Guest, Author at Shared Hope International

February 27, 2023 by Guest

I Blinked: The Impact of Retirement on an “Elder” Survivor, the Grief, the Reward!

Dr. Marian Hatcher
Shared Hope Policy Consultant
Ambassador-at-Large, United Nations

Black History Month this year has a different meaning for me, its reflective, personal, communal, and generational.

You might ask why? It’s actually very simple, as life usually is. I literally laughed out loud as I wrote this because, it’s us, the actors in this play called life, that complicate God’s plan.

You see, as I look behind and again forward, I can see the simplicity and the difficulty of being a Black woman, and a survivor of systems of prostitution in America. [Read more…]

September 20, 2022 by Guest

“My story can change things.” – Pieper Lewis, September 13, 2022

In sentencing child sex trafficking survivor, Pieper Lewis, on September 13, 2022, Judge David Porter stated, “Ms. Lewis, this is the second chance you asked for. You don’t get a third. Do you understand?”

The judge was alluding to his sentencing order that imposed a term of probation in lieu of immediate imprisonment, however the “second chance” he believed he was providing is nevertheless one rooted in punitive responses for trafficking survivors. If the anti-trafficking movement is committed to moving toward truly trauma-informed approaches, “second chances” must not include criminalizing survivors for trauma and offenses committed as a result of trafficking victimization; “second chances” must not include tools of control and punishment that resemble a survivor’s past exploitation, including incessant supervision, adherence to strict rules, placement in locked facilities, and debts to earn freedom.

Yet, in providing a “second chance” to Pieper, Judge Porter ordered Pieper to pay her exploiter’s family $150,000 in restitution,[1] the court an additional $4,000 for expenses incurred in her prosecution,[2] and, for the next five years, to wear an ankle monitor, remain on probation, and live in a facility managed by the Iowa Department of Corrections. Further, if Pieper violates any term of her probation, the court is authorized to reimpose a 20-year term of imprisonment.

Trafficking another person, raping them, exposing them to abuse after abuse is horrendous. While a person being trafficked is still breathing, and therefore technically alive, their life is no longer their own. Victims of human trafficking are subjected to a level of control that enslaves them fully, mind and body. They are subjected to abuses, assaults, and a commodification that reduces them to a product and shreds the soul.

Prosecutors argued that Brooks was asleep at the time he was stabbed and therefore not an immediate danger to Lewis. Such assertions can only be made by someone entirely disconnected from the intensity of trauma and human trafficking. Brooks had drugged and raped Pieper repeatedly, on more than one occasion, contributing to a pattern of sexual violence inflicted on her, as well as other harm, including homelessness and poverty.

Pieper Lewis, a 15-year-old child at the time of her arrest, has not been treated as such, nor has she been treated as the victim she was and, as she rightfully claimed in court, the survivor she is. Indeed, Pieper powerfully demonstrated her resilience during her sentencing hearing, “Today, my voice will be heard. The story of Pieper Lewis holds power. The trauma of Pieper Lewis carries a ruptured beginning, tormented past and a delayed future. With perseverance, we have the ability to change the direction of our delayed and unknown futures.” But she also spoke to how the criminal justice system had overlooked and ignored her victimization as she was prosecuted for a crime that directly arose from the abuse and trauma she experienced through trafficking, “I wish the events that took place on June 1, 2020 never occurred, but to say there’s only one victim to this story is absurd.”

Even when imprisonment is avoided, criminal and juvenile justice responses are inherently punitive and often compound trauma, contribute to cycles of poverty and exploitation, and fail to positively contribute to the survivors’ healing. They also cement cultural beliefs and practices that blame victims for their own harm suffered. This is the reason more comprehensive approaches to preventing survivors from being criminalized are at the core of survivor-centered reforms.

As a judge in a state that continues to allow children to be charged with prostitution–conduct that is synonymous with their trafficking victimization–Judge Porter’s ruling cemented the victim-blaming beliefs that have undermined efforts to protect rather than punish child sex trafficking victims in Iowa.

