We know that we will end trafficking when, and only when, survivors are at the forefront of every initiative, every project, every program. 

Avoid replicating the patterns of traffickers: pay your consultants, even when funding is tight. 

If your approach to motivating non-survivors to care about trafficking alienates or others survivors of trafficking, change it.

Bring survivors in for the grant-writing or planning stage! 

Survivor is not a job description or skill set. It is a description of someone’s relationship to an experience.

When offering professional development and training opportunities to survivors, PAY THEM FOR THEIR TIME AS WELL to make these opportunities more accessible.

De-jargon your professional development offerings, handbooks, & materials. 

MAKE THE IMPLICIT EXPLICIT. 

Maintain a folder of sample documents, and share it as part of onboarding.

Survivor leaders may not have experience negotiating pay.  Lack of experience with formal processes does not mean they wouldn’t be a great hire!

Simplify application processes to show you value applicants’ time.

Use tutorial plugins like Loom to explain any processes essential to your work.

It is survivor-friendly policy to AVOID asking survivors to front expenses. Book their flights & rooms for them.

Process invoices from lived experience experts in a timely manner. 

Consider running a one-off payroll or offering an advance or hiring bonus, as gaps in pay can be a barrier to survivor engagement in movement leadership. 

Prioritize employee wellness, especially for survivors, who may have additional healthcare needs from their trafficking. 

Labor rights are human rights. We strive to model this in our movement work as well as in our workplaces. 

Apply “universal design” concepts to economic and social marginalization and prior trauma as well as to disability access.

Family leave & flex time allow survivors to attend necessary court dates & get medical care for themselves & their dependents.

Not all people with lived experience that fits the federal definition of “severe forms of human trafficking” identify as “survivors of human trafficking.” 

Workplace trauma patterns, which can be influenced by individual trauma within and outside of the workplace, but often have their own organizational root causes.

Learn ways to be sustainable in this work; be gentle with yourself and conscious of how your work impacts you. See tips at our LinkedIn.

Racial equity is more than hiring quotas: it is rethinking your entire organizational framework to root out inequitable practices & assumptions.

Learn more about & implement trauma-informed supervision here. 

 When hiring or promoting survivors into management or supervisory positions, help them learn the skills of effective management! 

We were all new once. Avoid showing off or bragging. Be patient. Share wisdom & professional networks generously. Don’t gatekeep.  

Many survivors have been working for years in related fields. Value this professional experience.

Empowering new leaders & youth leadership is movement-wide succession planning.

Listening to all survivors ensures that our solutions are meaningful and relevant.

Shared values create a container for generative conflict.