Providing Services to Victims of Human Trafficking during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Social Service Agency State-wide Survey
Kimberly Hogan, PhD, LMSW, MA & Dominique Roe-Sepowitz, PhD, MSW | September 22 | 3:15-4:15 pm
Topic: Research, Direct Service | Knowledge Level: Intermediate
While research has documented the needs of human trafficking victims, the importance of such needs during the COVID-19 pandemic remains understudied. This study sought to determine the most critical and urgent service needs of social service providers who serve human trafficking victims. Drawing from survey responses collected from 100 service providers from all 15 counties in Arizona, the presenters examined the saliency of needs regarding training, screenings, protocols, services provided, the agency needs to serve human trafficking victims during a pandemic, and the barriers/fears expressed by human trafficking victims to obtain social services. Respondents indicated that the most necessary needs included more training, funding, and receiving referrals. Respondents reported that the most reported barriers/fears expressed by sex trafficking clients were feelings of shame and not self-identifying as a victim, and labor trafficking victims’ lack knowledge about resources and little to no social support. This study highlights the importance of a sustained need for awareness building, developing strong partnerships between agencies that serve human trafficking victims, and the needed ability of social service agencies to modify their service delivery systems during a pandemic.
Presentation Objectives:
· Provide an overview of the study, including main questions, methods, and findings
· Describe the implications and recommendations based on the research