Looking Ahead: Human Trafficking Awareness Month

By Julie Nauman, VCGCB Executive Officer

Greetings, and a very Happy New Year to you.

As we enter a new year together, it is a good time to reflect on our accomplishments from the past 12 months, but to also take inventory, and to take action on the work that lies ahead.

Such is the case with the subject of Human Trafficking. The month of January is set aside to increase awareness of this important topic, and to increase access to the services we provide to trafficking survivors. Today we acknowledge and honor Human Trafficking Awareness Day, which is a part of a month-long commemoration set aside to increase awareness of this important topic and to increase access to the services we provide to trafficking survivors.

More than 20 million men, women and children around the world and in our own communities are currently victims of human trafficking — a $32 billion dollar industry that transcends age, gender, race and status. 

We have come a long way in how we now handle these cases. For years, state law did not allow these victims to receive benefits if they had participated in a crime or were involved in the events leading to their victimization. 

They were treated as prostitutes and disqualified, whether or not they had been forced into sexual slavery, and subjected to rape and physical and mental abuse. Many of them did what they had to do, simply to survive. We saw the need for change, and added a regulation in 2014 to allow them to get assistance from our California Victims Compensation Program (CalVCP).  

Since that time, we have received many applications from human trafficking victims — a population we had not served before. But we want to help all of these victims, so we need to collaborate with our partners to reach out to these individuals who desperately need our help.

In light of this, we are hosting a human trafficking trauma-informed training to educate our staff and our partners who work with these human trafficking victims. This training will be presented by Chris Stambaugh from The Grace Network, a grassroots organization that has mobilized thousands of people to combat human trafficking. Chris will discuss how they use technology to reach and serve victims, and will give a presentation on their free user-friendly resource app, “GraceCity” that allows first responders to access services for those affected by human trafficking. This training will be live-streamed on January 14, 2016 at 10 a.m. This focused training will be extremely informative and helpful as we continue to explore better ways to meet the unique needs of these survivors.

The training builds upon our earlier human trafficking workshop presented by Opening Doors, which is available to view anytime. This workshop gives insight into how you can identify a victim of sex trafficking, forced labor and debt bondage and the psychological mechanisms behind the abuse.  

Additionally, we have developed a short public service announcement (PSA) featuring our Board member, and San Bernardino County District Attorney, Michael Ramos. District Attorney Ramos has been a leader in California in recognizing that women, men, and children who are trafficked are victims of crime and their trafficking must be aggressively prosecuted. We ask that you share this PSA with your own networks.

As we go forward, CalVCP will continue to engage in the discussion of human trafficking and how this critical subject is handled through law enforcement and the victim services arena.

I am honored to work in a state dedicated to education and action, striving to make a tangible difference in the lives of victims. We invite you to participate in our workshops during Human Trafficking Awareness Month and we encourage you to join us in this effort to ensure that all victims of human trafficking receive the respectful and compassionate help they deserve.

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Julie Nauman is the Executive Officer for the Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board (VCGCB). VCGCB provides compensation for victims of violent crime and helps to resolve claims against the State.

Mending the Sacred Hoop: Native American Victims’ Services

Native Americans are 2.5 times more likely to experience sexual assault than any other race, and one in three American Indian women reports having been raped during her lifetime.¹ Although they suffer some of the highest abuse rates of any group in the United States, Native Americans remain significantly underrepresented in the victim services community. Cultural and linguistic obstacles, as well as a lack of physical access to services, keep many from reporting crimes, while a deep-seated mistrust of the justice system and unclear legal jurisdiction² prevent others from coming forward.

In an effort to reshape this status quo, passionate advocates like Mary Thompson, Domestic Violence Advocate and Cultural Coordinator at the Sacramento Native American Health Center (SNAHC), are working hard to reach out to underserved Native American communities in Northern California. The Sacramento Native American Health Center is a comprehensive clinic that provides wraparound services to improve the health and well-being of Native American Indians. As the only Native American clinic in the greater Sacramento region with a cultural component, the SNAHC works with women, men, and families to promote a holistic approach to victim healing and recovery.

Domestic Violence Awareness Month Has Ended, but the Problem Has Not

By Julie Nauman, VCGCB Executive Officer

It has been a few weeks now since we closed out our Domestic Violence Awareness Month efforts throughout the state. Here in Sacramento, CalVCP wrapped up its “Suited for Successful Families” campaign with a formal handover of over 7,300 clothing donations to five of our local partners that serve victims of domestic violence. I am tremendously proud of all the California businesses, agencies, communities and citizens who came together this Domestic Violence Awareness Month to call attention to the need to stamp out this despicable crime.

Because of these efforts and similar ones around the nation, annual occurrences of domestic violence continue to decline. According to a study by the US Department of Justice, the rate of intimate partner violence against women fell 53 percent between 1993 and 2007. Increased community involvement and prevention education have yielded reduced rates of victimization, as have recent legislative efforts like President Obama’s reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which expands protections for domestic violence victims.

Despite this progress, domestic violence remains a pervasive problem that afflicts one in four women and one in seven men. In fact, nearly one-third of the 53,000 applications CalVCP receives annually are a result of domestic violence. Thus, while Domestic Violence Awareness Month has ended, I want to remind Californians to look beyond October and recognize awareness and prevention as a long term effort.

At CalVCP, we continue to work to honor victims and support survivors, educate communities, spark dialogue, and most importantly, ignite community action. Remember that if you witness violence and turn a blind eye because “it only happened once” or “it’s none of my business,” you are subconsciously facilitating the spread of domestic violence. Every one of us has the ability to help prevent and stop DV by reporting violence when we witness it or are made aware of it. No, we may not be able to eradicate the problem of domestic violence individually, but together, we can take a united stand and tell perpetrators that we will not tolerate it any longer. As we move forward, it is imperative that we break the collective silence that sustains this kind of violence in our communities.

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Julie Nauman is the Executive Officer for the Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board (VCGCB). VCGCB provides compensation for victims of violent crime and helps to resolve claims against the State.