Human Trafficking Support
Human trafficking is occurring right here and now in Indiana.
Facts
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Human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception; of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Types of human trafficking include sex exploitation, labor exploitation, domestic servitude, forced marriage, forced criminality, child soldiers, and organ harvesting.
Trafficking can happen to anyone, regardless of citizenship status or length of time living in a country. Trafficking does not require transportation. Although transportation may be involved as a control mechanism to keep victims in unfamiliar places, it is not a required element of the trafficking definition. Human trafficking is not synonymous with forced migration or smuggling, which involve border crossing.
Although poverty can be a factor in human trafficking because it is often an indicator of vulnerability, poverty alone is not a single causal factor or universal indicator of a human trafficking victim. Trafficking victims can come from a range of income levels, and many may come from families with higher socioeconomic status.
Trafficking can occur in legal and legitimate business settings as well as underground markets. Human trafficking has been reported in business markets such as restaurants, hotels, and manufacturing plants, as well as underground markets such as commercial sex in residential brothels and street based commercial sex.
Services
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Trained peers and on-scene advocates can offer 24/7 immediate intervention and support on a walk-in basis. No appointment or previous contact is necessary. It could be helpful, if possible, to call the 24/7 help and crisis line (812) 336-0846 if you need our address and/or to let our advocates know to expect you.
Greene (812) 829-1660 and Owen (812) 829-1660 counties also offer the following walk-in services: Legal Advocacy, Personal Advocacy, Case Management, Mobile Advocacy, Sexual Assault Support Services, Human Trafficking Support Services, Prevention Programming (Building Healthy Relationships), and Community Education Programming.
The Middle Way House Legal Advocacy Program provides legal advocates who work directly with survivors of sexual assault. Legal advocates can assist clients in petitioning the court for protective orders, and make referrals to Middle Way House services and community resources. If a sexual assault survivor is involved in the legal system, legal advocates and MWH trained legal program volunteers accompany victims to court hearings and case-related appointments to provide emotional support. Volunteers monitor court hearings and assist advocates as needed. Because we believe survivors are in the best position to make decisions about their own lives, legal advocates provide options and do not tell survivors what to do or force them to make any decisions regarding their particular situation.
Our legal advocates are well trained and experienced in providing safety planning and can discuss many of the technical, medical, and legal aspects that may be relevant after sexual assault or rape has occurred. Many victims of domestic violence experience sexual assault as a form of their abuse. Legal advocates are able to help survivors address the intersection of these issues.
Our legal advocacy program also coordinates services with the Protective Order Project (POP), at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, which provides assistance with volunteer attorney back-up for persons seeking protective orders, and the Monroe County Clerks Office for victims who are self-petitioning.
Outside of Monroe County, legal advocates are available to assist people in Greene, Lawrence, Owen, Martin, and Morgan counties over the phone, and clients can visit our Owen, Greene and Martin County locations, or our Bloomington office location for legal advocacy. Contact information for the county offices can be found here.
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