Since 2010, every January is recognized as Human Trafficking Awareness Month. This recognition aims to bring public awareness and education to human trafficking to not only identify and prevent the crime but also to bring support to the many survivors. There are an estimated 27 million victims of human trafficking worldwide, including within the United States.

Human trafficking can happen to anyone. According to the fact page provided by the SERV program, “Adults, teenagers, and even children can be victims of human trafficking. Many are forced to work in prostitution or the sex entertainment industry, but trafficking also occurs in forms of labor exploitation in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Victims of labor trafficking who have been identified in the United States include domestic servants, restaurant staff, hotel employees, factory workers, and agricultural laborers.” Within such a widespread issue and forced labor, few people are able to escape and are rescued from human trafficking (UN News). 

The stigma and awareness around human trafficking and the types of forced labor demanded makes it harder for survivors to come forward and recognize their own victimhood. For those who make it out, they have a lot of needs in order to reconstruct their lives. In the most immediate period for survivors, the highest needs are basic medical care. Traffickers often restrict and decline access to nutrition, hygiene, and proactive healthcare. The stress and physical toll of the types of forced labor and abuses survivors endure also take a high toll on the body. As stated by NJDCF, “The first 24 to 72 hours may be a critical period for the [survivors], requiring involvement of trauma-informed practitioners associated with a multidisciplinary team”. A core tenant of the services provided by SERV is Crisis Intervention & Advocacy, which work to provide victims of human trafficking benefits and services necessary for their safety, protection, and basic well-being.

                A major need for survivors is mental and emotional healing. As SERV shares in their human trafficking education and advocacy, a central tool in the power and control of sex and labor traffickers is the emotional abuse, blame, isolation, intimidation, and coercion, among other tactics. Exposure to this completely alter the self-perception of victims, and building trust through therapeutic counseling and supportive social services help put survivors on the path to regaining their selfhood beyond their traumas. 

To prevent re-victimization in human trafficking, it’s essential for survivors to be set up to stand on their own and meet their needs. Housing, employment, and immigration status are extremely consequential in the success of healing for survivors. The SERV team dedicate themselves to connecting victims of human trafficking to:

• short- and long-term housing options
• substance abuse treatment services, mental health counseling, and medical care 
• employability services, legal services, educational opportunities, job readiness training/skills development, and financial advocacy and counseling

 SERV supports victims and survivors throughout this continuum of need and care. 

If you or someone you know is experiencing human trafficking and needs to talk, our hotline is a free 24-hour phone service at 1-800-225-0196 and will pair you with a SERV advocate. To learn more about Services Empowering Rights of Victims’ (SERV) work with human trafficking services in New Jersey's Camden, Gloucester, and Cumberland Counties, visit: https://www.centerffs.org/serv.