Where Does My Money Go: Holistic Aftercare
At Dressember, we understand everyone’s journey is different, and no survivor is the same. That’s why we partner with survivor-informed organizations to provide holistic aftercare, job skills training, therapy, basic needs support, and more. From Freedom Centers in Bulgaria to residential programs in The Philippines and Uganda, Dressember resources safe housing and trauma-informed aftercare to empower survivors’ sustained liberation. Another way that we support survivors on their healing journey is by helping them get criminal record relief from the illegal activity they were forced to commit while they were being trafficked. Read on to learn about the diverse and innovative aftercare programs you can help resource when you support Dressember.
Survivor Care in The Philippines
The Philippines is one of the largest known sources of online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC) materials. An estimated 80% of Filipino children are vulnerable to online sexual abuse. In response to this, the Dressember Network provides residential safe homes and holistic aftercare for survivors of OSEC (Online Sexual Exploitation of Children) in the Philippines.
Children achieve their full potential in this program through counseling, education, caring for animals, tending to gardens, and learning music. They are provided with hope, healing, and restoration, and allowed to grow and develop, release their potential, and realize their worth; all working together to help children realize that they can have a new purpose in life.
Resourcing Freedom Centers Around the World
A safe place of restoration and support is critical for a survivor’s journey of long-term freedom and reduces their vulnerability to revictimization. Dressember has built and sustained drop-in Freedom Centers in Greece, Bulgaria, and South Africa to provide survivors with holistic aftercare services, equipping them with the skills and resources required to achieve stability, restoration, independence, and integration into the community. This year, Dressember is continuing to support the Bulgarian Freedom Center. Bulgaria remains one of the primary source countries of human trafficking in Europe.
There is no cookie-cutter way for each individual to reach restoration and complete independence, so our partner in Bulgaria works with each survivor to help them achieve their goals and independence. Our partner’s dedication to fighting trafficking from every angle means we care for the whole person, from mental to financial to physical needs.
Caring for Survivors in Uganda
Uganda is a source, transit, and destination country for trafficking in persons, with women and children representing the majority of victims. Victims are trafficked for commercial sex and forced labor in agriculture, mining, stone quarrying, brick making, carpentry, steel manufacturing, street vending, brothels, restaurants, and domestic service. Traffickers exploit girls and boys through prostitution, the creation of pornography, and other forms of sexual abuse.
We partner with one of the only organizations in Uganda with a license to provide residential care to victims of commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) and the only formalized aftercare program for adult victims of transnational trafficking. This aftercare program empowers each survivor with an individualized case plan to heal from trauma, avoid re-victimization, reconcile family and community relationships, access educational and vocational scholarships and legal services, and provide avenues to entrepreneurship through training and start-up capital. Our partner in Uganda maintains a 95% success rate in preventing re-victimization and has demonstrated a ripple effect in the community – ending cycles of abuse, poverty, and exploitation.
Resourcing legal Services and Policy Reform
Kelly submitted application after application. She applied for jobs, nursing school, and to serve her country by trying to enlist in the U.S. military. Kelly was turned away in every attempt because of the criminal record she was stuck with when her trafficker forced her into criminal activity. Kelly was arrested and convicted at 16. Although she was still a minor, she was booked, adjudicated, and sentenced as an adult with a conviction that remained visible to potential employers and licensing boards long after she escaped from her trafficking and well into her adulthood. Kelly needed help expunging criminal records for acts she was forced to commit.
Human trafficking survivors often have criminal records because of being forced to engage in illegal activity during their trafficking. Their records cause retraumatization every time they fill out an application. They also impact a survivor's ability to obtain employment, housing, education, benefits and financial assistance, immigration relief, or adjustment of status and family stability. Survivors are routinely burdened with numerous records in multiple jurisdictions, requiring a comprehensive national approach. This is exactly why the Dressember Network supports direct services for survivors with pro bono commitments from six national law firms. The services include helping screen survivors, analyzing criminal records, creating a strategy for clearing eligible offenses, and working to create policies that expand access to criminal record relief.
The Dressember Network addresses aftercare in many ways because no survivor is the same. We partner with survivor-informed organizations to provide holistic aftercare and center survivors in our programs. We continually strive to learn first-hand what survivors need to continue their healing journey and support those needs and actively vet the programs in our network alongside our survivor-led grant advisory committee to ensure survivors are empowered to make choices that are best for them. When you support Dressember, you help survivors realize their inherent worth and dignity by meeting their individualized needs.
The Dressember Network is made up of 20 organizations that support programs in the following impact areas: advocacy, prevention, intervention, and survivor empowerment. Dressember partners with Freedom Network USA to help survivors to clear their criminal records for successful reentry into society. We also partner with A21 to set up and run Freedom Centers that offer holistic aftercare services, from support for court appearances to medical expenses and appointments to basic education. Dressember partners with Love146 to offer the Philippines Survivor Care Program, which offers residential care and psychosocial support for survivors of child sex trafficking. Lastly, Dressember partners with Everfree to provide victims with comprehensive trauma-informed care in Uganda. 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.