Iowa currently joins 23 states that still criminalize children for prostitution, 34 states that still allow children to be charged and prosecuted for other non-violent crimes or trafficking charges that resulted from their trafficking victimization, and 42 states that still do not allow child sex trafficking victims, like Pieper Lewis, to assert a defense to violent felony charges that arose from trafficking victimization. We as a country have a long way to go to recognize, in our laws and within our judicial system, the harm that is caused by continuing to treat victims of trafficking as criminals while ignoring the impact of their victimization.

Together, The Genesis Project, Shared Hope International, and the Iowa Network Against Human Trafficking and Slavery seek just responses for trafficking survivors, including Pieper. We strongly urge dramatic change in how survivors of trafficking are treated in Iowa and beyond. We invite you to join us and help shift the status quo to one that protects survivors rather than blaming and punishing them for their own victimization.

Footnotes:

[1] https://www.gofundme.com/f/vxgt7q

[2] The prosecution of Pieper Lewis was inherently unjust as the lack of legal protections (e.g., an affirmative defense, non-criminalization protection) available to human trafficking victims under Iowa state law and, thus, unavailable to Pieper, left her with no legal remedies. As a result, despite her status as a child sex trafficking victim, she was arrested, prosecuted, and sentenced for an offense that arose from her trafficking victimization. In response to the injustice of Pieper being prosecuted and sentenced in the death of her abuser, without access to legal protections, advocates and supporters of Pieper have raised over $550,000 (as of September 19, 2022) to pay her restitution order and court fees and provide additional funds to positively impact Pieper’s trajectory. To learn more about best practice for responding to sex trafficking victims engaged in criminal or delinquent conduct, please visit: https://reportcards.sharedhope.org/safeharbor/.

September 12, 2022 by Guest

The WIN Program: Investing in the Women of Our Community

By Kayla Wolff
Growth Strategies Manager: Foundations/Grants/Donors /
Shared Hope International

Share Hope International’s domestic W.I.N. (Women’s Investment Network) program empowers women who have experienced difficult or traumatic circumstances through professional development and training. For 20-25 hours every week during the nine-month, three-phase program, these women learn basic office procedures and are equipped with skills to problem-solve in the workplace, as well as in their personal lives. WIN women perform tasks in several different departments – from accounting to growth strategies – until they find an area they would like to expand their expertise in. After having the chance to contribute to meaningful projects in the Shared Hope office, each woman receives assistance in crafting a resume and exploring future career opportunities. The program provides a stipend, expanding the experience so each woman is able to get paid while learning.

[Read more…]

August 16, 2022 by Guest

2022 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report

By Paulina Andrews and Emily Tegley

2022 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report

On July 19, 2022, the U.S. Department of State released the 2022 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report. The TIP Report is federally mandated by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA). Each year, the TIP Report evaluates global anti-trafficking efforts and ranks countries into three tiers based on whether the countries have met the TVPA’s minimum standards.

Ranking System:

The 2022 TIP Report’s three-tier system ranks countries based on each country’s efforts to prosecute traffickers, protect trafficking victims, and prevent human trafficking. The tiers are based on the country’s efforts to address human trafficking and not on the size of the country’s human trafficking problem.

Countries that have made efforts to fully meet the TVPA’s minimum standards are placed in Tier 1. Tier 2 status is reserved for countries that have not fully met the TVPA’s minimum standards but are “making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.” The Tier 2 Watch List includes countries that have made efforts to meet the TVPA’s minimum standards, but: (1) “the estimated number of victims of severe forms of trafficking is very significant or significantly increasing and the country is not taking proportional concrete actions”; or (2) “there is a failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons from the previous year.” Countries that do not meet the TVPA’s minimum standards and are not working to meet the standards are placed in Tier 3. Countries in Tier 3 may not be eligible for non-humanitarian and non-trade related funding.

