Many survivors of human trafficking are parents who face unique needs and real challenges in dealing with child welfare and family court after exiting their trafficking situation due to the stigma and misunderstanding of their trafficking experiences that survivors face in these systems. In Polaris’s First National Survivor Study, sex and labor trafficking survivors participated in focus groups, interviews, and a final survey with 457 participants. In their analysis, the researchers looked at the unique needs of parenting survivors and their considerably higher service needs, notably in childcare, education, job training, and mental health services. The findings underscore the necessity for comprehensive support systems and policy reform to facilitate their recovery and safeguard their children’s welfare. Survivors made it clear that their children and maintaining custody of them were chief among their concerns, and many detailed disputes they had faced in keeping their children with them. In particular, custody disputes with child welfare and with their exploiters are exhausting and traumatizing. Traffickers have used the court system and custody disputes to discredit survivors of trafficking and as a result, the justice system is being exploited to further victimize survivors. This study is one of the first to highlight the need that survivors have reported themselves on issues with custody and to look at the unique needs parenting survivors face after exit. Attendees will learn how to effectively engage with survivor parents and to advocate for their needs in various anti-trafficking settings.
Trigger Warning: This presentation contains information (written, spoken, or visual) that may be triggering or (re)traumatizing to attendees.*
M. Elizabeth Bowman is an Assistant Professor at Gallaudet University. She is also a minor domestic sex trafficking survivor and the founder of the Restoring Ivy Collective. In clinical practice, she works with trafficking survivors using expressive therapies including arts and yoga.
Betsy Nolan is Associate Director of Learning and Impact at Polaris. Betsy has 15+ years of experience in data and knowledge management, statistical analysis, monitoring and evaluation project management, teaching and coaching, and survey research, including working with diverse clients, colleagues, and stakeholders. Notable Polaris projects include development of the organization’s impact framework and the National Survivor Study.