The Need for Housing and Ongoing Support for Human Trafficking Survivors:

GHRC: The Need for Housing and Ongoing Support for Human Trafficking Survivors

Survivors of human trafficking face significant challenges in rebuilding their lives once freed from exploitation. Beyond the initial rescue or escape, they require comprehensive, long-term support to address the physical, emotional, and psychological impacts of trafficking.

Housing and ongoing support are essential components for their recovery and reintegration into society.

Here’s why:

1. Safe and Stable Housing

One of the most immediate needs for survivors of trafficking is access to safe, secure, and trauma-informed housing. Survivors often escape dangerous environments with little to no resources, and returning to a stable home is critical for them to feel secure. Temporary shelters, while important, are often insufficient for long-term recovery. Survivors need more permanent housing solutions that allow them to focus on rebuilding their lives without the threat of returning to unsafe environments.

Housing programs specifically designed for trafficking survivors should provide:

• Trauma-informed care

• Confidential locations to protect survivors from their traffickers

• Access to basic amenities, including food, clothing, and hygiene products​.

  
  

2. Ongoing Mental Health and Trauma Support

Trafficking survivors often endure severe physical and psychological trauma, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and trust issues. Long-term counseling, trauma-informed therapy, and mental health services are critical to help survivors heal from their experiences. Support programs must offer consistent access to these resources and should be tailored to individual survivor needs, ensuring culturally sensitive care​.

3. Life Skills Development and Job Training

For many survivors, reintegrating into society means overcoming not only emotional scars but also gaps in education or job experience. Job training, education programs, and life skills workshops (such as financial literacy, budgeting, and employment readiness) are essential. These services help survivors rebuild their independence and ensure they do not fall back into vulnerable situations​.

4. Ongoing Legal and Social Services

Navigating the legal system, especially for those without documentation or facing legal issues due to their exploitation, is another barrier for survivors. Comprehensive legal support, including help with immigration status (T visas, U visas), custody issues, and criminal record expungement, is often necessary. Access to ongoing social services—such as health care, childcare, and assistance with applying for government benefits—plays a critical role in helping survivors achieve long-term stability​.

5. Community and Peer Support

Finally, survivors benefit immensely from peer and community support groups, where they can connect with others who have had similar experiences. These networks provide a space for shared healing, empowerment, and support as survivors work to reclaim their lives. Survivors often face feelings of isolation, so creating a supportive community is essential for their emotional recovery​.

GHRC's Role

The Global Human Rights Commission (GHRC), with its focus on human trafficking, recognizes the critical importance of housing and ongoing support. Through initiatives like the Empowering Freedom Forward program, GHRC aims to offer housing solutions paired with life skills training, mental health services, and long-term support. Survivors need comprehensive, multifaceted services to transition successfully from victimhood to empowerment. GHRC’s focus on long-term recovery ensures that survivors not only escape their traffickers but also gain the tools, confidence, and resources necessary to build better futures.

Programs like Homes of Empowerment will directly address the housing crisis for survivors, while mental health counseling, job placement, and legal support under Empowering Freedom Forward will help survivors reintegrate into society​

In conclusion, to effectively combat human trafficking, it is essential to go beyond rescue and provide survivors with housing and comprehensive, ongoing support. These services are critical to ensuring survivors can truly rebuild their lives, avoid revictimization, and reclaim their futures.