Often, survivors of human trafficking are forced to participate in illegal activity under the control of their trafficker. Sometimes, victims of human trafficking commit crimes because their traffickers make them do so. Many victims have criminal records with charges such as prostitution, even though they were forced to get paid for acts against their will.
This is a major problem because survivors need steady jobs to support themselves after they gain freedom from their trafficker. If a survivor has a criminal charge on their record, they are often considered unemployable in many professional settings.
Currently, we have a woman in our program who is looking to have her record expunged. She was charged with prostitution, despite being a victim of trafficking at the time of her conviction. We have just started to work with a team from Neighborhood Legal to begin the process of getting her record expunged.
We’re thankful for lawyers, like those at Neighborhood Legal, who are dedicated and passionate about helping trafficking victims restore their lives. We are hopeful that this process will bring our women one step closer to freedom.
Photo: Briana (@arossalie44)
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