When we say “reintegration”….
We hold a unique space in the counter-trafficking world. More often than not, organizations associated with anti-trafficking are helping to get victims away from traffickers or providing shelter and safe houses for survivors as they spend some time healing.
But our very purpose is to answer the question “what next?”
What happens after the young girl ages out of the safehome? What happens after a person has completed the 10-steps towards healing? What happens after the legal case has its day in court? What happens when it’s time for the person to leave the security of a program and the safety-net of an organization?
We fully believe that being trauma-informed and healing-centered means that a past of oppression and trauma does not mean a destiny of dependence on others. We are committed to the idea of victims becoming survivors and survivors becoming flourishing members of their society, the idea that a woman never has to depend on another organization in order to survive. Granted, the shadow of trafficking is long which often means that unexpected barriers arise as a woman is working towards reintegration. We’ve previously outlined how difficult it is to survive as a survivor and the complexity of survivorship – but today we want to focus on what the reintegration that we work for looks like.
Reintegration means:
Healthy relationships – the ability to trust others and be trusted, able to create and hold boundaries while remaining open to compromise amidst conflict, to have a social safety net that she can turn to if an emergency arises, relationships filled with joy and fun that are mutually transformative, and having a sense of belonging in a community.
Financial stability – being confident in her financial literacy to where she will not be taken advantage of or cheated in the market, ability to make enough money to afford necessities including a safe home and food, having some savings that can sustain her family through market fluctuations, and eventually moving beyond the need for money to survive but to utilize it for thriving in her family and community.
Emotional and psychological health – acknowledging the difficulties of the past but not allowing those to define her present, future, or sense of self, being grounded in the present and able to regulate oneself, ability to think forward by planning and dreaming for the future, remaining confident and hopeful amidst setbacks and difficulties, and having a regular practice of fun
Isn’t this a beautiful picture of a flourishing individual?
Perhaps you’re reading this and wishing for the same in your own life.
We want to ensure that everyone - especially women who have been previously targeted for their gender, poverty, isolation, vulnerabilities – have the systems in place and tools at the ready to achieve this reality.
This can mean therapy, access to medical care, employment training, housing assistance, spiritual counseling, economic opportunities, and a variety of other things – some of which we can’t foresee. But we want to be poised and ready to assist – and this is made possible by our incredible group of monthly supporters, our Seed Collective members, who faithfully invest twelve times a year towards the full reintegration and flourishing of survivors of trafficking and their families.
We are launching a new campaign this month to gather more individuals who understand the long and complicated process of healing and reintegration. We would love for 15 more people (you!) to sign up in commitment to walking alongside these women to encourage them, help empower them, and support them through the messy and often non-linear path towards healing and reintegration. Because, after all, aren’t they worth it?