For survivors of exploitation, and particularly with multiple intersecting issues like domestic violence, Gender Based Violence, arrest and incarceration, making the decision to step into an anti-trafficking program can feel like entering a new and daunting world—one with potential opportunities f
or healing, but also defined by rules, expectations, and barriers that can feel overwhelming. These programs, while designed to provide safety and resources, often require survivors to navigate strict eligibility criteria, rigid guidelines, and limited support systems that may not fully address the complex and intersecting challenges they face.
These programs aim to provide safety, stability, and resources, but the structure of their eligibility criteria and internal guidelines often creates significant barriers and can “trigger” a survivor who may have had lived experiences that are related to their exploitation that are not uncovered by an intake form. The absence of accessible healthcare further compounds these challenges, limiting survivors’ ability to engage fully with these programs and build sustainable paths toward healing.
For many survivors, even applying to a program is a monumental challenge.
Programs often require survivors to “prove” their trafficking experience through police reports, affidavits, or confirmation from service providers—bureaucratic processes that can retraumatize or exclude those without formal documentation.
Maya, for instance, escaped her violent and exploitative partner desperate for stability and safety. But when she applied for a program, she was turned away because she lacked the documentation required to “certify” her as a trafficking survivor. Reliving her trauma to produce an affidavit was unbearable, leaving her emotionally drained and unsupported.
“I just wanted a safe place,” she shared. “But I felt like I wasn’t ‘enough of a survivor’ to qualify for help.”
Maya’s story highlights the urgent need for survivor-centered approaches that prioritize accessibility and compassion over bureaucratic validation. Simplifying documentation requirements and accepting self-reported experiences validated through trauma-informed intake interviews could help programs reach those most in need.
Eligibility for anti-trafficking programs typically targets specific populations and often depends on the program’s funding and mission.
In addition to survivors being required to “prove” they were trafficked, a process that not only takes months, or even years, and can retraumatize them or exclude those without formal documentation. Many programs prioritize certain demographics, such as minors, women, or LGBTQ+ individuals, while others focus on U.S. citizens or specific geographic areas. Survivors transitioning out of exploitation or with less immediate needs may struggle to qualify, and assessments of “readiness” can turn away individuals who appear noncompliant but are actually grappling with unaddressed trauma they may not even fully understand.
Consider the story of Alex, a 32-year-old transgender man who was released from prison after being arrested during an anti trafficking sting that resulted in him being charged with a trafficking offense. When Alex attempted to apply for an anti-trafficking program, he was met with questions about his gender that he couldn’t answer in the way the program required. Without police reports or formal affidavits to “prove” his trafficking experience, his application was delayed for months, during which he struggled with homelessness, substance use and untreated PTSD.
Compounding the problem, the program primarily served cisgender women, and, because Alex was assigned female at birth, he was told his case fell outside their “target demographic”. When he was finally able to speak with a caseworker, his difficulty articulating his trauma was interpreted as a lack of readiness to participate.
"It felt like I wasn’t the 'right kind of survivor' for their help," Alex shared. "I knew I needed support, but they made me feel like I had to fit their mold to even be seen."
Alex’s experience underscores how rigid eligibility criteria and narrow program missions can leave survivors without access to the resources they desperately need, particularly when they do not fit into traditional categories or lack the ability to document their trauma.
Even for survivors who gain access, navigating residential program rules can feel like an uphill battle.
Programs often enforce strict curfews, sobriety requirements, and zero-tolerance policies for behaviors deemed disruptive. While these guidelines aim to provide safety and structure, they can inadvertently penalize trauma-induced behaviors like emotional outbursts or hypervigilance. Restrictions on autonomy, such as limited access to phones or visitors, can leave survivors feeling controlled or infantilized.
For Alina, sobriety requirements became an impossible hurdle. Struggling with addiction, which she used to self-medicate for untreated mental health issues, she relapsed without access to counseling or medication-assisted treatment.
“When I relapsed, they kicked me out,” she explained. “I felt like I failed, but really, I just needed help they didn’t offer.”
Similarly, Tanya, a 25-year-old survivor, struggled with the program’s restrictive cell phone policy. Limited to brief, supervised use in communal spaces, she found it difficult to connect with loved ones who were critical to her healing.
