Human trafficking entails illegal trading and smuggling of individuals for forced work or sexual exploitation. Trafficking involves deception and the recruitment of vulnerable populations for exploitation. Human trafficking incorporates people from different gender and age groups. The purpose of this paper is to provide readers with a synopsis of the policy program history, purpose goals, target population, of human trafficking issue in America.
History of the Program
The Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST) was established in 1998, and it is a non-profit organization formed after the El Monte Sweatshop Case. In this scenario, 71 garment workers from Thai were enslaved for eight years and debt bondage ( Musto, 2008) . After the release of these people, the founder of CAST (Dr. Kathryn MacMahon) and other activists stated that there was a need to develop policies and programs to handle the issue of human trafficking in America.
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Purpose or Goals
CAST was founded in 1998 with the primary objective of offering extensive case management and comprehensive processes to advocate for survivors or previous victims of human trafficking in the United States. Most survivors endure violence, and they do not have any platform to air their concerns. The company is located in Los Angeles and deals with multi-lingual human rights. The organization and the program have received international and national recognition for their services and search for trafficking survivors. The program mobilizes every sector of the society or community to understand and talk against possible human trafficking and offers direct and instant services to the victims. CAST has a yearly budget of $2.5 million that helps it offer in-depth services that guarantee long-term solutions. CAST has a three-prolonged empowerment method which entails legal, social, and outreach or training services. CAST becomes the first-ever organization in the United States focused on exclusive delivery of services to the survivors of modern-day slavery (human trafficking).
Elements of the Program
The Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST) engages in various activities designed to accomplish the program’s goals. In essence, CAST's primary component is pro bono services with the survivors of human trafficking and enabling them to access or receive vital legal services. The attorneys of The Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST) provide pro bono services to these victims and aid them in initiating crucial procedures to re-start their lives. The program offers various pro-bono services, such as advocating for victim-witness and civil litigation ( The Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 2020) . The pro bono attorneys are supposed to handle the CAST’s in-depth training. In this case, the program introduces the aspects of legal advocation and human trafficking in the place of the survivors. The training process happens in Los Angeles, CA, and happens for six hours. The training process happens only two times a year.
The Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST) offers client services designed or formulated to meet the survivors’ needs. Human trafficking is an endearing practice, and it affects the victims in various severe ways. Legal representation is at the helm of clients' services, among other things, such as the provision of shelter and food. The first shelter was started in the United States, and it exclusively deals with the survivors of human trafficking ( International Labour Organization, 2018) . Outreach is the other activity. It is an essential activity for The Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST) and its objectives. Primarily, the outreach programs increase public awareness regarding the presence of human trafficking. It emphasizes identifying survivors or victims of human trafficking and assures them of dignified treatment rather than criminals as other programs do. Law enforcement is also trained, and so are the various providers of social services and governmental attorneys. Apart from the governmental organizations, The Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST) also trains faith-based institutions.
The Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST) engages in crucial and multiple activities that require actions to accomplish the program’s goals. The program supports the low-risk approach for activism. Activists are not supposed to take action in their hands to save the victims of trafficking. CAST understands that by taking such actions, the victims and the person involved could endanger their lives. For this reason, individuals are encouraged to volunteer in this program and advocate for the abolishment of human trafficking. CAST receives support from volunteers, fundraisers, and reports of the possible incidences of trafficking to the law enforcement authorities as ways to realizing their objectives or goals.
Summary of Obtaining Data
Obtaining data is a challenging process for this program. However, since CAST deals directly with the survivors of human trafficking, it can receive much information and data from such people. The information is collected by various actors that partner with CAST. Some of them include the law enforcement agencies, the judiciary, and other organizations the provide assistance and protection to the victims ( The U.S. Department of State, 2020) . There are two primary types of information collected. The first one is the factual information that originates from the survivors of human trafficking, and the second one is the analytical information that comes from interpreting the factual data. Generally, the data is used to understand the prevalence of human trafficking activity in the United States of America and find a way to control it.
Summary of the Findings
By partnering with the more than 100 cultural and faith-based society teams, government agencies, among other crucial organizations, including the healthcare facilities and law enforcement forces, the CAST program can now support more than 350 survivors yearly at every level of their journey to accomplish its goals. CAST has been on the front line of human rights advocacy, such as development and call for innovations. For instance, the organization has a shelter to house the survivors of this modern-day slavery. Additionally, CAST has a different model to serve children survivors and young individuals originating from foster care ( Bigio, 2010) . The program has also initiated a trauma-informed care plan for different firms that serve the trafficking victims. CAST has also partnered with the L.A. County Sheriffs to form a massive task force in the country and thereby creating an advisory council to the survivors within the White House. CAST has realized massive achievements in its process of eliminating human trafficking. For instance, the United Nations on human trafficking invited the organization to speak in 2013 against this issue. The organization was recognized for its extraordinary objectives of eliminating trafficking by being awarded the presidential medal in 2014. The executive director of this program was also recognized for the exceptional work from various fundraisers in 2017.
CAST hopes to scale up its ambitions and alter policies and designs that facilitate human trafficking with time. Consequently, the organization plans to train survivors to serve as the leaders against the trafficking procedures. CAST also plans to partner with the policymakers to understand the issue of human trafficking and its consequences and work in tandem with the corporate partners to eliminate modern-day slavery from their systems. The limitation to these findings is that they are not tailored to stop the action but use the current survivors to advocate against the social ill.
References
Bigio, J. (2010, January 31). “Human Trafficking Helps Terrorists Earn Money and Strategic Advantage.” Foreign Policy. Retrieved www.foreignpolicy.com/2020/01/31/human-trafficking-helps-terrorists-earn-money-and-strategic-advantage/
International Labour Organization. (2018, November). “Forced Labour, Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking.” Retrieved www.ilo.org/global/topics/forced-labour/lang--en/index.htm
Musto, J. L. (2008). The NGO-ification of the anti-trafficking movement in the United States: a case study of the coalition to abolish slavery and trafficking. Wagadu Volume 5: Anti-Trafficking, Human Rights, and Social Justice, 5, 15.
The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR). “ The Economic Drivers and Consequences of Sex Trafficking in the United States.” (2020, February). Retrieved www.iwpr.org/iwpr-publications/briefing-paper/the-economic-drivers-and-consequences-of-sex-trafficking-in-the-united-states/
The U.S. Department of State. (October 2020). "2020 Report on U.S. Government Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Persons." Retrie www.state.gov/2020-report-on-u-s-government-efforts-to-combat-trafficking-in-persons/
