|
|
Court News Ohio
Human Trafficking Victims Survive Many
Demons En Route to Courts, Recovery
By Csaba Sukosd
January 25, 2019
There are many paths for those who end up in a human trafficking court.
The exploitation of people – be they forced into labor or the
commercial sex industry – often stems from the roots of dysfunction in
a person’s life.
“My mom was an addict and my dad has been in prison all of my life,”
said Cheyenne, a survivor and participant in Changing Actions that
Change Habits (CATCH Court) – a human trafficking specialized docket at
Franklin County Municipal Court.
CATCH Court – and Ohio’s three other human trafficking courts in
Cuyahoga County Municipal Court, Hamilton County Municipal Court, and
Summit County Juvenile Court – are structured specifically to help such
survivors open up about their past and the pain that led them into a
vicious cycle of being abused and manipulated. In some cases, like
Cheyenne’s, it was something witnessed as part of their upbringing. In
other instances, the damage came from what they’ve been told.
“It's really hard when you have a mentality of always thinking that
you’re never good enough or you're always feeling like nothing you do
is ever going to amount to anything,” said Erica, another survivor and
CATCH Court participant.
CATCH Court is a two-year program broken up into four phases aimed at
clearing a participant’s record and helping them maintain a clean
lifestyle – safety and grounding, heal and recover, reconnect, sustain
and thrive.
On top of the psychological anguish these women endure is the very real
concern about physical harm. Haidy Tawadros, a Franklin County
prosecutor, recalled the first time she handled a prostitution case in
court, and saw the dangers human trafficking victims experience on a
daily basis.
“What I didn’t realize was that her trafficker was right there in the
audience, and she came out of jail freaked out. She said, ‘If you let
me out of jail, I’m going to die,’” Tawadros said.
As a way to cope with their pain and fear, many victims experiment with
drugs before they ultimately become dependent on them as an escape.
“It may be a choice when you first pick up [and] you think it’s all
fun, but afterwards it’s no longer a choice,” said Cheyenne.
By the time survivors end up in a human trafficking court – typically
following multiple appearances within the judicial system – the trust
issues are evident, even though the court is filled with staff and a
support system to help and rehabilitate victims.
“Everyone was very open-armed and welcoming, but, you know, I’m used to
being on the street,” said Cheyenne. “So, I wasn’t used to that. I kind
of thought it was a bunch of crap at first.”
Once the avenues of communication and trust are opened, the healing
process takes place over years, if not a lifetime. That’s because the
psychological wounds take much longer to recover from than the physical
ones.
“If you try to communicate with them, they will shut down if their
trauma starts to kick in, and when they’re stressed out, you can’t talk
to them. They can’t hear anything,” said CATCH Court Judge Paul Herbert.
Fortunately, with patience and persistence from support staff and
survivors, things improve. In many cases, it simply requires a vision –
whether it’s figurative or literal.
Behind Judge Herbert’s bench is a painting of a girl with her wrists
bound by rope, yet still exhibiting hope with her hands open. Near her
hands is a butterfly – a symbol of change – and the sun illuminating an
open landscape.
“Even though her hands are tied and you can see she's in a prison,
there’s a pathway out, and she’s got a dream, and that’s being set
free,” said Judge Herbert.
That liberation from darkness creates a bond for these women – not only
among each other and with court personnel, but also with loved ones.
The recovery from abuse and addiction reconnects them with family
members after a separation under dark circumstances or children taken
away from them by court order.
“The multi-generational healing is something very special. I didn’t
expect that,” said Judge Herbert. “When you have mothers and daughters
get back together, and then the daughters get their kids back, and to
see that kind of healing, is worth everything.”
|
|
|
|
