Globally, about 27.9 million people are victims of human trafficking. This includes children, women and men from all different backgrounds. The density of human trafficked victims in an area can increase depending on how transient the community is.
Hampton Roads sees masses of victims of human trafficking because it is extremely accessible by many different modes of transportation. In the 757, we have waterways, train systems, major highways and interstates, as well as an international airport.
It is easy to look away from something that scares or makes us uncomfortable, especially if that something is not necessarily seen in broad daylight, but it is a fact that human traffickers and victims exist here. While we can discuss ways to prevent these situations, it is important to know that it can really happen to anyone, anywhere. The question we are left with is, what happens when (and unfortunately if) these survivors are freed from their abusers?
Out of the few victims of trafficking that are freed from their abusers, there are many that end up incarcerated or with criminal charges. The freedom that they should have always had can be quickly taken away because they are often “forced to commit a lot of different things in order to make sure that they have income or that their traffickers are sustained and happy,” explained Quintina Sonnie, the COO of Survivor Ventures.
Because the survivors come from such exploitative backgrounds, it is common to see them charged with crimes such as prostitution, burglary, and fraud. With these charges on their permanent record and the lack of job experience on their resume, it is extremely difficult for them to find work.
Without a job, essential qualities of life cannot be afforded, such as food or a place to live. This leads to a lot of other problems, and for victims of human trafficking, “these things are stacked against you. These are systemic barriers that have been put up,” Sonnie emphasized.
Survivor Ventures, a local nonprofit, has set up a system to help survivors of human trafficking transition into a healthy, sustainable life.
Survivor Ventures has a chapter that serves the seven cities of Hampton Roads, but their reach goes much further. There is also a chapter in the DMV that assists those in northern Virginia, Washington D.C., and areas of Maryland. There is also a Survivor Ventures chapter that aids the entire state of Delaware.
This nonprofit works to lower barriers on housing, employment, therapy, holistic care and other wellness opportunities for human trafficking survivors.
Since its founding in 2018, Survivor Ventures has served close to 400 people. The nonprofit partners with small businesses to not only help the survivors, but also the businesses. How they operate is through a program that allows the business to pay the employed-survivors partial compensation and then Survivor Ventures will pay the rest until the business is able to sustain the worker by themselves.
The nonprofit has been able to partner with numerous businesses in order to make this program successful. Survivor Ventures also stresses the importance of having a range of different businesses because they “want to make sure that the mentees have work options that they’re actually going to like because work has been a traumatizing experience for them,” said Sonnie.
Survivor Ventures also helps their mentees fund and find housing. The other programs that are offered by the organization help these individuals with physical and mental health needs.
“Our program tends to cover both the immediate needs and [achieve] long term results,” explained Sonnie. The organization has the statistics to back up this claim.
“78% of [the] mentees that go through our housing program have maintained their housing after our rental assistance program [has ended]…Closer to 80% of the participants who were employed have not only remained employed, but a good portion have also remained employed at the worksites that we have put them at for extended periods of time even after our wage reimbursement has ended,” Sonnie clarified.
Survivor Ventures has seen their mentees go on and have their own businesses too. This nonprofit organization is truly changing the lives of so many people, and it’s run only by a five-person team. In fact, the organization is completely made up of survivors themselves.
Of course, the opportunities to give support are not limited to that team, as they are always searching for volunteers and donors. Volunteer work with Survivor Ventures can look like a lot of different things. Whatever you can offer, whether it’s hands on work or personal services, is appreciated.
The organization has an office space on Granby Street in downtown Norfolk that offers their mentees clothing, shoes, toiletries, and more. Survivor Ventures aims to have a day once a month where volunteers can come down to their office and organize all of the inventory and keep everything up to date.
If you are interested in working with Survivor Ventures, you can fill out the information form provided on their website (info@survivorventures.org) or simply reach out to them over social media. The organization has both Facebook and Instagram.
As far as how mentees themselves become enrolled in this program, there are a couple different ways. It is common for Survivor Ventures to get referrals, but people can also call the intake line phone number, which is 757-317-0352.
“Voice and choice,” are extremely important initiatives, explained Sonnie. Survivor Ventures wants to always offer different options for their mentees. They want to allow them to choose where they live, where they work, how they receive mental or physical help, and more.
Regardless of the choice one makes in this program, they are being impacted substantially. With benefits to the community, to society and of course survivors, Survivor Ventors has become a vital influence in our community today.