Reaching Human Trafficking Survivors in NYC
Thousands of people are victims of human trafficking in New York City. Services exist to help them, but reaching trafficked persons is exceedingly difficult.
Often, trafficked persons are hidden in plain sight. Close proximity to major international ports, a large population of immigrants, and a concentration of informal industries means severe labor rights violations can occur and go easily undetected in NYC. Victims also often have little access to information about services and organizations that can help them. They may not know their rights, what “trafficking” means, or how to seek support.
So we asked…
Through a program of participatory research with trafficking survivors, we became acquainted with the great diversity of trafficked persons in NYC. They are male, female, and transgender. They are of every age and ethnic origin. They come from NYC and beyond.
We discovered that…
Many outreach programs reinforce stigmas and negative stereotypes associated with trafficking, such as unhelpful imagery of battered women and chains. They lack relevance and provide few facts.
“My life is sad enough, I don’t want sad images. I want words. Tell me the facts.”
What does resonate? Prompts around passports and immigration status. Often trafficked persons have had their passports confiscated––this is something they want back, more than “getting out of trafficking.” And the best place to engage them? Check cashing businesses. Even the most isolated individuals often have sporadic access to these shops, more so than legal clinics, places of worship, community organizations, and other places where outreach materials typically feature. And even the most tightly controlled individuals are afforded privacy for their transactions.
And here’s what we’re doing about it…
Using these insights, we designed an outreach campaign to educate trafficked persons and direct them to Safe Horizon’s support services. We helped Safe Horizon develop metrics for tracking the efficacy of future outreach campaigns. And we documented and shared our entire design research process so that Safe Horizon has the tools they need to deliver interventions that are responsive to the unique needs and realities of trafficked persons. We are now in the process of helping Safe Horizon implement a pilot to move the outreach campaign forward.
