Developing alliances | SOCW 6051 – Diversity, Human Rights, and Social Justice | Walden University
Developing Alliances and Community Building in a Diverse Society
Social work strives to support individuals who are oppressed. Recognizing that there are those who are privileged and those who are not is a first step to becoming an ally. There are examples of people being allies throughout society, including in popular culture. Examples include Lady Gaga as well as Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (featuring Mary Lambert) and their song “Same Love.” Choosing to speak out against the hate and discrimination that has been focused on a particular group, even though you are not a member of that group, is an example of being an ally. Think about your own examples of being an ally in your life. Have you witnessed others standing up for those who have experienced bias and prejudice?
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Analyze strategies for supporting victims of human trafficking
- Analyze strategies for becoming an ally
- Apply social work skills to case studies
Photo Credit: [mathisworks]/[DigitalVision Vectors]/Getty Images
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Castaneda, C., Catalano, D. C. J., DeJong, K., Hackman, H. W,… Zuniga, X. (Eds.). (2018). Readings for diversity and social justice (4th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge Press.
Chapter 90, (pp. 447-455)
Chapter 132, (pp. 615-620)
Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies: Foundation year. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].
“Working With Survivors of Human Trafficking: The Case of Veronica”
Working With Survivors of Human Trafficking: The Case of Veronica
Veronica is a 13-year-old, heterosexual, Hispanic female. She attends high school and is in the ninth grade. She currently lives in an apartment with her biological mother and her sister, age 9. She came to this country 7 months ago from Guatemala. Veronica is a sex trafficking survivor and was referred to me for individual therapy by a human trafficking agency in the United States.
Veronica’s biological mother and father separated when Veronica was 3 years old. She lived with her maternal aunt and biological mother until she was 6 years old, and her mother left Guatemala to come to the United States. At that time, Veronica stayed in the care of her maternal aunt and kept in touch with her biological mother via phone and through the visits that her mother made to Guatemala. Veronica would visit with her father, who lived nearby, on occasion, although she stated they did not have much of a connection. When Veronica was 12 years old, her maternal aunt forced her into prostitution, using the money from the sex acts as her main source of income. Veronica reported that her maternal aunt began treating her “like a slave” and would make her smoke an unknown substance before obligating her to perform sexual acts on countless men for money. This took place for close to a year before Veronica was able to sneak a phone call to her mother and explain what had been happening to her. Her mother quickly arranged for Veronica to be picked up by a “coyote” (a person who smuggles people into the United States). The coyote successfully smuggled Veronica into the United States within 2 months of that phone call. However, while crossing the border from Mexico to the United States, Veronica once again became the victim of sex trafficking crimes. The coyote was also a pimp who arranged for men crossing the border in the same truck as Veronica to engage in sexual acts with her for which the coyote collected money. U.S. immigration officers caught most of the people traveling in the truck, including Veronica, and placed them in a detention center. However, the coyote got away. Three weeks after Veronica was detained, after much questioning and investigation, she was reunited with her mother.
I met with Veronica weekly for individual therapy in my role as a social worker at an agency serving individuals who have experienced human trafficking. Veronica reported having occasional flashbacks and fear that “it will all happen again,” and she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The goals agreed upon in therapy included building Veronica’s support system, building her self-esteem, and managing her symptoms of trauma. Building rapport with Veronica in therapy took several weeks as she reported not trusting anyone and not wanting to think about what happened to her. After about 9 weeks of relationship building and safety planning, I was able to engage her through education on the dynamics of human trafficking. She reported that it was especially hard for her to trust men and that she often had a hard time speaking up. I worked with her on these issues by teaching her how to be more assertive and by modeling assertive behaviors. We worked on self-affirmations to help build her self-esteem. Because Veronica is very self-conscious, practicing self-affirmations was challenging for her. I often utilized a trauma-informed curriculum for adolescents called S.E.L.F. (Safety, Emotions, Loss, and Future) to facilitate healing and trauma reduction. Veronica reported that grounding techniques taught via this curriculum helped take her out of her thoughts and bring her back to the present moment. Some of the grounding techniques she continues to engage in on a daily basis include tapping her feet, stretching, writing, walking, and washing her face when she feels she is becoming numb or getting lost in thoughts of what happened to her.
Veronica has demonstrated great resiliency. She is attending a church close to her home and reports having faith in God. She recently enrolled in swimming and volleyball and has made several friends in the community. I continue to meet with Veronica on a weekly basis and will be stepping down with her to biweekly sessions now that she is stable and connected to her community. Because Veronica does not speak English and is a child, there are no support groups available in her area for human trafficking survivors. I am presently working on connecting her with a mentor.
Veronica is currently working with the human trafficking agency that referred her, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and an attorney to obtain a visa specific to human trafficking (T-Visa). A T-Visa grants survivors of human trafficking a visa in the United States. In 2000, Congress passed the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (VTVPA), which strengthens the ability of law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute human trafficking and also offers protection to victims via a T-Visa. The T-Visa is for those who are or have been victims of human trafficking. It protects victims of human trafficking and allows victims to remain in the United States to assist in an investigation or prosecution of human trafficking.
Veronica’s mother is also attending weekly individual therapy. She has been working through the heavy guilt and trauma of this experience. Veronica and her mother continue to heal, and with each passing day, they grow stronger.
