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The committee is comprised of members from five countries, representing lived experience and direct service provision in anti-trafficking work.
I believe all organizations should have the courage to stop and assess what they are doing from survivors who can offer a much-needed lived-experience perspective.” - Dina Unger, EVENforONECOLORADO SPRINGS, CO, UNITED STATES, September 13, 2024 /EINPresswire / -- Global anti-trafficking organization The Exodus Road is proud to celebrate the completion of the inaugural year of its International Survivor-Centered Advisory Committee (ISCAC). The committee, formed to offer expert recommendations for aligning human trafficking intervention practices with survivor-informed values, was launched in October of 2023.
"The work of the International Survivor-Centered Advisory Committee formalizes The Exodus Road's deeply-held organizational value of centering the voices of survivors as we holistically combat human trafficking,” says Laura Parker, The Exodus Road's CEO.“We are so grateful for how these experts have been so generous with their insights into improving intervention practices, ensuring a trauma-informed approach that empowers survivors as they walk into freedom."
The ISCAC was co-chaired in its first year by Sola Long (The Exodus Road's Director of Global Aftercare) and Mary Nikkel (The Exodus Road's Senior Content Manager).
Participating members have included a diverse roster of survivor leaders and those providing direct service to survivors in anti-trafficking work. The committee includes Bella Hounakey (Human Trafficking Survivor Advocate), Ronny Marty (Human Trafficking Survivor Advocate), Dina Unger (CEO and Co-founder of EVENforONE), Brandi Mitchell (founder of Shadows of Strength), Sarah Ray (The Exodus Road's Director of Education and Aftercare), Lelia Davis (counselor and registered psychiatric nurse), and The Exodus Road's lead India Social Worker (name withheld for security purposes).
“I see this committee meeting the need of collaboration with survivors because we see how much the needs varied in communities where survivors work,” explains member Bella Hounakey, who currently works for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.“What I've found meaningful is the respect for diversity that this committee brings: people belonging to different demographics coming together for the greater good of the communities that we represent.”
“I've come to realize that my voice as a survivor, along with the voices of others, is not only valued but actively listened to,” adds Ronny Marty, who has served on the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking.“Being part of a team where mutual respect among professionals is palpable is incredibly meaningful.”
Dina Unger offers her thoughts on the launch of The Exodus Road's ISCAC, saying,“I love and appreciate that The Exodus Road is stopping to ask survivors what they think about intervention practices and the impact on survivors, that they are willing to implement those suggestions internally. I believe all organizations should have the courage to stop and assess what they are doing from survivors who can offer a much-needed lived-experience perspective.”
For its first term, the ISCAC created a list of recommendations for policies and procedures to be implemented in trafficking interventions based on a three-phase model: operation planning, the actual moment of law enforcement intervention, and the immediate post-intervention interview and crisis response process. The committee's recommendations employ a trauma-informed lens that takes into account power dynamics and cultural differences while recognizing the needs of survivors of both sex and labor exploitation. The formal recommendations will be published imminently as a resource for the anti-trafficking field as a whole, informing practices beyond the internal processes of The Exodus Road. Every suggestion is coupled with real-world experience from the expert voices that contributed to the committee.
“Having survivors from diverse backgrounds and professionals in the field will provide valuable perspectives in our fight against human trafficking worldwide,” longtime investigator and survivor advocate Brandi Mitchell concludes.
You can learn more about the members of The Exodus Road's International Survivor-Centered Advisory Committee at theexodusroad/international-survivor-centered-advisory-committee
About The Exodus Road
The Exodus Road is a global nonprofit disrupting the darkness of modern-day slavery by partnering with law enforcement to fight human trafficking crime, equipping communities to protect the vulnerable, and empowering survivors as they walk into freedom. Working side-by-side with local staff, NGO partners, and law enforcement around the world, The Exodus Road fights to liberate trafficked individuals, arrest traffickers, and provide restorative care for survivors. Since its founding in 2012, the organization has assisted police in the rescue of 2,600 survivors and the arrests of more than 1,300 offenders, numbers that grow almost daily. The Exodus Road's approach to freedom incorporates intervention, training and education, and aftercare efforts.
In training and education, The Exodus Road offers a suite of online and in-person curriculums, including: INFLUENCED, a curriculum equipping United States parents and teens to participate in the online world while avoiding the dangers of exploitation; TraffickWatch Academy: Brazil, an online training curriculum specifically designed for law enforcement partners; and Equip and Empower, a human trafficking prevention education curriculum for at-risk youth in Thailand. Cumulatively, the organization has trained more than 38,000 officers and citizens through its educational curriculums.
The Exodus Road combats human trafficking in the U.S., Thailand, the Philippines, India, Brazil, and another undisclosed Latin American country. The nonprofit was founded in 2012 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and still calls the city home for its U.S. office.
For additional information or to make a donation to help stop human trafficking, please visit The Exodus Road's website .
Mary Nikkel
The Exodus Road
+1 719-941-9755
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