The 2022 TIP Report also emphasizes the importance of ethically engaging survivors, seeking survivors’ input in decision-making, and employing survivors in a trauma-informed work environment. To achieve these goals, the TIP Report provides recommendations such as: encouraging organizations to budget for hiring survivors; ensuring organizations have obtained informed consent from a survivor before sharing the survivor’s story; compensating survivors appropriately for their time; and fostering a safe, trauma-informed environment in the workplace. Furthermore, the TIP Report addresses how survivors have diverse backgrounds and encourages anti-trafficking efforts to acknowledge that there is no “‘typical’ survivor or story.” On July 20, the U.S. State Department held a briefing on this year’s TIP report, where the panel echoed the importance of having survivor-informed programs and policies. In keeping with this goal, the U.S. State Department relied on the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking, an appointed group of survivor leaders who advise and make recommendations on federal anti-trafficking policies, as subject matter experts to aid with the introductory materials for this year’s report, which is a tool to begin a global conversation on the inclusion of survivor expertise. Further, the panel noted that a dramatic increase in governments actively seeking survivor input could already be seen.

The United States:

The United States maintained its Tier 1 status in 2022, indicating the United States government has made efforts to meet the TVPA’s minimum standards. The TIP Report notes that the United States has maintained prosecution efforts and passed additional legislation to protect victims. For example, the TIP Report cites legislation the United States Congress enacted requiring credit reporting companies to remove adverse credit activity from victims’ reports when that credit activity is connected to their victimization. Additionally, the TIP Report explains the United States has improved its overall protection efforts by increasing the number of victims served and continuing to fund anti-trafficking efforts. Lastly, the TIP Report praised the United States’ prevention efforts, including its three-year national action plan to combat trafficking and ongoing public outreach efforts.

However, the TIP Report makes clear that Tier 1 status does not mean “a country has no human trafficking problem or that it is doing enough to address the crime.” Thus, the United States’ Tier 1 status does not mean the United States has a perfect response to human trafficking, and the TIP Report highlights various areas the United States needs to improve. For example, while the TIP Report indicates that the United States continues to reduce demand, the report also notes that advocates argue this demand-reduction must be trauma-informed, must be survivor-informed, and that diverse experiences and voices must be prioritized. In addition, the TIP Report notes the United States’ response to protecting LGBTQI+ individuals and children who are aging out of services is insufficient.

Furthermore, the TIP Report highlights that trafficking survivors continue to face criminal charges resulting from their victimization. Comprehensive victim protection laws are essential to ensuring survivors are identified and equipped to heal from their trafficking victimization and, if they choose to do so, join anti-trafficking efforts. Additionally, the TIP Report notes that criminal records resulting from the traffickers’ victimization exclude survivors from employment opportunities, housing, higher education, government programs, and from meeting their basic needs. The TIP Report also cites cases where trafficking survivors lost custody of their children because the survivors were required to register as sex offenders due to offenses the survivors committed as a result of being trafficked. To address this issue, the TIP Report encourages state, local, and tribal authorities to “implement policies not to prosecute victims for unlawful acts traffickers compelled them to commit.”

Shared Hope International’s Work:

In 2011, Shared Hope launched the Protected Innocence Challenge project, finding most states failed to recognize the crime of child sex trafficking. Under the project, Shared Hope graded each state on the strength of their laws regarding criminalization of child sex trafficking, offender accountability, tools for investigation and prosecution, and victim protections. By 2019, states had made great progress in areas related to criminalization, but service responses lagged. Shared Hope then retired the Protected Innocence Challenge project and released the Report Cards on Child & Youth Sex Trafficking legislative framework, building on the original Protected Innocence Challenge project and preserving its most fundamental components, but including new policy priorities that focus largely on specialized service responses and access to justice. These policies put survivor protections at the forefront of Shared Hope’s ongoing advocacy efforts.

This advanced legislative framework can be used as a tool for lawmakers seeking to address many of the recommendations found in the 2022 TIP Report. For example, to address and respond to the harmful and re-traumatizing effects of arrest and prosecution, the advanced legislative framework recommends that states enact laws to prevent the arrest, detention, and prosecution of children who have committed crimes as a result of their victimization. Specifically, states can take concrete steps to prevent additional trauma by prohibiting the criminalization of minors under 18 for prostitution offenses, prohibiting the criminalization of sex trafficking victims for non-violent crimes and trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation offenses committed as a result of their victimization, and providing victims with an affirmative defense for violent felonies committed as a result of their trafficking victimization. The criminalization of survivors is concerning, and while there has been an increase in awareness, gaps still remain in written policies seeking to prevent the criminalization of survivors.

