Human Trafficking Program
Human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, or harboring of people by means of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. It is one of the fastest-growing criminal enterprises in the world, and it can happen anywhere and to anyone, including in our own communities. The many forms of human trafficking include forced labor, slavery and other forms of servitude, sexual exploitation, and organ trafficking. People in New Jersey are harmed by human trafficking every day – but with your help, we can stop this destructive form of human rights abuse. AVANZAR’s Dream Free program provides holistic services for individuals aged 21 and under who have been trafficked in any form at a statewide level. These services include crisis response and counseling, system advocacy, and in-community outreach. We also support survivors in accessing the holistic services they need to live safely, freely, and independently. If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, please contact our 24-hour hotline at 1-800-286-4184. For more information about this program, call us at 609-646-6767.
Forms of Human Trafficking
- Labor trafficking is the use of people to engage in any form of work against their will, which may include working under threats or violence to oneself or one’s family, debt bondage, slavery, and similar forms of unfree labor, among others. There have been instances of labor trafficking documented in every US state and in multiple sectors, from domestic servitude and cottage industries to large farms and factories.
- Sex trafficking is the commercial sexual exploitation either of adults performing sex work against their will or of children. Although the commercial sex trade is not synonymous with sex trafficking and has legal forms, people victimized by sex trafficking may be found working in forced street prostitution, pornography, online escort services, residential brothels, strip clubs and massage parlors or other businesses operating as brothels.
How AVANZAR Addresses Human Trafficking
AVANZAR’s Dream Free human trafficking program began in 2014. We currently provide statewide services to youth survivors of human trafficking, ages 21 and under. The Dream Free program works from a 4-P perspective-
Prevention: Educating our communities about the realities of human trafficking and how to recognize it.
Protection: Providing crisis response and trauma responsive services to survivors statewide, as well as providing safe and protective shelter and working with law enforcement entities to safeguard survivors’ freedoms.
Prosecution: Walking with survivors as perpetrators are prosecuted, providing holistic services and empowering them to thrive.
Partnership: Seeking collaboration and partnership with community members, other organizations, government agencies, and law enforcement to ensure the safety and freedom of all persons and eradicate the atrocities of human trafficking.
We work with communities and law enforcement to identify vulnerable and victimized youth and provide them with holistic, trauma-responsive care. Dream Free engages at-risk youth and provides education about healthy relationships and human trafficking recruitment methods, teaching resiliency and reducing vulnerability to trafficking.
For more information on Dream Free, contact us today.
This important program is made possible thanks to your contributions. Donate now to help us continue and expand our services for young people affected by human trafficking.
