Providing safe places for survivors of sex trafficking

Our core values are Faith, Compassion, Humility, Trust, and Love

FAITH – We believe that faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Heb 11.1 We believe that everyone can heal from trauma.  Though we cannot see when we begin this journey of healing, we are confident and have the assurance that healing will come.

COMPASSION – Is to recognize the suffering of others and take action. To be truly trauma-informed, we show compassion and kindness to the people we serve knowing that the behavior does not define the person.
Let us actively and intentionally seek to listen to understand and know each other’s pain and take action to help.

HUMILITY – We are here to serve one another. We put the needs of others before our own comfort.

TRUST – We are patient and recognize, it takes time to establish trust. Let us all strive to build authentic relationships of support.

LOVE – covers sin and honors all. Love is the key to building healthy relationships. Love forgives offenses. We are here to be intentional in showing love.

What We Believe

Trauma-informed principles are best practices in supporting victims of trauma. We believe in the physical and emotional safety of everyone. We believe that transparency/trustworthiness supports healthy relationships. We value peer support and collaboration between the service provider and the children we serve. We believe in empowering our girls. Supporting their voices and choices are all elements of healing and thriving. We recognize the connection of recent and past victimization and the impact of historical trauma.

Our core values are Faith, Compassion, Humility, Trust, and Love

FAITH – We believe that faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Heb 11.1 We believe that everyone can heal from trauma.  Though we cannot see when we begin this journey of healing, we are confident and have the assurance that healing will come.

COMPASSION – Is to recognize the suffering of others and take action. To be truly trauma-informed, we show compassion and kindness to the people we serve knowing that the behavior does not define the person.
Let us actively and intentionally seek to listen to understand and know each other’s pain and take action to help.

HUMILITY – We are here to serve one another. We put the needs of others before our own comfort.

TRUST – We are patient and recognize, it takes time to establish trust. Let us all strive to build authentic relationships of support.

LOVE – covers sin and honors all. Love is the key to building healthy relationships. Love forgives offenses. We are here to be intentional in showing love.

Know the Facts

Under federal law, the Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (TVPA) includes sex trafficking under the category of “Severe Forms of Trafficking in Persons,” and it defines sex trafficking to occur when “a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age.”

Under South Carolina law, the definition of sex trafficking is similar, rendering unlawful “the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for [a sex act] when it is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or the person forced to perform the act is under the age of eighteen years and anything of value is given, promised to, or received, directly or indirectly, by another person.”

Under both federal and state law, it is enough simply that a victim under the age of eighteen is trafficked. If the individual is over the age of eighteen, then force, fraud, or coercion must be proved in order to establish sex trafficking.

– South Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force

What are the Numbers?

In 2018, legislation passed in South Carolina that changed the definition of abuse and neglect to include minor victims of human trafficking. This resulted in DSS being positioned to provide services to minor victims of human trafficking regardless of whether or not a parent or guardian was the perpetrator.

Since the passage of the legislation, DSS has developed a screening tool to help staff in identifying and responding to minor victims of this crime. Between January 1st and December 1st of 2021, there were 236 children identified by DSS as victims of human trafficking. Out of these 236 victims, 207 victims were female and 29 were male with 97% of all cases being victims of sex trafficking. In South Carolina, there are currently two residential facilities that house minor female victims with only one of these facilities being operable due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There are current efforts underway to encourage the legislature to dedicate funding towards establishing Acute Care and Resource Centers across South Carolina for minor victims of human trafficking.

– SOUTH CAROLINA HUMAN TRAFFICKING TASK FORCE; 2021 ANNUAL REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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