Statement from the Global Association of Human Trafficking Scholars (GAHTS)

Human Trafficking Search is a member of GAHTS 

To the human trafficking survivors and workers who lead our way, to members of the anti-trafficking community in research and service, and to our allies committed to bettering the safety of care of our homes and communities:

Recent executive orders and policy decisions from the Trump administration have caused direct and notable harm to human trafficking survivors, current trafficking victims, and the anti-trafficking community as a whole. GAHTS stands in solidarity with human trafficking survivors and affected service providers and researchers. We ask community members to write to their Congressional leaders, pressure their elected officials, and openly reject and protest policy changes that make human trafficking more likely and dismantle support for survivors.

The dismantling of aid to U.S. and foreign civil society members, disruption of research funding and support, the mass deportation of immigrants, and the erasure and targeting of marginalized groups through the misrepresentation and removal of DEI language and projects – have all worked to undermine decades of community building and anti-exploitation work by targeted groups to better their communities and protect themselves from harm.

In the last few months, the federal government has:

1. Pulled funding from community and civil society organizations that provide needed services to human trafficking survivors, victims of other forms of violence, and marginalized groups.

2. Discontinued and destabilized research projects that work to combat human trafficking, exploitation, and other forms of structural violence.

3. Worked to erase records and research that acknowledge the ways that racial and ethnic minorities, immigrants, disabled people, and LGBTQ+ individuals experience structural harms, including human trafficking, in different and disproportionate ways.

4. Worked to expand an already violent immigration system to target and deport migrant workers and immigrant communities.

In addition to the targeting of racial and ethnic minority groups and members of the LGBTQ+ community, words flagged under anti-DEI initiatives include “advocacy”, “activist”, “trauma”, “victim”, “victimhood”, and other basic terms clearly target organizations that serve local communities and victims of violence. GAHTS patently rejects these actions taken by the Trump administration and extends support and solidarity to all survivors, workers, and community organizations harmed by these federal initiatives.

Community and civil society members function not only as an arm of service between the federal government and local communities, but also as an arm of accountability between local communities and the federal government. Attempting to weaken, dismantle, and undermine local providers who serve victims of violence and marginalized groups is a direct attempt to weaken citizens’ ability to influence how the government serves its people. These actions directly harm trafficking survivors, but they also undermine our public safety more widely.

GAHTS is a network of researchers, scientists, and advocates who come from different disciplines and life experiences to share in a common endeavor. We study the structural harms that we live under, that target the most marginalized in our society, and we are well equipped to see the damage that these actions have already perpetrated and will continue to. We are ready as individuals and as a community to provide resources to policymakers and activists who aim to combat human trafficking, support survivors, and preserve the safety of their constituents. You can reach out to us directly for policy help HERE. GAHTS would also like to hear from you about how these policy changes have affected your professional and/or personal life. If you would like to add your own experiences to this discussion, please complete this form HERE.

We are organizing to expand resources available to community organizations and researchers seeking alternative funding to federal support. We are committed to solidarity, support, and protective action for the trafficking survivors, migrants, and workers who face greater violence due to the Trump administration’s actions.

Signed,

The Global Association of Human Trafficking Scholars (GAHTS)

gahtscholars@gmail.com