Human Trafficking Awareness & Prevention Month
January is Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention month, a time to refocus our efforts to educate people about what trafficking looks like and who it impacts.
Hailey Virusso, Director of Anti-Trafficking Services, shared in the Portland Press Herald this month, “While there is no singular picture or face of human trafficking, there are many things that all survivors have in common. Survivors of trafficking, whether labor or sex trafficking, are stripped of their agency, using force, fraud, or coercion. Trafficking survivors are denied their basic human right to make decisions on behalf of themselves. When hearing stories of trafficking, imagery of physical entrapment is often used, but the reality is that the tactics used by traffickers are often invisible. A trafficker is skilled in their ability to recognize and exploit an individual’s risk factors and at meeting those needs. Lack of housing and shelter is the most cited unmet need amongst the survivors of trafficking served by Preble Street.”
Meeting Survivor Needs
Since beginning our work in anti-trafficking services, the program has grown and evolved as we’ve become more educated on the needs of survivors and what sex and labor trafficking look like here in Maine. Over the past decade, Preble Street Anti-Trafficking Services has worked with survivors of trafficking throughout the state, representing all ages, genders, immigration statuses, and types of trafficking, while building awareness across disciplines and providing expertise to local, state, tribal, and federal agencies.
In the early 2010s, Preble Street Teen Services staff found that a number of young people would occasionally disappear from the Teen Center for a period of time and upon their return would share stories of being trafficked, a crime that most people had not heard of in Maine at that time. When other youth serving agencies shared that they were having similar experiences, Daniella Cameron, then Teen Services Supervisor and now Preble Street Deputy Director, began to investigate.
"I started connecting with sexual assault providers, domestic violence providers, law enforcement, and the U.S. Attorney's Office. As we collectively started talking about this issue, we co-founded a community-based coalition of providers focused on anti-trafficking and that was the beginning of Preble Street’s involvement in anti-trafficking work."
Anti-Trafficking Coalition
Preble Street founded the Anti-Trafficking coalition, with numerous private and public agencies, and quickly identified that each trafficking case required more intense and dedicated support to help the survivor get out of their situation, while providing wrap-around services. Having identified this gap in services, Preble Street applied for and was awarded the first federal funding in Maine to work with survivors of trafficking.
The funding tasked the Anti-Trafficking Coalition with building infrastructure in Maine to respond to human trafficking. The comprehensive partnership of private and public agencies included Preble Street, Sexual Assault Response Services of Southern Maine, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, Pine Tree Legal Assistance, Catholic Charities of Maine Refugee and Immigration Services, Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Through These Doors, Day One, The Opportunity Alliance, and the City of Portland. These agencies still collaborate on anti-trafficking services today.
dee Clarke
Another key player in the early years of this work was dee Clarke, a survivor of human trafficking and dedicated advocate who served as a Peer Support Provider at Preble Street. dee went on to found Survivor Speak USA in 2015, a survivor-led advocacy and outreach group dedicated to eradicating sex trafficking. dee passed away on Sunday, October 31, 2021, at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House. She is dearly missed by all of us here at Preble Street.
Anti-Trafficking Resources
If you are uncertain about if you or someone else are experiencing exploitation or trafficking, please use the Self-Identification Form linked below. Additional resources are also available through the National Human Trafficking hotline at 1(888) 373-7888.
For more information on trafficking and anti-trafficking resources, you can also refer to this Facebook Live Panel hosted by the Coastal Recovery Community Center. Preble Street’s Katrina White, Anti-Trafficking Services Supervisor, was a panel member.
Raising Awareness of Human Trafficking
Human Trafficking Awareness & Prevention Month January is Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention month, a time to refocus our efforts to educate people about what trafficking looks like and who it impacts. Hailey Virusso, Director of Anti-Trafficking Services, shared in the Portland Press Herald this month, “While there is no singular picture or face of human
Human Trafficking in Maine
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Victims of human trafficking going undetected in healthcare settings
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