Basics of Harm and Repair: Rebuilding Trust with and between Survivor Leaders
Chris Ash, MA & Sophie Otiende | September 20 | 9:45-10:45 am
Topic: Conceptual, Experience | Knowledge Level: Intermediate
People can do good, be good, and still cause harm. Similarly, the anti-trafficking sector can engage in powerful advocacy, support many essential initiatives, provide many victims of human trafficking with essential services and support, and still cause harm– both to the recipients of their services and to the survivors who work in its initiatives. Many providers may not even realize when harm has been caused. In order to stop causing this harm, we must first understand the harm caused by common anti-trafficking practices, fully acknowledge the harm, commit to making repairs, and change our approaches. From 2022 to early 2023, a group of survivors working in the anti-trafficking movement convened weekly to discuss harms that the anti-trafficking sector has routinely caused survivors. In 2023, this group, known as the Lived and Professional Experience Working Group, published their findings and recommendations in a comprehensive report, “We Name It So We Can Repair It: Rethinking harm, accountability, and repair in the anti-trafficking sector.” This presentation will begin with an overview of the categories of harm experienced by many survivors of human trafficking, with empathy-building activities to help attendees understand the needs, fears, and hopes of the people often involved. Next, the presenters will review the basics of community accountability that inform our practice and framework. Finally, they will put this into practice with group discussion of scenarios to identify places to make repair and how to build in accountability moving forward.
Presentation Objectives:
· Review the ways survivors experience harm in the anti-trafficking sector as outlined in the 2023 report
· Discuss fundamental concepts of community accountability and how trauma responses (of both survivors and allies) can impact the process