Week 11: Developing Alliances and Community Building in a Diverse Society
Social work strives to support individuals who are oppressed. Recognizing that there are those who are privileged and those who are not is a first step to becoming an ally. There are examples of people being allies throughout society, including in popular culture. Examples include Lady Gaga as well as Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (featuring Mary Lambert) and their song “Same Love.” Choosing to speak out against the hate and discrimination that has been focused on a particular group, even though you are not a member of that group, is an example of being an ally. Think about your own examples of being an ally in your life. Have you witnessed others standing up for those who have experienced bias and prejudice?
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Analyze strategies for supporting victims of human trafficking
- Analyze strategies for becoming an ally
- Apply social work skills to case studies
Photo Credit: [mathisworks]/[DigitalVision Vectors]/Getty Images
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Castaneda, C., Catalano, D. C. J., DeJong, K., Hackman, H. W,… Zuniga, X. (Eds.). (2018). Readings for diversity and social justice (4th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge Press.
Chapter 90, (pp. 447-455)
Chapter 132, (pp. 615-620)
Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies: Foundation year. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].
“Working With Survivors of Human Trafficking: The Case of Veronica”
Discussion: Developing Alliances in Social Work Practice
Have you ever heard the term or saying “straight but not narrow”? This is an example of a statement of being an ally—recognizing one’s unique position of privilege yet standing with others who are oppressed. By taking this course, you have started the process of becoming an ally. Evan and Washington (2013) identify the steps toward being an ally, which include being supportive of those who are unlike you, learning about other cultures, becoming aware of the oppression and marginalization, and becoming aware of one’s own privilege. Getting involved in issues is part of that process. You will consider how to become an ally this week.
To prepare: Review “Working With Survivors of Human Trafficking: The Case of Veronica.” Think about how one might become an ally to victims of human trafficking . Then go to a website that addresses human trafficking either internationally or domestically.
By Day 3
Post a brief description of the website you visited. Explain how you might support Veronica and other human trafficking victims incorporating the information you have found. Explain how you can begin to increase your awareness of this issue and teach others about human trafficking victims. Describe opportunities to get involved and become an ally to those who have been trafficked. Identify steps you can take to begin to support this group.
By Day 5
Respond to at least two colleagues who visited a different site and note similarities and differences between what you had learned and what your colleagues had shared about steps for becoming an ally to that group. Explain the impact of what your colleagues shared in their post.
Colleague 1
Jasmine Bethea RE: Discussion – Week 11COLLAPSE
The website I’ve chosen to visit is called unlikelelyheroes; this website provides information on international human trafficking and the laws. This website discusses strategies to help fight human trafficking. Unlikely heroes talk about how Society can help victims in need differentiating from various types of people such as students, law enforcement officials, mental health or medical providers and attorneys. The United States has laws and legislation on domestic human trafficking. This website also offers information on domestic anti-trafficking organizations.
The way I would support Veronica, and other human trafficking victims would be to develop a support group that consists of human trafficking victims. To become an ally, I would start to volunteer with organizations and work with the victims, listen to their stories, and advocate for them. The way I could help increase awareness of the issues and teach others about human trafficking is to start a group and go around schools and talk about the issues to students. This would help raise awareness and let students know that human trafficking is real and that anyone could be a victim. Young adults may get tricked into human trafficking. Iowa has been having concerns about missing children that may be leading to human trafficking. According to USA Today, 19 boys and 17 girls between the ages of 13-20 went missing within ten days in Iowa (Nelson, 2018). With so many children are coming up missing across rural and urban Iowa, I believe speaking out about human trafficking within these cities could help the youth be aware of this issue.
Unlikelyheros. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://unlikelyheroes.com/usa/
Colleague 2
Jasmine Smith
Sex Trafficking”
In researching the words “Sex Trafficking Websites” numerous sources popped up. Some of these sources showed websites to research in order to locate a “coyote” like in Veronicas case. Some of these discoveries were stomach wrenching. However, the website that this writer researched is a useful source that will help someone that is a victim of sex trafficking. On the website www.FreedomUnited.Org, it states there are 40.3 million people that are in slavery worldwide. They refer to sex trafficking as slavery, which is all actuality it is. There are numerous resources on this page with videos and topics to view regarding sex trafficking and slavery. Videos are also available to view to provide valuable information to help those that are victims. One idea that was mentioned on this website to help others is to petition the government in which you live. Help victims in getting their names changed in order to protect their identity. American Soldiers continue to help fight ISIS which puts women and children at risk being forced to marry. This website further reported that few of these cases are ever prosecuted. Advocate for change with law in these cases.
The biggest thing that stood out to this writer from the website to help Veronica would be to help her in getting her name changed, seek a safe haven for her, and to make certain that she was aware of the situation. Becoming an Ally as stated in Readings for diversity and social justice, (2018) being an ally is being supportive of other people who are different than you. This support should be flexible and elastic so that it does not define a person but rather the person defines the needed support (p. 447)” It further states, “Being an ally is being open to learning. It is essential to be open in admitting your ignorance in order to grow (p 447).” Being an ally requires us to examine our own situation and how we were brought up. Advocate for the rights of people as stated earlier. Continue to provide counseling services to the victim until it is safe to terminate services by providing a listening ear and recommendations that you see necessary to help the client overcome any barriers that they may face.
