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SAGE’s anti-trafficking program is dedicated to providing direct services to victims and survivors of international and domestic human trafficking, and to combating trafficking through public education and advocacy. We are supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the Rescue and Restore Campaign, and the United States Conference on Catholic Bishops.

Our mission is to help trafficking victims reclaim and reconstruct their lives and to advocate for system reform and resources for people coerced, forced, and beaten into prostitution or forced labor. Because our mission is not only to provide direct services but to create systems change, we are committed to assisting others in replicating our programs, learning from our successes and avoiding our missteps. We are committed to coalition building and reinforcing the support network for agencies and providers of services to victims of human trafficking.

Reclaim Your Rights Campaign

SAGE’s Reclaim your Rights campaign reaches out to trafficked victims to notify them about their rights and promote the availability of safe and confidential help in San Francisco. This is achieved through press conferences, radio and newspaper public service announcements and informative multilingual materials distributed and posted in targeted locations where the incidence of human trafficking may be particularly concentrated. Campaign materials will be produced in 10 languages:  Thai, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, Tagalog, Russian, Spanish and English.  Examples of campaign materials include:  palm information cards, pole banners, pocket mirrors and lip balms.

The Reclaim your Rights Campaign will promote the SF Bay Area 2-1-1 call center as the coordinating resource for victims and advocates in San Francisco. When a victim dials 2-1-1, the individual will be connected to immediate services at SAGE or other partnering agencies. Operated by United Way of the Bay Area, 2-1-1 is a free, confidential, 24-hour, multilingual information line that connects people in need with health and human services.  2-1-1 is staffed by trained Information & Referral specialists, who assess the needs of each caller and link them to the best available information and services.

Our Services

We provide direct services and advocacy to victims and survivors of trafficking. Our on-site resources include trauma counseling, vocational training, alternative medical services including acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, substance abuse treatment, health education, legal advocacy, and intensive individual case management including support and coordination of court appointments, social services and referrals.

Rescue Services:
·  Emergency shelter
·  24 hour access to medical care
·  Food
·  Transportation

What does SAGE do in the community?
We provide community education through trainings, presentations, outreach materials, and publications to service providers, law enforcement, religion-based groups and other community agencies that may come in contact with victims. We are also engaged in a range of advocacy and system reform activities. We lead the San Francisco Rescue and Restore Coalition supported by the Department of Health and Human Services. This coalition is comprised of committees that provide expertise and support in the areas of: legal assistance, housing/shelter, public awareness, community collaboration, policy, and media/communications.
SAGE is also an active member of the North Bay Anti-Trafficking Task Force.

Trafficking Hotline-1-877-336-SAGE
SAGE’s 24 hour hotline is operated by SAGE staff and a volunteer First Responder Team. The hotline expects to be fully implemented by January 2008. SAGE currently receives calls through coordination with the 2-1-1 call center.

Information for Service Providers
SAGE is committed to working with professionals and advocates to improve resources and coordinate responses to trafficking. Service providers are welcome to contact us to request trainings and educational materials, or to arrange site visits.

What is the Rescue & Restore Campaign?

Campaign Overview
Under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is designated as the agency responsible for helping victims of human trafficking become eligible to receive benefits and services so they may rebuild their lives safely in the U.S. As part of this effort, HHS has initiated the Rescue & Restore Victims of Human Trafficking campaign to help identify and assist victims of human trafficking in the United States.

The intent of the Rescue & Restore campaign is to increase the number of identified trafficking victims and to help those victims receive the benefits and services needed to live safely in the U.S. The first phase of the campaign focuses on outreach to those individuals who most likely encounter victims on a daily basis, but may not recognize them as victims of human trafficking. By initially educating health care providers, social service organizations and the law enforcement community about the issue of human trafficking, we hope to encourage these intermediaries to look beneath the surface by recognizing clues and asking the right questions because they may be the only outsiders with the chance to reach out and help victims.

