Economic empowerment is a critical need for many individuals who have experienced human trafficking, from their moment of exit through their long-term recovery. An increasing number of service providers are beginning to address this need, offering programs focused on financial literacy, job training, cash assistance, and more. However, there is little guidance for practitioners as they support the economic well-being of clients.
To begin to address this need, RTI International and Futures Without Violence led an iterative and community engaged process to develop a foundational guide for organizations considering starting, expanding, or refining programs addressing economic empowerment of people who have experienced human trafficking. This work was part of the Human Trafficking and Policy Research Analyses Project funded by the Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF) Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation and the ACF Office on Trafficking in Persons.
In this webinar, we share guiding principles for the development and implementation of economic empowerment programs as well as key findings and recommendations for programming related to the five tiers of economic empowerment: crisis management, career exploration, skill building and work readiness, experience building, and employment. Those who attend this webinar will learn how they can apply these principals and recommendations to their own work.