#EverySurvivorCounts
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** What is survivor inclusion and what does it look like?
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Survivor inclusion is working to make sure that human trafficking survivors, the people most impacted by our work, have a seat at the leadership table. It means:
1. Bringing survivors in as more than just storytellers.
Hearing survivors speak about their experiences can be very powerful. It can help us understand the realities of trafficking and motivate us to act. However, for survivors, repeating their stories can also sometimes be triggering and retraumatizing. Storytelling is a critical tool in the fight against human trafficking but survivors have other stories and skills to bring to the table. Beyond just raising awareness, survivors can also use their first-hand knowledge to assist service providers in improving services and support, help create federal and state policies to help protect survivors and provide justice, and develop new strategies to prevent it from happening to someone else.
2. Paying survivors for their work
When survivors decide to tell their stories or give feedback on projects, they need to be compensated for their time. Remember that trafficking is also a financial crime. Survivors were forced to work without pay. As a movement, we should not replicate their trafficking experience by expecting them to work for free. We need to make sure survivors are paid and paid fairly.
3. Recognizing the diversity of survivors.
Survivors come from all backgrounds, genders, nationalities, races, ages, and sexualities. They can be survivors of sex trafficking, labor trafficking, or both. All survivors need to be heard and respected. We should make sure the survivors we work with reflect the true diversity of people with lived experience and make sure all survivors feel welcome.
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** How does Freedom Network USA practice survivor inclusion?
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FNUSA's Survivor Leadership Project, funded through the Sheila Neville Fund ([link removed]) , supports survivors with collaboration and training so they can make the impact they want in the anti-trafficking field. Our support includes:
* hosting free professional leadership trainings to support survivors in their advocacy work,
* hiring survivors as consultants to ensure our work represents the real needs of survivors,
* and providing funding for survivors to attend professional trainings, including our annual anti-trafficking conference.
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How can you help?
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1. Help amplify survivors' voices. Share their work with your networks, link them to paid consultant opportunities, and advocate for their inclusion whenever possible
2. Donate ([link removed]) to causes that support survivors as leaders. Make sure survivors have the resources they need to join the movement because it is only with their help that we can prevent trafficking and support survivors.
Your donation today will get survivors the support and access they need to make a difference on this issue. Will you make sure there is a seat at the table? ([link removed])
In partnership,
Melinda Smith
Director of Partnerships
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