Victims of Exploitation and Trafficking Assistance

 

 

The Victims of Exploitation and Trafficking Assistance (VETA) program provides direct services, including legal representation and case management to immigrant victims of human trafficking. The VETA team also conducts outreach to the community, service providers and law enforcement to increase awareness of human trafficking and identification of victims.

VETA's Goals:

 


Benefits & Services

 

VETA helps trafficking victims to:

  • apply for immigration relief
  • access social services including housing, food assistance, medical care, mental health care, education and employment assistance

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In October 2000 the United States Government passed a law which makes trafficking offenses illegal. This new law not only helps prosecutors put the traffickers in jail, but also provides protection for the victims. This law is called the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (TVPA).

 

Under this new law, victims of human trafficking can be granted 'continued presence' by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE, previously INS) which provides renewable, temporary immigration status from 90-day up to one year increments as well as a work permit. Victims of human trafficking can also apply for specific immigration relief in the form of a T-Visa. T-Visas permit trafficking victims to remain in the United States lawfully, adjust to permanent resident status (get a green card) after three years, and be on their way to citizenship.

 

Additionally, the Office of Refugee Resettlement at the Department of Health and Human Services issues "certification" that permits victims to obtain benefits equal to those of a refugee, including medical attention, mental health counseling, shelter, food, job skills training, and English language classes. The benefits are available to trafficking victims who are 1) willing to assist with a trafficking case AND 2) have made a bona fide application for a T Visa OR who have been granted continued presence.

 

These regulations affirm the human rights of victims of human trafficking and help survivors to regain their dignity and independence.

 

Programs

 

Metro DC A.C.T.S. - Alliance to Combat Trafficking & Slavery in the National Capital Area

Created with a $1.9 million grant from the Office for Victims of Crime at the U.S. Department of Justice, BPSOS & Ayuda, Inc. formed the VETA-DC Partnership to provide comprehensive services to trafficking victims in the National Capital Region over a three year period.

 

We are working together to educate the general public, law enforcement and service providers about trafficking in persons and its presence here in the DC area. We are creating a rapid response team that can act immediately to provide emergency services to the trafficking victim. Case workers manage the ongoing social service needs of the victim, and attorneys provide representation in immigration matters.

 

Metro DC A.C.T.S. exists to serve all immigrant victims of human trafficking in the Metro DC Area.

 

Human Trafficking Speakers' Bureau

The Human Trafficking Speakers' Bureau of the Washington, DC area is the first speakers' bureau in the US to tackle the issue of Human Trafficking. Members of the Speakers' Bureau educate the public on the issue of trafficking, focusing on trafficking within and to the United States. As an issue that affects every part of American life, raising awareness around the issue of human trafficking is vital. With proper knowledge, the public can assist with victim identification and work to end human trafficking. Members of the Speakers' Bureau, who are members of the community, are the best tools we have for raising awareness because they represent the public and have personal ties to other communities that can be educated about trafficking.

 

Please contact us for more information about the Speakers’ Bureau, to invite a Speakers’ Bureau member to your event or to find out about Speakers’ Bureau volunteer opportunities

 

 


Help Center

 

In the United States it is ILLEGAL to:

Force or threaten you to work

Force or threaten you into prostitution

Make you work to pay off a debt

Hold you against your will to make you work

Hold your passport or travel documents so that you cannot escape

If this is happening to you or someone you know

HELP IS AVAILABLE.

Your immigration status does not matter

 

Who should you contact?

Contact local law enforcement (911) if you are immediate danger

 

Contact the Trafficking Information and Referral Hotline:
1-888-373-7888

or,

Contact the BPSOS branch office closest to you (see list below). BPSOS provides interpretation, counseling, legal and social services to help you.

 

Karina Kirana

6066 Leesburg Pike, Suite 100,

Falls Church, VA 22041

703.647.6484

karina.kirana@bpsos.org

 

Melanie Flamenbaum

7411 Riggs Road, Suite 328

Adelphi, MD 20783

301.439.0505

melanie.flamenbaum@bpsos.org

 

An-Phong Vo

11205 Bellaire Boulevard, Suite #B22,

Houston, TX 77072

281.530.6888

anphong.vo@bpsos.org

 

How can you protect yourself?

You don't have to be a victim any longer. According to U.S. law, traffickers will be prosecuted and made to pay restitution to their victims. Additionally, trafficked persons have immigration options and support services available to them, including health care, housing, transportation, education and legal services. 

 

If an individual or company is making plans for you to work or travel away from home, make sure that you:

  • CHECK with government or non-government legal and social service agencies on the legitimacy of your employer. Check both in your home country and in your intended destination.
  • DO NOT give your passport to anyone to keep for you. Your employer has no right to withhold your passport.
  • KEEP copies of your passport information and other forms of identification in a safe place where only you can find them
  • MAINTAIN CONTACT with a family member or friend at home once you have started work If you think that you or someone you know is in this situation, do not hesitate to get help.

 

Information for Service Providers

To schedule a training on human trafficking or for general program information please contact:

Beth Leodler - Outreach Coordinator

Survivor Services Department

703-647-6495

beth.leodler@bpsos.org

 

 


The Daewoosa Case

 

"As soon as we landed, our passports were confiscated." - Daewoosa worker

 

BPSOS first became involved in the issue of human trafficking through the Daewoosa Case. In 2001, over 200 Vietnamese and Chinese workers were tricked into paying thousands of dollars each in order to travel to work in a sewing factory on the island of American Samoa. Each worker was promised $408 per month for wages, plus free food and housing. However, once there, the workers were beaten, confined to the factory, barely fed and forced to live in filthy conditions while the employer kept their travel documents.

 

After the U.S. government prosecuted Daewoosa, BPSOS along with other service providers came to the aid of the victims. Daewoosa survivors are now legally in the U.S. and are being assisted by through BPSOS’s VETA program to receive the benefits of immigration relief, health care, education and employment assistance.


What is Trafficking?

 

Human Trafficking is when someone forces you to work using fraud, deception or threats.

 

Trafficking in persons is a crime of international proportions. Worldwide an estimated four million men, women and children are trafficked annually. Approximately 17,500 people are brought into the United States and held in slavery-like conditions each year.

 

Who are the Victims of Human Trafficking?

Men, women and children can be trafficked across international borders or within their own country. People who are most vulnerable to being trafficked include:

  • People from areas of regional and civil conflict
  • Women and young children
  • People facing poverty, economic crisis and inadequate education opportunities

Where does it happen?

Victims of human trafficking can be found in all types of employment. Some typical forms of forced labor occur in

  • Sweatshops (sewing or other industries)
  • Restaurants
  • Agricultural Fields
  • Private Residences (as servants or nannies)
  • "Massage Parlors" or Brothels
  • Streets (begging)

How are people trafficked?

Victims are often placed in unsafe living or working conditions. Traffickers unlawfully restrict them to their jobs by:

  • Withholding important documents: passports, birth certificates and identification cards
  • Debt Bondage: withholding salary or wages to pay for the supposed costs of travel, documents and accommodation
  • Physical Abuse: Choking, slapping, punching, kicking, rape or using weapons
  • Emotional and Psychological Abuse: Threatening to harm victims or victim's family members, threats of arrest or deportation, destroying the victim's property, forcing the victim to commit illegal acts, keeping the victim in isolation

Who are the traffickers?

Anyone can be a trafficker - family, spouses, friends, neighbors, government officials. Traffickers can be individuals or members of organized crime syndicates. They may pose as job recruiters, matchmakers, or others who promise employment or marriage. These traffickers often offer to handle and pay for the costs of obtaining a passport, work permit and transportation fees for the victim.