Additionally, Shared Hope’s JuST Response Council, a group of over 30 experts from around the country who collaborate to improve responses to child sex trafficking, released field guidance on responding to sex trafficking victim-offender intersectionality and the complexities of charging victims of trafficking with offenses committed as a result of being trafficked. The Victim-Offender Intersectionality Report discusses not only why criminalizing survivors is inherently unjust, but also offers approaches for applying a sex trafficking-informed lens.

Shared Hope Resources:

Report Cards on Child & Youth Sex Trafficking and 2021 Toolkit
Seeking JuSTice Report: Legal approaches to eliminate criminal liability for juvenile sex trafficking victims
Responding to Sex Trafficking Victim-Offender Intersectionality: A Guide for Criminal Justice Stakeholders

Take Action:

Get informed. Visit the U.S. State Department’s website to review the entire 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report.
Advocate for change. Send your state’s report card to your legislators.
Join the fight. Sign Shared Hope’s Stop the InJuSTice Campaign petition to encourage states to stop arresting and charging child sex trafficking survivors with prostitution.

July 15, 2022 by Guest

Removing a hurdle on the long road to healing; human trafficking survivors can now seek relief from adverse credit history!

Dr. Marian Hatcher
Shared Hope Policy Consultant
Ambassador-at-Large, United Nations

This writing is immensely important to me, personally and professionally. The heartbeat of accomplishment can be summed up in a quote I admire.

“I am a very strong believer in listening and learning from others” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

I can think of no greater situation where this quote is needed, than the exploitation of human beings. It is critical to “listen to survivors.”

Over the last 18 years, I have been on a journey of learning to speak less and with more wisdom, while listening and learning from others. Trust me, it has been an up-hill battle. In general, my inclination is to talk more and listen less. However, with my faith as a guide, I have learned over time to listen more and talk less. Surprisingly, the more I practiced this sage principle, the more I was able to provide useful information based on personal and professional experience.

This past January 2022, I was honored to pen a blog for Shared Hope celebrating the enactment of the Debt Bondage Repair Act (DBRA) as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). In that blog I outlined how the DBRA arose from a Congressional hearing on the business of human trafficking in the House Committee on Financial Services, which followed the Committee’s request that I provide technical assistance on issues they wanted to examine related to human trafficking. Because they listened to a survivor during that initial half hour meeting, and again during my testimony at the hearing, a key point about the financial harms experienced by trafficking survivors was brought to life.

You see, in the last line of the witness invitation letter, it stated what I was hoping the hearing would examine: “Members are also interested in understanding how to help survivors restore their names and credit once they are able to escape their traffickers.” Honestly, it was only recently when preparing remarks for a recent speaking engagement, and to my astonishment, that I really noticed that line. In my Congressional testimony, on behalf of SPACE International, Shared Hope International and the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, I shared how I had been coerced to buy a car for a trafficker during my exploitation and how that remained on my credit once I was out of the life and trying to rebuild my life and regain financial stability.

Well, the rest is history. Ranking Member McHenry, with bipartisan support and the approval of Chairman Maxine Waters, moved the Debt Bondage Repair Ac t forward under suspension. Introduced by Senator Cornyn in the Senate, the bill became part of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2022, with survivor and ally support through the process, and passed Congress on December 27, 2021.

Once the NDAA was signed by President Biden, December 27, 2021, I had the opportunity to provide technical assistance along with Shared Hope to the Senior Legal Counsel of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, the entity responsible for putting the law into action within 180 days. I was grateful for the robust discussion with their team and ultimately was very pleased that input from survivors would be considered before the preliminary rule was issued April 7, 2022. The preliminary rule was amazing and acknowledged the need for as broad a rule as possible to ensure a broad range of survivors could qualify for this relief.

Along with a small group of survivors and allies–Shared Hope International, Alliance of Leadership & Innovation for Victims of Exploitation (ALIVE), Villanova Law Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE Institute), National Center on Sexual Exploitation, Charleston Law Center, Restoration61, Twelve11 Partners, Dale Consulting LLC, Vednita Carter Ministries, Jeanette Westbrook MSSW–we submitted a joint comment during the comment period.

