Field report: Establish Survivor-Led Platform on Advisory Council (USA)

Goal:

To encourage the establishment of a survivor-led platform, a U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking that values survivors beyond their stories.

Summary:

The U.S. government did not have an institutionalized structure to ensure that the knowledge and experience of trafficking survivors is considered when crafting policies and anti-trafficking initiatives. That knowledge and experience is vital to improving the quality of decision-making, and it is important that survivors have a platform to advise policy-makers of best practices.

Human trafficking is a complex and serious crime that tears at our social fabric. Efforts to combat this crime must be equally complex.: victim-centered, comprehensive, and trauma-informed. Legislation had been introduced (Survivors of Human Trafficking Empowerment Act) that would enable the government to be meaningfully informed by modern slavery survivors. That legislation is vital to help the U.S. government implement the most effective anti-trafficking policies and programs by establishing the first ever survivor-led U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking.  We joined ATEST in calling on the U.S. government to pass the Survivors of Human Trafficking Empowerment Act.

Outcome:

As a result of this campaign, the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking was created, an institutionalized structure that ensures the views of trafficking survivors are incorporated in policies and anti-trafficking initiatives. 

Note:

Quote by an appointed survivor member of the Council, Ima Matul Maisaroh: "As a collective group of survivors, we have dedicated a huge part of ourselves to the anti-trafficking movement, to respective advocacy efforts. Together, we are changing perception, fighting for justice, and ultimately, over the years, we are contributing to one shared goal: to end modern slavery everywhere it exists. We are a diverse group. Our individual experience as survivors will add a rich expertise to the council."


Our partner in this campaign:

Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking

The Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST) is a U.S. based coalition that advocates for solutions to prevent and end all forms of human trafficking and modern slavery around the world. They advocate for lasting solutions to prevent labor and sex trafficking, hold perpetrators accountable, ensure justice for victims and empower survivors with tools for recovery.