Christi Scott Bartman, MPA, JD, PhD
Founder, Eyes Up Appalachia
As we continue to look at our response to Human Trafficking during Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the second part of this two-part series will address incorporating survivor voice – specifically concerning those trafficked as a child.
Two survivor leaders, Christine Bellatore and Jessa Crisp, recently authored a fact sheet for the Office to Monitor and Combat Human Trafficking titled “Child Trafficking, the Impact of Trauma on the Child Trafficking Survivors.” They suggest the following when working with children who have been subjected to human trafficking:
Seek the help of trained professionals who understand the impact of trafficking on children.
Provide a safe and stable environment for children, including offering food security, opportunities to build and strengthen healthy attachments, predictability, and consistency.
Be flexible with expectations and schedules of what will get done in a day; anniversaries of hard experiences and other triggers can present challenges, and it is okay to adapt.
Assure the child that their exploitation was not their fault and that they are not responsible for it.
Be patient. Healing is a process, and every child will respond differently to their recovery. For instance, some children might have positive feelings towards their abusers and express hate that you took them away from these individuals.
Understand that children who have experienced trauma may have a dysregulated or imbalanced nervous system – the sympathetic system that controls the “fight-or-flight” response – and they might respond accordingly. When a child responds in a frustrating way, remember that their trauma is being triggered, and it is most helpful to engage with calmness so the child can co-regulate and connect.
Invite professional experts with lived experience of human trafficking to inform methods of engagement or directly engage with child survivors as well as share that healing is possible and that there is life beyond exploitation.
Get training in trauma-informed and survivor-centered approaches.
Provide access to education through scholarships or tutoring.
Remember that the best interest of the child must be the primary focus
I would like to expound on two key points they make. So many times, our children blame themselves for what is happening. Whether this is something the trafficker is telling them, or whether that is the way they see the situation, I see it repeatedly. It is so important to let them know it is not their fault. Second, so many of the survivors with which I work were labeled promiscuous, problem child, defiant, rebellious, a runaway, sensitive child, liar or tattletale. They were never labeled a survivor of human trafficking. We know these are trauma responses to an underlying situation in so many of these cases. We need to look more closely beneath the surface. A nurse with whom I work has a slide she uses in her presentations. It is called “Faces of Grace.” On it is a series of mug shots. On the upper left is a wholesome looking young 14- or 15-year-old. The rest of the series shows her in progressively worse shape – ending in what looks like a person using substances, bruised and battered. My friend tells the medical providers she teaches, “when that girl in the last picture comes into your office or ER, and she is cussing and yelling and just wants to get out of there, remember, you are treating that young girl in that first photograph.”
We owe it to our children, to get out in front of human trafficking. A diverse group of survivors with which I work continues to share information that helps us better understand how we might address prevention. They suggest the following as ways to start:
Youth should be educated at an earlier age to understand appropriate touch, how to identify body parts correctly (they need language to tell), healthy boundaries and relationships. High School is far too late.
Child Service Workers should look further for trafficking anytime sexual abuse is present, particularly when family reunification is the preferred situation
Educate law enforcement on signs and trauma informed approaches
Teach self-esteem, self-worth and respect early for children
Teach youth how to have their own voice and that saying no is OK
Advocate for more funding for child serving agencies
Assistance should never be based on certain compliance, render assistance without expectations
Learn to spot needs but realize it is difficult with experiences running a spectrum of situations and places (many instances took place at church, school or other local residences)
Children need a safe person to tell but the person needs to understand how to listen for nuances
Look more closely at "betrayal trauma" and how this impacts a child's feelings
Never underestimate a survivor's desire to have the family they did not have
In a medical setting, create a space away from family members to talk to the child
Keep in mind children don't have the language to tell you what is happening with them.
They have two take-aways they would like to make sure you know. First – Believe the Children! The kids are not going to come right out and say, “I am a victim of human trafficking.” But they will say things that will let them test your response. If they try to tell you in their own way, and you don’t believe them or respond in a way that simply says you don’t think there is anything wrong, they may not open up any further. They are trying to survive their situation and many times protect siblings. If your response is dismissive or doubting, they may not try again.
Second – Be that Safe Person! Survivors of human trafficking, particularly those that were trafficked as children, often say that if they had a “safe person” or “trusted adult” in their life, they might have gotten out of it sooner. There are many resources here to help you be that person simply by listening, believing and providing additional resources depending on the situation (remember those relational and community drivers from the first post?). Whether you are a parent, a coach, a teacher, a parishioner, professional or any other community member that interacts with children, you can be that safe person!! Building trust, connecting with resources, being honest if you are going to make a call to CPS or law enforcement, and keeping a consistent relationship with that child, will make a world of difference!
I am thankful every day for the effort I see you all making in Southeast Ohio. Together we can build that individual, relational and community support that survivors of human trafficking need!