When trafficked persons escape their exploitation, it is often only the beginning of a complex and taxing process. Trafficked persons must recover from the very serious and debilitating effects of trafficking exploitation. They may have a range of short- and long-term assistance needs, which are directly related to and caused by their trafficking experiences, including issues related to housing and accommodation, physical and mental health, their economic situations, education and training, safety and security, legal status, legal issues and needs within the family. In addition, human trafficking is largely a function of broader, structural inequality and individual vulnerability, which means that trafficked persons must also navigate and tackle underlying and pre-existing vulnerabilities that contributed to being trafficked and have the potential to undermine reintegration. Vulnerabilities and resiliencies are also influenced by external factors such as the family and community settings into which trafficked persons seek to reintegrate, which may fluctuate and change over time. This paper discusses what Indonesian trafficking victims have identified as vulnerabilities and resiliencies at different stages of their lives (before trafficking, as a result of trafficking and over the course of recovery and reintegration) and in relation to the family and community environment. It also explores victims’ different assistance needs over the course of reintegration and makes recommendations for how these needs can best be met. This paper is part of a research series of papers produced in the context of the NEXUS Institute’s longitudinal research project, Protecting the Unassisted and Underserved. Evidence-Based Research on Assistance and Reintegration, Indonesia, which aims to enhance the evidence base about successful reintegration of Indonesian trafficking victims. It is one of a series of papers generously funded by the United States Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (J/TIP).

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The NEXUS Institute® is a leader in research, analysis, and evaluation in the field of human rights, specializing in human trafficking and related issues. They are pioneering the application and adaptation of methods for the collection, analysis, and presentation of new knowledge about these issues and society’s responses to them to identify what works, what doesn’t, and why.