Why Sexual Assault Awareness Matters for Trafficking Survivors

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and before the month is over, we wanted to talk about the connection between sexual assault and human trafficking, as well as highlight the importance of integrating sexual assault resources into survivor care.

Sexual violence is a broad umbrella that encompasses both assault and sex trafficking. The physical, emotional, and psychological impacts of sexual assault and sex trafficking are similar, and so are the resources that victims need: compassionate care, medical access, legal support, and more. As we work with clients in our program, we are often learning that sexual assault is a part of their story in addition to experiences of trafficking and exploitation. In the last year, we supported two survivors as they navigated the ongoing impacts of sexual assault through both the healing process and engaging in the criminal justice system in cases against the perpetrators of that assault. We walk with survivors who have wanted to make an outcry of assault but also have negative past experiences with law enforcement. We’re able to provide side-by-side support and victim-centered law enforcement encounters that help ensure they are heard and believed.

Community sexual assault resources are critical and create space for survivors to receive needed medical attention from nonjudgmental professionals who are trained to empower their patients (this webinar highlights the importance of these services for victims of trafficking). They provide crisis support, counseling, access to forensic exams, STI testing, and reproductive healthcare with an emphasis on agency and empowerment for the patient. These healthcare professionals are trained to walk survivors through their options in a way that eliminates pressure, whether that's evidence collection, seeking a specific medical treatment, or simply sharing their story.

Because many survivors of trafficking do not receive consistent medical care, sitting in front of a healthcare professional in these exams can connect survivors to other necessary services while simultaneously creating an opportunity to build a trusting relationship, feel safe, and be heard. For survivors of trafficking, this might be one of the first positive and empowering encounters with a healthcare professional.

Recognizing that sexual assault and trafficking are both forms of sexual violence helps fill a critical gap across systems and ensures that survivors are able to receive the full scope of holistic, comprehensive care needed to begin healing.  

Here in Central Texas, a few organizations provide these critical services. We encourage you to become familiar with the resources available in your community and save their contact information for yourself or someone else in need.

• SAFE Alliance (Travis County)

• Brave Alliance (Williamson County)

• Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center (Hays County)

• RAINN provides services across the country