On June 23, 2022, the final rule was issued, effective June 24, 2022. “The CFPB has established, among other things, a method for survivors of trafficking to submit documentation to credit reporting companies that identifies any adverse item of information that resulted from human trafficking. The rule prohibits credit reporting companies from providing a report containing the adverse items of information.”

So many emotions followed the final rule being issued. I didn’t know if I wanted to cry or scream. In the end I simply praised God for his grace and mercy. In the end, it’s what happens when Justice Ginsburg’s words become reality. Listening and hearing, action words. I am excited now to share this progress with other survivors and asked two of my fellow survivor leaders to share their thoughts on why this relief was so important and what we need to do next. Here are those critically important thoughts:

Alisa Bernard, Director of Policy, Thistle Farms states “the Debt Bondage Repair Act facilitates survivors to regain and, in some cases, gain for the first time agency and autonomy. The DBRA sees the survivor themselves, not just their credit score which allows us to operate not from a place of terror but a place of humanity and dignity. This goes beyond putting a bandaid on a wound, it’s true aftercare in that it’s the starting point for future success and sustainability outside of trafficking experiences. At its core, it validates our experiences of trauma and exploitation by recognizing we should not have to pay the price for something that was done to us.

Vednita Carter, Founder of Breaking Free states, “I recall numerous losses, cars, apartments, even loans he got in my name. I had to pay back all the money. It took me about twenty years to become “credit worthy”. We constantly fight to feel our “worth” as human beings due to our exploitation, so financial worth was almost unattainable, so many didn’t try or couldn’t. Thankfully, today there is this remedy, both broad and systemic, but the DBRA must be accessible to survivors. Outreach, case management and training, is crucial to inform our community of this opportunity and assist in navigating the process.”

As I’ve had the honor of working, fighting side by side with great survivors, and allies on many issues, I’ve learned to listen better than before. I’ve also worked side by side with legislators who were willing to listen to survivors. Together we listened and learned from each other and now have a law and regulations that will outlive me, providing a pathway to financial health and wholeness for many survivors.

My heartfelt thanks to all involved in the passing of the Debt Bondage Repair Act (DBRA). Ranking Member Patrick McHenry and Senator John Cornyn, my gratitude and heartfelt thanks to you both for introducing this in your respective chambers. President Biden, thank you as well for seeing the importance of this small piece of legislation embedded in the National Defense Authorization Act 2022.

We have more work to do, of course. The opportunity to seek this relief must still get to the survivors it was written to assist, as well as those in a position to assist survivors in seeking this relief. In addition to survivors, case managers, legal and financial advisors and other service providers—need to be equipped to navigate the new process for contacting credit reporting agencies to have adverse items removed that resulted from trafficking. With that goal in mind, Shared Hope has developed this fact sheet which provides an overview of the rule for anyone interested in learning more. I encourage survivors and those who work with survivors to review this and also continue to check back here for more information and resources.

So, no longer will we face credit issues with anxiety and dread. The Debt Bondage Repair Act puts survivors in the driver’s seat in reversing some of the financial harms of trafficking!!!

Dr. Hatcher has worked as a civilian member of law enforcement at the Cook County Sheriffs’ Office for 15 years, a U.S. Representative of SPACE International (Survivors of Prostitution Calling for Enlightenment), a survivor organization representing 10 countries. She is a recipient of numerous awards including the 2014 Shared Hope International Path Breaker Award, the 2016 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from President Obama, and was honored on Congressional Record for Black History by U.S. Senator Richard Durbin of IL.

The information and links provided in this resource are solely for educational and informational purposes and do not constitute legal advice. Additionally, Shared Hope International cannot comment on, or confirm, an individual’s victim status for purposes of accessing relief under the Debt Bondage Repair Act.

Dr. Marian Hatcher Shared Hope Policy Consultant Ambassador-at-Large, United Nations

Dr. Marian Hatcher
Shared Hope Policy Consultant
Ambassador-at-Large, United Nations