Being a trafficking survivor just got harder…

28 Apr Being a trafficking survivor just got harder…

Posted at 22:46h in updates by
Greetings Friends of SAFE!
We hope this note finds you and your family healthy
as you endure the challenges of this crazy time.
Victims and survivors are facing new challenges as well,
and we think you’ll be encouraged by learning how
SAFE is standing in the gap
to help meet immediate needs during this time.
But before we get to what is happening now,
we want to celebrate what happened this winter
through SAFE’s third annual
Do What You Love to Fight What You Hate campaign!
This year participants did pushups, ran miles, read books, did reps, and
hit golf balls – all things they love – for the whole month of February.
145 friends and family members supported us, and together
We raised $43,363 for SAFE!
Every one of those dollars will be used to bring freedom to victims
and new opportunities for survivors.
Thank you to all of the participants and donors
for sacrificing to make this huge impact!
We were hoping in this newsletter to tell you all about
SAFE’s Phase Four strategy.
We had listened to the experts and built a strategy to fund innovative initiatives and essential interventions…when everything changed (for all of us).

New needs were arising quickly across the movement, and the SAFE Advisory Board knew we needed to shift as well if we were going to be able to help.

Here is what the landscape looks like now:
  • Commercial sex acts have decreased a bit during this virus crisis, which is a relief, but that has caused increased violence from traffickers and pimps because their victims aren’t bringing in as much money.  In addition, sex buyers know the victims who are still working (at an even greater risk to their own health now) are desperate, so buyers are negotiating prices down, thus causing more violence when the victim returns to their pimp/trafficker.  Victims want out now, more than ever, and SAFE wants to help provide those avenues.
  • In addition, SAFE helped 100+ trafficking survivors get jobs in the past year.  Many of those jobs were lower-level/part-time and have now been lost due to the crisis.  Unfortunately, most of the survivors are not eligible for unemployment because they didn’t work enough hours at any one job or had not worked enough cumulative hours yet to be eligible.  As such, these women (some of whom have children) are suffering due to lack of income.  They need groceries and housing assistance, so they don’t end up homeless or having to sell their bodies to feed their kids.  It is a harsh trade-off, and SAFE wants to help meet their basic needs so they aren’t forced to choose exploitation.
  • Lastly, for the youth who are trafficked by family members (a real thing), being home all the time now is not safe.  SAFE wants to help keep local drop-in centers open, so these kids have a place to go each day to avoid getting exploited at home.
In response to these immediate needs, we created an abbreviated fund-request process and shared it with all of SAFE’s partners across the state.
We sent our first round of funding out in early April and we are already hearing success stories from those grants!
  • Victims and survivors who were newly homeless in Olympia now have warm places to stay.
  • Advocates (case-workers) are now equipped with technology that allows them to stay in communication with survivors even when they can’t be together in person.
  • Survivors are getting their material needs met so they’re not facing eviction or re-exploitation.
SAFE’s “immediate needs” funds
are already making a difference!
We are doing our second round of funding next week, and would love to have you join us to provide more help and hope to victims and survivors!
We know we are stronger when we’re in this fight together,
so we hope you will LEAN IN with us!


THANK YOU for supporting our sisters and brothers
who are facing increased violence and exploitation right now.
They’re worth it!

 

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