THE PROBLEM

At the outset, we at Dark Horse Global want to commend the many courageous men and women who have chosen to step into the world of aftercare. While it is gratifying work, and the significance and rewards for survivors can’t be overstated, it is also an incredibly challenging and hard road to walk. And, like all those who fight for the freedom and restoration of the exploited, we need far more.

Victims of human trafficking endure tremendous trauma, both physically and emotionally, and the path to restoration and wholeness is tough. Through the myriad of aftercare programs that exist globally, it is often times fraught with low success rates as it relates to effective recovery and the realization of long-term, healthy integration back into society.

Why?

There is no standard of care when it comes to victim services in the aftercare and recovery space. Whether government shelters administered through social services or private care managed by NGOs, the care spectrum is broad. Care modalities include, but are not limited to; meeting victim’s healthcare needs, family assessment and reintegration (when appropriate), provision of educational opportunities, housing, skills and job training, and mental health treatment.

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon that victims of trafficking, even after taking part in an aftercare program, return to vulnerable situations whereby they are pulled back into exploitive situations. This problem is complex and doesn’t happen in a vacuum, meaning there is not a single reason why this takes place. There is likely multiple reasons for this. A couple of examples are; financial need or the return to a vulnerable situation where the victim came from which often leads to them being exploited once again. However, we know clinically, as well as through field experience, that perhaps the most critical cog in the wheel of positive outcomes is effective and targeted mental health treatment.

Most aftercare programs whether government or private, include mental health care, with the primary modality of care being talk therapy or traditional counseling. Talk therapy while helpful to an extent, as it allows the victim to give voice to what happened, is not effective by itself in addressing underlying trauma. Victims need a way to get to the root of the problem and truly be set free so they are able to move from being a victim to being a thriving survivor.

It is here that Dark Horse Global has chosen to strategically focus on supporting the mental health journey of victims to survivors, and those who are walking alongside them in aftercare homes and facilities around the world. See our solution here.