Multimedia

Providing victim services within a Tribal court setting offers survivors confidential, victim-centered services, advocacy, and assistance in a non-judgmental, supportive environment. These services reflect the dignity, cultural beliefs, needs, and voices of survivors. American Indian and Alaska Native panelists shared their insights on how to start or expand victim service efforts within a Tribal court.

Building and maintaining victim service programs require resources. Staff, program management, training, and funding are all necessary to sustain a tribal victim service program. Join a live webinar discussion on broadening your circle of support. On November 2, Michelle Cook, Shelley Jacobs, and Desiree Coyote answered questions about available federal funds and how they can be used to manage program operations, offer culturally sensitive services and healing programs, and pay for emergency service support such as housing and transportation.

Most victims of human trafficking do not self-identify or seek help because of the profound and prolonged trauma they experience. Traffickers often deceive victims with false promises of love, a good job, or a stable life, then lure or force them into trafficking; a trafficker may even look like an intimate partner. Recognizing the signs of trafficking and knowing how to offer support is critical in helping a victim heal.

Human trafficking harms the body and spirit. Learn about the connection between human trafficking and Missing or Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP). Both human trafficking and MMIP victims may have been exposed to domestic and sexual violence, adverse childhood experiences, substance use, poverty, and homelessness. While human trafficking can happen to anyone anywhere, traffickers often exploit these vulnerabilities.

Intergenerational and historical trauma have existed for hundreds of years within tribal communities. Understanding this history as well as the impact of complex trauma on survivors of human trafficking is critical to supporting their healing process. On June 9, 2022, Desiree Coyote, Lu-Anne Haukaas, and Guadalupe Lopez convened to answer participant questions on recognizing and addressing trauma from a human trafficking survivor's lived experience. The Talking Circle series is sponsored by the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), Human Trafficking Capacity Building Center.

Historical trauma and current risk factors make Indigenous people vulnerable to many forms of crime victimization, including labor and sex trafficking. Additionally, higher percentages of American Indian and Alaska Native children are living in poverty, involved in the juvenile justice system, and the foster care system, increasing their vulnerability to human trafficking.

Determining how to spend federal funds for victim services can seem overwhelming. Whether an organization is starting, sustaining, or growing a victim services program, a broad range of resources are available to assist them in supporting the healing journey for victims.

The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) releases funding each year to support tribes and organization’s serving tribal communities in developing or sustaining crime victim services programs. During this conversation representatives from current OVC-funded tribal victim services programs and OVC staff discussed: (1) how to develop new and enhance existing tribal victim services programs and (2) how funding from OVC’s Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside Formula program can support these efforts.

Human trafficking impacts tribal people more than most of us realize with traffickers preying on vulnerabilities such as jurisdiction, prosecution, and limited resources. During this conversation, skilled practitioners share their experiences working with human trafficking in tribal communities and discuss risk factors for trafficking, barriers to addressing trafficking on tribal lands, and needed services to aid the spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing of trafficked tribal members or relatives.