INTERVENE Archives - Shared Hope International

It was great to see several months of planning and preparation come together. Shared Hope International had the honor of presenting our training series, Intervene, to over 150 social service providers and law enforcement officials last week in Pennsylvania. Intervene was designed by a multidisciplinary team in an effort to equip first responders with the tools to identify and effectively respond to victims of sex trafficking. The Berks Coalition Against Human Trafficking, Berks Women in Crisis and FREE, a local anti-trafficking group, sponsored the event in an effort to bring awareness about Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking to the area. Shared Hope International exposed the face of DMST by educating attendees on what makes an individual vulnerable, warning signs and indicators of trafficking, language unique to the crime, and the dynamics of pimp control – including the recruitment process and what factors prevent a victim from fleeing.

Shared Hope was joined by District Attorney John Adams, Representative David Maloney, Detective Lee Wiley from the Montgomery Police Department, Julie Janovsky from Polaris Project, and survivor Jennifer Spry. Detective Wiley shared local stories, techniques and information on DMST, while Ms. Janovsky focused on law and policy. The testimony given by Ms. Spry was so powerful that it wrapped up with a standing ovation!
Training is critical to the anti-sex trafficking movement because it changes how law enforcement officers and social service providers respond to victims of commercial sexual exploitation. The Reading Eagle, a local newspaper, insightfully pointed out that “Learning to identify the signs of sex trafficking of minors and the people selling and buying prostitution will better prepare a community to respond if it occurs.” Training assists in reducing the number of DMST victims who go through the social service system unidentified and unaided. “Training also exposes those on the front lines to the gravity of DMST in the U.S., and hopefully inspires them to revise their tactics for treating victims. Co-chair of Berks County Coalition Against Human Trafficking, Bob Morrison, expressed optimism for the future of the county when he told local news station 69News “There’s hope in seeing a whole community begin to talk about this and get mobilized.”

Thank you to everyone who attended the event. Click here if you are interested in bringing training to your community.

The process of restoration for victims of domestic minor sex trafficking can be a long and difficult struggle for healing. Just as in any trauma case, first responders are crucial to the advancement of that journey. However, a shortage of shelters specifically dedicated to victims of sex trafficking has positioned organizations such as rape crisis centers to receive and care for these victims in the absence of more specialized services. In fact, the most commonly accepted estimate reveals that there are probably no more than 100 beds in the U.S. specifically dedicated to sex trafficking victims. When compared to the 100,000 individuals forced into the industry each year, it is clear that America is in desperate need of resources for DMST victims. So, how can rape crisis centers provide the necessary services to these victims with very specific needs?

Rape crisis centers may be one of the first responders in sex trafficking cases, especially with DMST victims, because of their hospital advocacy services and 24hr crisis hotline. In some cases, when a victim is admitted to a hospital for sexual trauma, the hospital will contact a rape crisis center immediately. Hospital advocates assist the victim during forensic exams and forensic interviews with the police in addition to providing the victim with valuable resources about the organization’s services. Rape crisis centers often offer free individual and group therapy that can assist a victim of sex trafficking in their long term healing process. Many rape crisis centers even offer legal advocacy services for those individuals seeking to heal through the justice system, or those who are unjustly being charged with prostitution. Rape crisis centers can be wonderful resources for DMST victims because of their deep understanding of victim empowerment, which is vital to the healing process, as well as their ability to help restore victims at their own pace.

While rape crisis centers can be pivotal in the healing process of sex trafficking victims, there are still many areas of improvement necessary in order to better assist individuals in this unique population. Like many other first responders, rape crisis center advocates and counselors are often not trained to recognize indicators of sex trafficking. This can hinder service provision for the unique needs of this victim population. Rape crisis center advocates and counselors need to be educated on the revealing signs that an individual has been trafficked and the appropriate treatment that individual should receive. Service providers may incorporate these tools by adjusting intake questions to reveal aspects of commercial sex exploitation. Fortunately, there are many online resources, including Shared Hope’s INTERVENE, to help rape crisis centers gain essential knowledge for identifying victims.

Rape crisis centers and other local resources can continue their fight against sexual abuse by expanding their efforts and knowledge to the issue of sex trafficking in their communities. Each of us has a role in this fight, and only by working in tandem at the national and local levels can organizations effectively combat the sexual exploitation of our children.