The Rescue & Restore campaign is being launched in several cities in 2004 and 2005 in which local coalitions are being formed to address the issue on the ground. The campaign will continue to roll out in communities — both urban and rural — across the country throughout the year 2006

A critical component of the Rescue & Restore campaign is the creation of the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, 1.888.3737.888, which connects victims of trafficking to Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) who can help victims in their local area. The resource center helps intermediaries determine whether they have encountered a victim of human trafficking, helps connect victims to resources and coordinates with local social service organizations to protect and serve victims of trafficking.

For more information, visit www. http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/index.html

For more information about trafficking and other CSE/CSEC issues, visit our Information Center.

For more information about SAGE programs and services, use the links above, or contact us at SAGE.

Human Trafficking is a form of modern day slavery. Human Trafficking functions through criminal networks and strategies of recruitment, transportation and/or harboring of persons by means of threat, coercion, fraud, abduction, force and false promises, for the purpose of exploitation. Women, men and children are held as slaves and/or trafficked into the sex industry, industrial or agricultural work, domestic servitude or forced marriage.

The Scope
·  800,000 persons trafficked across international borders each year
·  70%  of these are female and 50% are children
·  Estimated 14,500 to 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked into the United States each year
·  5,000-7,000 are estimated to come from East Asia and the Pacific, while 3,500-5,500 come from Latin America, Europe and Eurasia
·  1% of the foreign nationals that are trafficked into the United States are officially identified and provided assistance
·  200,000 American children are at risk for commercial sexual exploitation
·  Average age of women entering prostitution is 13 years
·  91 cities in the United States have reported cases of trafficking
·  Human trafficking is the third most profitable criminal activity in the world, following drug and arms trafficking
·  Estimates show annual revenue from all trafficking activities to be $9 billion US dollars with at least $4 billion attributed to the global brothel industry.

The Trauma
·  Trafficking victims are often denied food, sleep, safety, hygienic supplies, health care, choice of clothing, and/or normal human contact
·  Sex Trafficking victims are often exposed to sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, forced abortions and other health compromises
·  The consequences of psychological manipulation are immense and specialized therapy is needed to support victims of trafficking
·  Those trafficked into forced labor situations suffer not only from harsh living and working conditions, but are also often sexually abused

Sources include: Department of State, Department of Justice, Health and Human Services, Office of Refugees and Resettlement, Polaris Project, Vital Voices and The SAGE Project, Inc.

What is Human Trafficking?
The United Nations defines human trafficking as “the illegal trade of human beings, through abduction, the use or threat of force, deception, fraud or ‘sale’ for the purposes of sexual exploitation or forced labor.”[1]

Humans are trafficked for two purposes:
Sex-trafficking – the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act, in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud , or coercion, or in which the person forced to perform such an act is under the age of 18; or
Labor-trafficking - the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud , or coercion, for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage or slavery.[2]

Human trafficking is modern-day slavery. It is here, in San Francisco, and it permeates the globe.

Who are the victims? Where do they come from?
Victims of human trafficking include men, women, teenagers, young children and toddlers. 800,000 women and children are nationally and trans-nationally sex-trafficked every year with an estimated 14,500 to 17,500 foreign nationals trafficked into the United States each year. Victims are trafficked from Asia, Latin America, Europe, Russia and the U.S. This number excludes the number of victims trafficked internally-within one’s own country.

California is a major trafficking entry point with 43% of trafficking incidences occurring in the Bay Area.[3] In San Francisco, the majority of internationally trafficked women come from Asia and work in Asian massage parlors. Women and children trafficked from Latin America often work in closed brothels operating from a person’s residence. Meanwhile, incidents of domestic trafficking in children may occur on the street, in hotels, residential brothels, strip clubs and massage parlors. Trafficked victims of all races are widely found on the internet.

Who are the consumers of commercial sex?
The consumers of commercial sex are often referred to as “johns”. There is no stereotypical ‘john’-they cross all ages, ethnicities, economic classes and all have a variety of motives.

