By Megan Aebi
May 19, 2017
Since 2001, Safe Horizon’s Anti-Trafficking Program (ATP) has been working with survivors of human trafficking in New York City. ATP uses a client centered approach to provide both legal and case management services for children and adults so they can heal emotionally, find justice, and rebuild their lives. ATP is the largest human trafficking program on the East Coast.
Building on our expertise and recognizing that much more can be done to combat this global issue, we are bringing together other organizations from around the world who work with trafficking survivors to share what works best and learn from each other’s experiences.
The Global Learning Collaborative (GLC) is a groundbreaking project, emphasizing cooperative learning to develop principles of practices that will be disseminated to other stakeholders working to end human trafficking. Through organizing and establishing a network of relationships with 9 anti-trafficking programs around the globe, the GLC will collaborate with these organizations to share their expertise and discuss best practices to combat human trafficking.
Why a Global Learning Collaborative?
Most anti-trafficking service providers have less than 15 years of experience in service delivery. This creates a lack of collective knowledge regarding how service providers assist trafficking victims. Presently there are no recognized principles of practice guiding this field. Given the scarcity of resources available to combat human trafficking, identifying principles of practice will support providers, who often face severely limited resources, and better serve people affected by human trafficking.
How Will the Global Learning Collaborative Help End Trafficking?
The GLC is a first-of-its-kind project bringing together ten organizations from around the world to explore best practices for working with survivors of human trafficking. The GLC facilitates the development of a strong network of expert providers well-versed in service provision to survivors of trafficking.
Methodology Behind the Global Learning Collaborative
The GLC began with Rutgers University surveying 30 organizations in 25 countries to learn how organizations identify victims of trafficking, provide services, and define organizational success. Then, we convened 10 service providers in a series of conference calls to explore the question of “what works and why?” in responding to victims of human trafficking. In late May, we brought these providers together in-person to dive deeper into the topics discussed on the calls, with the end goal of providing the anti-trafficking movement with a set of principles of practice to use in working with victims of human trafficking.
Which Organizations are Participating in the Global Learning Collaborative
- Chab Dai – Cambodia
- CURB – Trinidad & Tobago
- Movimiento El Pozo – Peru
- HAART – Kenya
- HopeNow – Denmark
- Idia Renaissance – Nigeria
- Prerana – India
- Project Respect – Australia
- Safe Horizon – USA
- Tumbleweed – USA
How to Stay Updated
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In the meantime, don’t forget to check out our human trafficking stats and facts page for more information or our Anti-Trafficking Program page.