“I wanted to call my sister for support,” she shared, “but it felt like I had no privacy.”
These stories underscore the need for trauma-informed guidelines that prioritize flexibility, autonomy, and privacy. Programs must address individual needs with compassion and understanding, creating space for survivors to engage in their healing journeys at their own pace.
The lack of accessible healthcare within these programs adds another critical barrier to survivor success.
Many survivors enter programs with untreated physical injuries, mental health challenges, and substance use disorders that stem directly from their trafficking experiences, but are also often challenges rooted in systemic inequalities such as poverty, inadequate education, racial discrimination, and limited access to social safety nets. These underlying factors not only make individuals more vulnerable to exploitation and violence but also create ongoing obstacles to recovery, as survivors are left without the foundational healthcare and support needed to address the trauma and inequities that contributed to their exploitation in the first place.
Without immediate access to medical care, mental health therapy, and addiction treatment, these conditions remain unresolved and can manifest as behaviors that programs view as rule violations. Sobriety mandates, for instance, are often enforced without accompanying addiction treatment, leaving survivors like Alina vulnerable to dismissal. Similarly, survivors with unaddressed trauma may be penalized for emotional dysregulation instead of being supported through a healing process.
Addressing these healthcare gaps is essential for creating pathways to long-term healing and reintegration. Holistic healthcare services that provide immediate medical care alongside long-term mental health and addiction support can stabilize survivors and help them engage more fully with other program components. Trauma-informed practices, which emphasize understanding and addressing the root causes of behaviors rather than penalizing them, are critical for fostering a safe and supportive environment. These approaches also reduce stigma and create opportunities for survivors to rebuild trust in themselves and the systems meant to help them.
When Mia entered an anti-trafficking program, she carried the weight of years of exploitation, compounded by severe anxiety and depression. Without access to healthcare or insurance during her trafficking experience, Mia had gone untreated for mental health conditions that began long before she was trafficked. Her panic attacks, intrusive thoughts, and overwhelming feelings of hopelessness were left to fester, becoming part of her daily life.
“I knew I needed help,” Mia explained, “but I couldn’t afford medication or therapy, and it just kept getting worse.”
When she entered the program, Mia hoped it would provide the mental health care she so desperately needed. Instead, she was met with rules that required immediate compliance with therapy attendance and behavioral guidelines, but there were no resources to help her access the medication that would allow her to participate effectively. Without treatment for her anxiety, Mia found it nearly impossible to attend group sessions or engage in activities, which led to her being labeled “uncooperative.”
Eventually, Mia’s struggles became too much, and she was asked to leave the program for failing to meet participation requirements.
“It wasn’t that I didn’t want to try,” she said. “I just couldn’t. My mind wouldn’t let me. But no one seemed to understand that.”
Mia’s experience highlights the critical need for accessible healthcare in anti-trafficking programs. Immediate access to mental health medication, alongside therapy and other support systems, could have stabilized her enough to engage fully with the program. Without these foundational supports, survivors like Mia are often penalized for behaviors that stem directly from untreated mental health conditions, perpetuating cycles of exclusion and stigma. Programs that integrate holistic healthcare and trauma-informed practices can break this cycle, giving survivors the tools they need to heal and thrive.
Program design plays a pivotal role in shaping survivors’ experiences.
Flexible eligibility criteria, including acceptance of individuals without formal documentation or those transitioning out of exploitation, can reduce barriers to entry. Empowering survivors to have a voice in their care plans and the rules they are expected to follow fosters trust and collaboration, enabling programs to meet survivors where they are. Providing holistic, wraparound services—including immediate access to healthcare, housing, job training, and community reintegration—ensures that survivors have the resources they need to thrive.
Anti-trafficking programs must move beyond being places of temporary refuge and instead become foundations for empowerment, healing, and growth.
Healthcare is not a luxury but a necessity for survivors to recover from their experiences and build sustainable futures.
By addressing healthcare gaps, adopting trauma-informed practices, and prioritizing survivor-centered approaches, programs can create spaces where survivors like Maya and Alina are truly supported. Survivors deserve systems that honor their resilience, adapt to their needs, and provide the tools they require to thrive—not just survive.