What is domestic trafficking?
Domestic trafficking is internal trafficking in the U.S. Domestic trafficking is extremely widespread across the U.S. Most typically, this occurs when an American youth is recruited, coerced or kidnapped for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. This may include crossing county or state lines, but under Federal Law this is not required for it to be defined as human trafficking. Traffickers/perpetrators/pimps often prey upon vulnerable children but can also manipulate adults or other youth to be involved.

How can I identify a victim of human trafficking?

Due to the nature of trafficking, victims are often isolated and hidden, and hence, they are difficult to identify. The locations where incidents of human trafficking are particularly concentrated in San Francisco are massage parlors, strip clubs, factories, construction sites, restaurants, and hotels. However, it is possible to come across a victim of human trafficking in any given location. Any public space can serve as a point of intervention. For this reason, it is imperative to raise public awareness.

Some identifying traits include bruises or signs of abuse, lack of official identification, extreme fear and limited English. An essential component of sex-trafficking is fear and violence. Victims are often raped, beaten, tortured, confined and forced to live in sub-human conditions by their “owner.” The trafficker often threatens to harm the victim’s family if they attempt to escape.

What is R&R-Reclaim Your Rights Campaign?
This is an Outreach Campaign directed to victims of human trafficking. It is designed to assure that trafficked victims are able to seek safe and confidential support without the risk of deportation as outlined in the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 (TVPRA of 2005, H.R. 972).  The Campaign will guide trafficked victims to the best available civil remedies.

This campaign is working with 2-1-1 United Way Bay Area, a 24-hour call center in 150 languages, which will be promoted in the outreach efforts. When a victim dials 2-1-1, they will be connected to SAGE and provided immediate services including emergency shelter, food, transportation and access to medical care.

 

	International	Domestic/Internal
Method of Recruitment	Smuggling, Fake Visas, False Promises	Kidnapping, Psychological Manipulation, False Promises, Rape, Sexual Abuse
Circumstances  that enable recruitment	Poverty	Lonely, Low Self Esteem, Family Problems, Sexual Abuse
Primary Motives	Money, Independence, Travel	Escape, Affection, Independence, Money
Number of Co-conspirators	Multiple-Recruiter, Broker, Transporter, Purchaser, Manager	Usually one- a pimp. But pimp may have a senior female act to support him/enforce rules in turn for priveleges
Relationship to Traffickers	Possible relation to family	Boyfriend, Father figure (uncle, friend of family)
Threats	To victim and family back in home country	To Victim, their family, someone close to them
Debt Bondage	For Travel	For basic caretaking, more guilt based
Place of Harboring	Massage Parlors, Residential Brothels	Motels/hotels, Residential Brothels Apartments, SRO’s.
Legal Coercion	Based on Immigrant/Undocumented Status	Can use age against them
Language Barriers	Extremely significant to traffickers ability to confine victims	Slang and ‘pimp-isms’ used to create isolation within culture/lifestyle
Drugs	Unlikely	Coercion and debt bondage can be attached to drug addiction. Drugs also given to promote sexual behavior.
Public Interactions	Unlikely, kept in a confined area. Sometimes attending church is allowed. Language and cultural barriers.	Kept to a minimum. Only with johns and other women.
Family History	Could have been sold/ recruited by family, motives to send finances to family. Fear of shame.	Runaway, family abuse, neglect.  Fear of having to return to an abusive family.
Alleged Government Response	If victim is ‘certified’ under requirements of TVPA, then they can receive -Social security -Work permit -Restitution -ESL classes -Housing -Healthcare -Visa (T or U)	Provide services/public benefits, restitution, safe housing

The following is a descriptive list of basic characteristics of International or Domestic trafficking, though it must be recognized that many times these overlap and each situation should be evaluated individually. This information may be useful to:

• Interviewing potential victims
• Program Development/Non-profit Organizations
• Community Awareness Projects
• Law Enforcement/Attorneys
• Judges and Court Authorities

[1] UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, 2000

[2] Trafficking Victims Protection Act 2000 (TVPA)

[3] South Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking website www.sbcteht.com