January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. During the month of January, advocates, organizations, and individuals unite to raise awareness about Human Trafficking, defined as the \u201crecruitment, transportation, harboring, or purchase of persons for the sole purpose of exploitation.\u201d Brevard Family Partnership has strengthened its\u2019 focus and support on the identification, prevention and treatment of survivors. Clinicians in the provider network have engaged in cross-sector collaboration, professional development, training, and trauma-informed crisis intervention and therapeutic services to meet the complex needs of commercially sexually exploited and trafficked survivors. Delivered by licensed practitioners, the treatment\u00a0 involves processing the psychological practices of Human Trafficking and addressing common mental health conditions experienced by survivors, such as depression or other co-occurring disorders. Trauma healing and recovery initiates a restorative process, encouraging survivors to build resiliency, restore dignity and experience their own transformation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2012, Florida passed\nHouse Bill (HB) 99, also known as the Florida Safe Harbor Act. This legislation\nallows for minors to be deemed as dependent instead of delinquent as it gives\nlaw enforcement the discretion to either arrest or deliver the minor to a\nshort-term safe house, if available. In 2016, HB 7141 expanded the provisions\nof the Florida Safe Harbor Act by requiring the use of a screening instrument\nfor the identification of sexually exploited children, service planning and placement.\nIn the BFP System of Care, case managers receive specialized training prior to\nworking with children that have been sexually exploited. The HB also provided\nstandards to certify a foster home or group home desiring to care for sexually\nexploited children. Upon receipt of this specialized training and\ncertification, these settings are credentialed as \u201cSafe Foster Homes\u201d or\n\u201cSafe Houses \u201c <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As always, the safety of the survivor is the paramount\nconcern. Never attempt to confront a suspected trafficker directly or alert a\nvictim to any suspicions. Contact law enforcement to investigate suspected\ncases of Human Trafficking. If you suspect a child is a\nvictim, please call the Florida Abuse Hotline<\/a>\nat 1-800-96-ABUSE. The National Human Trafficking\nResource Center<\/a> can be accessed at humantraffickinghotline.org<\/a> for additional information. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. During the month of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-and-articles","wpautop"],"yoast_head":"\n