I recently spoke to a survivor who has charges from when she was just 13 years old. She was only a child, but the police arrested her for prostitution. When she needed help and support, she was handcuffed, jailed, and prosecuted.
It’s shocking, but it’s not uncommon. A 2016 survey conducted by the National Survivor Network found that 91% of trafficking survivors had been arrested before, with 42% stating they were arrested as minors. And it’s not just one arrest. We’ve helped 35 survivors get copies of their criminal records. Those 35 survivors have over 600 charges between them.
It is appalling that trafficking survivors are arrested and convicted for crimes they were forced to commit by their traffickers. That is why I’m so grateful that the Survivor Reentry Project exists. We help survivors clear criminal records related to their trafficking. Record clearing is a tough and lengthy process. Most survivors have convictions in multiple states, and each state law is different. We have to support a team of knowledgeable lawyers in each state. Also, it’s a pretty niche area of the law, so our project trains attorneys to handle these cases, too.
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