To effectively support survivors of human trafficking, anti-trafficking residential programs must address the barriers that prevent access and success, especially those created by rigid rules and a lack of accessible healthcare.
Actionable solutions ARE available to help programs evolve into spaces of true empowerment, healing, and long-term success for survivors. Utilizing some of the broad suggestions below can help your survivors thrive and become ACHIEVERS!
Simplifying documentation requirements can reduce the burden on survivors to prove their trafficking experience.
Programs should consider accepting self-reported experiences validated through trauma-informed intake interviews instead of requiring formal documentation. Broadening the reach to include underserved groups, such as adult male survivors, undocumented individuals, and those with less visible needs like untreated mental health issues or learning disabilities, is essential. Programs should also eliminate readiness assessments and instead adopt a “meet survivors where they are” approach, focusing on immediate needs rather than perceived compliance or willingness to engage.
Collaborating with local healthcare providers, clinics, hospitals, and telehealth services can ensure survivors have access to physical and mental healthcare, regardless of their financial situation.
Partnerships with LGBT organizations and embracing innovative and effective treatments for trauma, such as ketamine therapy, microdose psychedelics, and medical marijuana, can provide additional options. Utilizing healthcare navigators to enroll survivors in low-cost or free insurance plans is another critical step. Programs can also establish on-site healthcare services or mobile units offering medical checkups, mental health counseling, and addiction treatment. Trauma-informed care, including therapies such as EMDR or cognitive behavioral therapy, should be complemented by medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for substance use disorders.
Programs must adopt trauma-informed guidelines that allow survivors to transition into compliance with rules over time, recognizing that healing is not linear.
Tailoring rules and services to each survivor’s unique circumstances—addressing needs like childcare, work schedules, or transportation challenges—can foster a supportive environment. Replacing punitive measures for emotional outbursts with de-escalation techniques and coping tools creates space for survivors to grow and heal.
Addressing basic needs like housing, nutritious food, and reliable transportation creates a foundation of stability that allows survivors to focus on healing and personal growth.
Immediate access to healthcare professionals for medical and mental health needs is equally critical. Programs should equip survivors with vocational training, educational opportunities, and life skills to promote financial independence. Facilitating community integration through peer support groups, mentorship programs, and partnerships with local organizations can reduce isolation and build a strong support network.
Comprehensive training in trauma-informed care, cultural sensitivity, and de-escalation techniques ensures staff can effectively respond to survivors’ complex needs. Employing survivor advocates adds authenticity to program policies and practices, offering insights that improve support systems. Regularly gathering feedback from survivors allows programs to monitor and adjust practices, creating a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. Staff should also have access to ongoing professional development opportunities to stay informed about the latest approaches in trauma-informed care.
Advocacy efforts should highlight the long-term cost-effectiveness of comprehensive care in reducing recidivism and improving reintegration.
Collaboration across sectors—healthcare, legal aid, housing, and social services—is necessary for a coordinated response to trafficking. Legislative advocacy should focus on addressing systemic inequities like poverty and discrimination while promoting survivor-centered policies. Survivor-led advocacy initiatives should be amplified, empowering individuals to use their voices to influence systemic change.
Involving survivors in program design ensures that services align with their needs and priorities.
Programs should prioritize autonomy by allowing survivors to create individualized care plans and make choices about their services and goals. Celebrating progress—no matter how small—boosts confidence and reinforces resilience. Providing leadership opportunities, such as mentorship roles or participation in public advocacy, empowers survivors to redefine their narratives and inspire others. By fostering a culture of respect, collaboration, and personal growth, programs can create an environment where survivors feel valued and capable of shaping their futures.
Recommendations for A Path Forward
By implementing these solutions, anti-trafficking programs can break down barriers to access, address critical healthcare gaps, and create environments where survivors can truly heal and thrive. Programs must evolve from rigid systems into adaptable, compassionate spaces that prioritize survivor autonomy, holistic support, and trauma-informed care. Through collaboration, resource investment, and survivor-centered policies, the anti-trafficking industry can transform into a powerful force for lasting change, offering survivors not just survival but the tools and opportunities to build meaningful futures.
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