In this anti-trafficking space, there can be a lot of wild stories and conspiracy theories that serve as a distraction. As a Victim-Centric organization, when we approach situations, we start by looking for the victim and hearing what the victim has to say. We believe that this posture and approach create a place of safety and allow us to advocate for people who have been affected. 

A victim-centric approach means that everything we do starts with the needs, voice, and well-being of the person who has been harmed.

Instead of focusing first on systems, programs, or outcomes, we focus first on what is best for the victim.

• A victim-centric approach means the survivor’s safety, choices, dignity, and long-term healing guide every decision we make—what services we offer, how we talk to them, and how we plan their care.

   

  Here’s a Simple Breakdown of what this practically means for survivors in our programs:

1. Safety first
   Before anything else – paperwork, services, or details – we ensure the survivor is safe and stable.

    

2. Choice and control
   Survivors get to make decisions about their own steps forward. This helps restore control in a situation where control was taken from them. This is a huge component of seeing them successfully restored. Whether you want to call it establishing agency or activating their will, the ability to have choice and say in what happens to you is an important component of healing.

    

3. Trauma awareness
   We understand that trauma affects how people think, react, remember, and trust.
   So we go slow, offer options, and avoid re-traumatizing them. We want to ensure that girls have access to trauma-informed care and that our team has a solid understanding of how trauma can affect survivors.

    

4. Respect for dignity
   We treat survivors/victims as people – not cases, not numbers, not problems to solve. We believe that each person is made in the image of God and loved by Him. This means that we treat them with value, dignity, and worth.

    

5. Healing over outcomes
   We measure success by whether the survivors are healing and empowered – not by how fast they move through a program.

    

And here’s what it means for our organization:

• Policies are designed around survivors’ rights and needs
• Staff are trained in trauma-informed care
• Programs offer flexible, individualized services
• Communication avoids blame and shame
• Survivors help guide program development whenever possible
  
  

These principles of trauma-informed care and the victim-centric model work together to create good long-term outcomes for young survivors. It also creates a decision-making framework for our team.  These principles help create stability and consistency and ensure that informed care is possible for survivors of trafficking.