Covenant House Report on Youth and Trafficking
August 19th, 2014
“Covenant House 43 10 jeh” by Jim.henderson – Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedication via Wikimedia Commons
Covenant House, a nonprofit charity serving homeless youth with a network of shelters across the Americas, issued a report in May 2013 on youth and trafficking. Titled “Homelessness, Survival Sex and Human trafficking: As Experienced by the Youth of Covenant House New York”, the report offered a window into often invisible problem faced by homeless youth in America. The report includes a Human Trafficking Interview and Assessment Measure, an instrument which has been shown to be highly effective in identifying trafficking victims, and which can be used by others.
The report notes in conclusion that the “HTIAM-14 has been proven to be a useful and effective tool in identifying trafficking victims that would have otherwise been overlooked. However, identification is only the first step in helping a survivor to heal and reach his or her full potential. It is important that all survivors are provided with the vast array of social services needed to rebuild traumatized lives.”
The report continues: “As agencies learn more and begin to identify larger numbers of victims, policy makers, the private sector and non-profits need to work collaboratively to ensure that there are comprehensive and holistic services, including long-term shelter, psychological and medical services, and job training for all those who need them. It is also essential that we work together to reduce the contributing factors outlined in this report to prevent the trafficking of our most vulnerable youth.”
Download a copy of the report here…
For more information on what you can do to help trafficking victims, please see our resource page on human trafficking.
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Related keywords: covenant house, human trafficking, youth
