Aid is now available for sex-trafficked victims and organizations

In a press release from the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), they announced a total of $87-million being released to victims and those who fight to protect and educate about human trafficking.

According to the release, the following grants are being made:

• Under the Services for Victims of Human Trafficking program, OVC awarded approximately $22 million to develop, expand or strengthen victim service programs for victims of human trafficking.
• Under the Enhanced Collaborative Model Task Force to Combat Human Trafficking program, OVC awarded approximately $22 million to develop, expand or strengthen a multidisciplinary approach to fight human trafficking.
• Under the Housing Assistance Grants for Victims of Human Trafficking program, OVC awarded approximately $15 million to provide safe, stable housing and appropriate services to victims of human trafficking.
• Under the Services for Minor Victims of Sex Trafficking program, OVC awarded approximately $8 million to develop, expand or strengthen victim service programs for those whose victimizations occurred when they were under the age of 18.
• Under the Training and Technical Assistance for Human Trafficking Service Providers program, OVC awarded approximately $3 million to provide funding for training and technical assistance to service providers developing, strengthening or expanding programs for victims of human trafficking.
• Under the Improving Outcomes for Child and Youth Victims of Human Trafficking program, OVC awarded approximately $2 million to improve responses to child and youth victims of trafficking, with a focus on coordination at the statewide or Tribal jurisdiction level.
• Under the Enhancing Juvenile and Family Court Responses to Human Trafficking program, OVC awarded approximately $2 million to develop and enhance programs to provide direct services and diversion programs for youth in contact with the juvenile and family court systems who are victims of sex or labor trafficking or at risk for human trafficking due to past or current crime victimization, including child abuse and neglect.
• Under the Field-Generated Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance for Law Enforcement program, OVC awarded approximately $2 million to develop innovative strategies and models to support jurisdictions engaged in identifying victims of human trafficking and investigating and prosecuting human trafficking and related crimes.
• Under the Services for Minor Victims of Labor Trafficking program, OVC awarded approximately $2 million to develop, expand or strengthen victim service programs for those whose victimizations occurred when they were under the age of 18.
• Under the Preventing Trafficking of Girls program, OVC awarded approximately $1 million to support prevention and early intervention programs for girls who are at-risk of, or are victims of, sex trafficking.
• Under the Law Enforcement Human Trafficking Fellowship Program, OVC awarded $400,000 to improve and expand the ability of law enforcement, prosecutors and OJP-funded human trafficking task forces nationwide to conduct and implement victim-centered and trauma-informed investigations and prosecutions.
• NIJ awarded more than $2.6 million under its Research and Evaluation of Trafficking in Persons portfolio to better understand, prevent and respond to trafficking in persons in the United States.

Information about the grantees selected under each solicitation can be found online at the OJP Grant Awards Page.

If you are involved in a local program helping to prevent this ongoing problem, you may want to look into the programs most aligned with your work.

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