Human Trafficking & Disability Resources
Survivors Speak
The following links will take you to the hub contributions by Disabled and Neurodivergent survivors of human trafficking.
- Survivor Artist: From the Mud
- Using Art to Bring Awareness to Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence
- Microaggression of a male DMST survivor
- I Met My Trafficker in High School
The following materials are compiled from the websites that are referenced here, including the text.
Children and Youth Survivors Support Materials
National Human Trafficking & Disabilities Work Group (NHTDWG ) in collaboration with the International Organization for Adolescents is building an archive of resources to serve youth with disabilities who have been trafficked: http://iofa.org/category/disabilities-and-csec/. In spring 2022, NHTDWG is hosting a 3-part Webinar series will discuss the following topics:
- Trauma-Informed Care: Providing Services and Support for People with Disabilities, May 12th, 2pm-4pm CT
- Trafficking During Crises: Centering Race, Gender and Disability, May 19th, 2pm-4pmCT
- Serving Youth Survivors with Disabilities, May 24th, 1pm-3pm CT
Child survivor and witness support materials in 8 graphic novels. Each graphic novel includes excerpts from individuals with lived experience, who offer support and information to the reader who might find themselves in a similar situation. Based on the input of national experts, these materials are intended to teach child and youth survivors of trafficking between the ages of 12−18 about:
- how the justice system works,
- what their rights are,
- the roles of the different practitioners they might meet, and
- how they can cope with the difficult feelings they might have.
Additionally, you can find parent and practitioner guides here.
For Practitioners
Human Trafficking of People with a Disability: An Analysis of State and Federal Cases Article
Human Trafficking: What It Is and How it Impacts the Disability Community Webinar
Human Trafficking of People with Disabilities Video Series
Individuals with Disabilities May Face Increased Risk of Human Trafficking
A Polaris blog that explains the unique ways people with disabilities are recruited and trafficked.
The following resources are from the Office of Crime Victims. Please visit the Victims with Disabilities topic page to view publications, training and technical assistance opportunities, and more information about helping victims with developmental disabilities.
- Just Ask: A Toolkit to Help Advocates, Attorneys, and Law Enforcement Meet the Needs of Crime Victims with Disabilities was created in response to conversations with professionals working with survivors, many of whom are open to asking about accommodations, but don’t know how and are worried about saying the wrong thing. This toolkit was shaped by people with disabilities and disability advocates.
- Supporting Crime Victims with Disabilities
This OVC-funded online training toolkit produced by the Vera Institute of Justice provides comprehensive and culturally responsive informational and educational resources, tools, videos, and examples of best practices for law enforcement, forensic interviewers, victim advocates, and others to prepare them to effectively respond to victims of crime with disabilities, including individuals with development disabilities, across the lifespan.
- Multidisciplinary Response to Crime Victims with Disabilities
This product includes a state-level and community-level replication guide to adapt multidisciplinary responses models that serve crime victims with disabilities, including individuals with developmental disabilities.
Other links and resources:
- Trafficking of Persons with Disabilities Factsheet (For Disability Advocates and Investigators)
- Trafficking of Persons with Disabilities in the United States Factsheet (Human Trafficking Legal Center).
- Human Trafficking and Health Care Providers: Lessons Learned from Federal Criminal Indictments and Civil Cases (HEAL Trafficking and Human Trafficking Legal Center).
- Victims with Physical, Cognitive, or Emotional Disabilities (Office for Victims of Crime and Technical Assistance Center).