The Dressember Network: Survivor Leadership in Anti-Trafficking
In September, the Dressember Network’s partner ECPAT-USA filed information with the U.S. Supreme Court on the rights of child trafficking victims and in support of the petition of Courtney Wild, a young woman victimized by Jeffrey Epstein. ECPAT-USA teamed up with a phenomenal team at the law firm WilmerHale that provides free legal services. The Dressember Network recognizes that policy change is most effective and sustainable when it is survivor-informed. ECPAT-USA Survivors’ Council members provided powerful statements to the U.S. Supreme Court on how the law can best support young victims. Survivors play an integral role in our partner’s policy efforts on federal and state levels, to build a system that treats all children with dignity.
The information submitted by ECPAT-USA centered survivor voices in a discussion of the potentially damaging impact of a decision that failed to protect survivors, pointing out that, in the words of one victim, “it makes you feel like the trafficker wins and will always win. How can a victim become a survivor if there is no true/real justice system.” More than that, even, the amicus brief highlighted the potentially dangerous chilling effect associated with a signal to victims of child sex trafficking that their trafficker would ultimately be allowed to win.
A critical piece of Dressember’s values is uplifting survivor voices. When we uplift survivor voices, we are able to address gaps in our policies to better support survivor needs and goals. By including survivors in the research to support those policy goals, we also allow for a renewed sense of value and worth. We can help survivors to feel a sense of direction and control over their lives, particularly in employment and career goals. By including survivors in shaping policy, ultimately, we are able to ensure that they can gain knowledge and a sense of belonging moving forward.
The Dressember Network resources the Survivors’ Council through a partnership that is new in 2021.
The Survivors’ Council is designed to elevate survivor engagement throughout existing trafficking prevention programs. It enhances understanding of the root causes of human trafficking, in particular, it’s intersection with race, gender, and related systems of oppression. By elevating the role of survivors, the program provides the route for their powerful voices to lead the development of higher quality educational material, informed public policy, and impactful community engagement. The Survivor’s Council values the worth of survivors' contributions by fairly compensating them for their labor.
Through projects like the information submitted in support of Courtney Ward’s petition, the Survivors’ Council allows survivors to play a real role in creating the changes they need and want to see. Even more importantly, the Survivor’s Council empowers and emboldens survivors to voice the changes that they believe will best serve their interests and have a real impact on their lives and the lives of others. For instance, survivors were able to convey concerns that a court decision that did not serve justice to Jeffrey Epstein would ultimately lead to a situation in which survivors did not feel they could come forward and tell their stories. By presenting this viewpoint, survivors empowered through this Dressember Network partnership were able to ensure that other victims and survivors would also feel empowered to speak up. This is the true and lasting impact of elevating survivor voices, and the reason that it is so critical that we continue to support efforts to ensure that survivors are centered in our advocacy work.
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 ECPAT-USA to center survivor voices through the Leadership Program. ECPAT-USA seeks to end the sexual exploitation of children through research and critical systemic and social changes. 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).