Collaborating to Better Serve Sex-Trafficking Survivors and Educate the Public
Maureen Guirguis (Kenny) & Renee Jones | September 22 | 9:00-10:00 AM | Room 3020
The Human Trafficking Law Clinic provides legal services to juvenile and adult sex-trafficking survivors. This involves assisting with criminal, divorce, housing, employment, and other issues. The Renee Jones Empowerment Center (RJEC) provides support groups, individual counseling, art therapy, trauma-informed yoga, and more to sex-trafficking survivors. The Law Clinic and the RJEC formed a partnership to better serve their clients that was premised on their Directors' shared belief: survivors thrive when they have access to continued care, support, and resources. Providing survivors with services for a few months, as some models do, has not proven effective. Both the Law Clinic and the RJEC form long-term and sustained relationships with their clients that last for an indeterminate period of time.
The Law Clinic and the RJEC have partnered in many projects to help survivors and to educate the public on issues related to human trafficking. The Law Clinic developed a Survivor-Educator Certification program, which trained survivors in a trauma-informed setting on how to share their story with others and Renee Jones served as a facilitator in these classes. Ms. Jones and Professor Guirguis created a prison outreach program at Marysville prison and at the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Detention Center. RJEC and the Law Clinic have also partnered on many other outreach and educational programs. Overall, the partnership of the Law Clinic and the Renee Jones Empowerment Center has allowed both entities to better serve the needs of sex-trafficking survivors and better educate the community about the realities of this horrible crime.
Presentation Objectives:
- Educate the audience about legal and support services for juvenile and adult sex trafficking survivors
- Discuss services assisting with criminal, divorce, housing, employment and other issues