Lowell Minor Victims of Trafficking

Under the FY 2018 Integrated Services for Minor Victims of Trafficking program, all grantees are required to serve all minor victims (boys and girls under age 18) of all forms of human trafficking (sex and labor). The grantee will work with OVC Program Managers and Training and Technical Assistance Providers to ensure all victims are served. The overarching goal of this project is to provide all minor victims of all forms of human trafficking with comprehensive services that address their needs for safety, security, and healing. These wraparound services will be a communitywide effort led by the Center for Hope and Healing, Inc., (CHH), informed by the data and stories of minor victims already served, and supported by strong project partners, such as nationally recognized My Life My Choice, Victim Rights Law Center, and many local collaborators. The CHH project will focus on Lowell, Mass., and work with minors from the surrounding communities in their area. Minor victims of trafficking have particular needs that must be adequately met in order to heal untreated and unresolved trauma that results from a history of polyvictimization, complicated relationships with the child welfare and criminal justice systems, and limited access to services. Access is further limited by a lack of services and programming that are developmentally appropriate, evidence-based, affordable, confidential, linguistically and culturally appropriate, and flexible enough to accommodate a schedule often not controlled by the victim served. The wraparound services provided by this project prioritize creating a coordinated taskforce to combat trafficking of minors and will implement integrated survivor-centered services that may include reunification with healthy family members and caregivers. This is a critical exit-ramp and crucial to a minor’s long-term success and self-sufficiency, which reduce the likelihood of further trafficking victimization. CA/NCF