. Other survivors have been deprived of income throughout the time during which they have been in a trafficking situation, which means, on average, a loss of earnings of four years, up to $75,000 in incurred debt, and an expectation of continued payment to family and community members.
Part of the reason that it is so critical for survivors to be able to make decisions about their employment is because their experiences in trafficking situations may have made certain work environments untenable.
Since 2018, the Dressember Network has resourced the Economic Empowerment in NYC program to provide work opportunities for survivors focusing on job-readiness classes, job placement, and entrepreneurship training. The National Human Trafficking Hotline reported that New York was the fourth highest state for reported incidents of trafficking in 2019. The report also stated that 45% of victims of human trafficking in New York are in the New York City region. New York City is also a major hub for global commerce and viewed by many as a “land of opportunity.” As such, the Economic Empowerment in NYC program is ideally situated to serve the population that needs it most.
The Economic Empowerment in NYC program differs from other job programs by engaging with diverse businesses in order to offer survivors options when choosing a job. These choices are a fundamental aspect of empowerment for women whose ability to choose had been stolen throughout their exploitation. The leader of the program has marketing experience with a variety of companies, from L’Oreal to Sara Lee, which allows her to uniquely support survivors in presenting themselves as the best candidate for any job that they hope to pursue. In a recent email about the program, it was stated that, “with 80% of survivors in [the] Economic Empowerment program reporting interest in starting their own business, accessible entrepreneurship is key to economic freedom.” By providing the skills and services needed to access even the most flexible of job types, that of an entrepreneur, the Economic Empowerment in NYC program helps to truly empower survivors to choose a job and career path that best serves their unique needs.
In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Economic Empowerment in NYC program sought to serve survivors in a different way as many of them found themselves unemployed.
The program provided a class called “Supportive Services (SS) Express” in which survivors received assistance in revising their resumes and searching for employment. Another Dressember Network partner provides a program in which survivors who have experienced hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic are given “micro-grants” to support starting their own business or accessing vocational training or classes. It is through flexible programs like these that survivors are able to be empowered even through difficult circumstances as have been prevalent throughout the pandemic. It is particularly urgent that we provide funding for these programs during this time, because many survivors who have benefitted from these programs have also felt particular impacts of the pandemic. Through our advocacy, we can ensure that survivors continue to be able to access the resources provided by these valuable programs.
It is through programs like these that survivors can proudly answer the question of what they “do” in a way that meaningfully speaks to them.
As Dressember advocates, we can support survivors by shopping at small, survivor-run businesses and by supporting these incredible Dressember Network programs through donations and campaign funds raised.
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 Restore to provide job-readiness classes, job placement, and entrepreneurship training in the New York City area. We also partner with CAST to provide micro-grants to survivors impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 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 make a donation today.
About the Author
Miranda Cecil is a second-year at Northeastern University School of Law. She graduated from the University of North Carolina in 2020 (go heels!) and shipped up to Boston. As a North Carolina transplant in New England, she loves exploring her new area on the weekends. In her free time, she enjoys cross-stitching, cycling, and reading. She hopes to use her legal degree and a passion for urban development to continue advocating for human trafficking survivors (and, despite the Boston winter, looks forward to the style challenge this December).