We expanded our work again with victims of human trafficking. Since becoming the statewide provider for human trafficking victim services in October 2020, Covenant House New Jersey (CHNJ) has been reaching victims of human trafficking through research and advocacy work. Last year we directly served 227 clients of all ages vs. 194 victims in the prior year.
CHNJ seeks to serve survivors of human trafficking and youth experiencing homelessness in a variety of ways. One of those ways is through the Covenant House Action & Research Tank (CHART). CHART conducts research, develops evidence-based strategies, and seeks solutions for complex problems. One component of CHART’s work is providing training & technical assistance to outside entities to improve services for victims and youth. CHART is designed as an action research tank. As an action research tank, the work we do makes a difference in the lives of those we serve, so part of our goal is to share what we learn.
As we share our knowledge and expertise nationally and internationally, we expand our reach and influence in this area. In December, News12 reached out to us and crafted this story on one young victim we served, that included a short interview with Julia Einbond, CEO at CHNJ. As contained in our introductory brochure and as the story notes, traffickers often trick or lie to victims with promises of love, money or a job, belonging, drugs and alcohol, shelter, food, or threats of calling the police. They are targeting the most vulnerable individuals in our society.
Some of Our Key Work in 2024
Working with Medical Professionals
Hospital staff are another group who are on the front lines of identifying victims of trafficking. Research has shown that victims often interact with a medical professional during their trafficking experience. These victims rarely disclose their victimization to their medical provider. CHART has increased the training being provided to healthcare providers which offers a key opportunity for identification and connection to services. CHART has increased efforts to ensure medical professionals are equipped to identify potential victims and connect them to services.
Sheila Collier, Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health who coordinates CHNJ’s information sessions for RWJBH staff noted, “It was an absolute pleasure to work with such an exceptional team at CHNJ. Their expertise and insight fostered a culture of collaboration and problem solving that had a meaningful impact on our work.”
Presenting to the US State Department
In May, Kaitlyn Zedalis and Julia Einbond, along with Hanni Stoklosa of HEAL Trafficking, provided a virtual presentation to the U.S. State Department’s Senior Policy Operating Group, a group of senior officials from various federal agencies that address all aspects of human trafficking. Through this presentation, we were able to raise awareness of the issue of labor trafficking forced criminality, as well as present CHNJ and HEAL’s groundbreaking research on forced criminality.
Research
In November, CHART had new research published regarding the intersection of youth homelessness, human trafficking, and disabilities. The research found that youth who experienced trafficking and had a disability disproportionately experienced trauma and chronic homelessness. More on these efforts will appear shortly on our website.
Summary
Our training and technical assistance work is growing. In FY24, more than 1900 individuals received training on human trafficking from CHNJ. You can see our summary report on the training we have done here.
This Human Trafficking Awareness Month, we remain dedicated to pioneering human trafficking research and advocacy by not only serving victims, but also by expanding our reach to having a broader impact on victims everywhere. If you are interested in our training and technical assistance services, please email chart@covenanthouse.org.
