Human trafficking involves:
- a person who has been subjected to sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age; or
- the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.
Alaska Native youth are disproportionately affected by human trafficking. A recent Loyola University report found that homeless youth in Anchorage were being trafficked at a rate of nearly 30% – a higher rate than any other city studied, including New York and New Orleans. Nearly 45% of trafficked youth identified were Alaska Native. The disproportionality is alarming. More research and community education is needed to fully understand and combat this issue.
Many factors contribute to the high rate of trafficking of Alaska Native people. Although human trafficking can happen to anyone, certain populations are more vulnerable and at a higher risk of becoming victims. There are risk factors that make Alaska Native populations especially vulnerable to human trafficking.
ANJC’s commitment in responding to trafficking in Alaska continues to strengthen through:
- Community education and awareness activities
- Facilitated training for service providers and community members
- Support and case management to survivors
- Partnership with organizations in order to provide referrals for needed services
- Providing legal assistance or advice
- Established a multidisciplinary task force in partnership with the Anchorage Police Department
Services
We provide help navigating systems, intensive case management, referrals to services and community resources. Legal representation may be available to eligible participants. Our services are culturally sensitive.
- Emotional support and safety planning
- Assistance with obtaining a protective order
- Education about the criminal justice system
- Emergency financial support
- Court accompaniment
- Assistance applying to the Violent Crime Compensation Board (VCCB) to cover crime related expenses or needs.
- Legal consultations, and in some cases, legal representation
- Referrals to services and resources such as:
- Housing
- Health care
- Recovery services for substance misuse
- Employment
- Additional legal service providers
