AYUDA: Helping Victims of Human Trafficking

December 1, 2008 by Elizabeth Beachy  
Filed under Featured Articles, Violence Reduction, Your Stories

AYUDA is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the rights of low-income foreign-born persons through accessible and affordable legal and social services. Based in Washington D.C., AYUDA serves the greater Washington metropolitan area and provides assistance to an estimated 300 clients per month in the areas of immigration, human trafficking, domestic violence, and family law.

Staffed with lawyers, social workers, case managers and paralegals, AYUDA advances social justice and client empowerment through legal and social services, public policy advocacy, collaboration and referrals to other nonprofits, community education, and training institutions that serve immigrants. The organization’s overarching goal is to improve the ability of their clients to live safe, violence-free lives and become fully participating members of our community.

In partnership with the Ricky Martin Foundation, the Inter-American Development Bank and the D.C. Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs, AYUDA recently launched the Llama y Vive (Call & Live) campaign to combat human trafficking in the D.C. region. Llama y Vive is a free, confidential 24-hour spanish-language Trafficking Hotline that connects trafficked persons directly to AYUDA’s services. The campaign includes print media and TV PSAs featuring Ricky Martin. Acceso Hispano’s team is currently managing the trafficking hotline, connecting potential cases of trafficking to AYUDA for assistance. The Llama y Vive campaign exists throughout Latin America and the Caribbean and AYUDA is proud to implement the first Llama y Vive campaign in the United States. Visit www.llamayvive.org for more information on the campaign.

What is Human Trafficking?
AYUDA defines human trafficking as:
1) Anyone under 18 involved in commercial sex;
2) Anyone 18 or over involved in commercial sex through force, fraud, or coercion;
3) Anyone forced to perform labor through force, fraud, or coercion.

According to Renee Huffman, Social Services Director of AYUDA, about 85 % of their current cases are labor trafficking and around 15% are sex trafficking. AYUDA provides services to both adults and minors from all over the world. AYUDA works with clients who have been trafficked into different industries, including cases of domestic servitude. A recent example of an AYUDA case involves a domestic worker who was brought to the United States and upon arrival her traffickers confiscated her passport, forced her to work long hours with little pay and she was unable to leave. She was connected to AYUDA by contacting the Llama y Vive hotline. Resources like Llama y Vive exist to inform trafficked persons that help is available.

What Help is Available to Victims?
In the United States human trafficking is a crime and trafficked persons have rights. Under U.S. law, trafficked persons may be eligible for immigration relief, a work permit and federal refugee benefits. Trafficked persons are also eligible for social services, including food, clothing, housing and access to medical care, counseling and English classes.

How You Can Help
Trafficking cases are not always easy to spot at first glance, and many victims are too afraid to seek help. They may fear retribution by their captors, deportation, or mistreatment by U.S. law-enforcement agents. As a service provider there are “red flags” to look for that can help you to identify trafficked persons.

Do you know someone who:

• Can’t leave his/her job?
• Can’t come and go as he/she pleases?
• Has been hurt or threatened by his/her employer?
• Is in debt to his/her employer?
• Is not allowed to talk to people outside of work?
• Has had his or her passport or other documents taken away?
• Is under 18 and in prostitution?
• Is under 18 and not in school?
• Is not paid or paid very little?

If you know someone who is experiencing these circumstances and thus may have been trafficked, please call Acceso Hispano’s hotline at 1-800-473-3003. If the person is in the greater Washington metropolitan area, please call the Llama y Vive Hotline at 1-888-NO-TRATA or call AYUDA directly at 202-387-4848.

Acceso Hispano is a project of