Are Our Current Safety Net Programs Working for Survivors?

Federal safety-net programs are a crucial opportunity to prevent child trafficking by reducing vulnerabilities such as poverty, food insecurity, and homelessness. For survivors, these programs are pathways to healing and financial stability after they’ve experienced extreme violence. However, less than half of survivors can access these systems, and many are left without the basic necessities needed to survive. Government data suggests that only 20.1% of all poor children eligible for cash assistance receive it.

Survivors of human trafficking often face a multitude of roadblocks and obstacles when trying to access these programs, including the psychological, learning, and compliance costs that individuals experience whenever they interact with the government. These obstacles, termed “administrative burdens,” are built into our bureaucratic structure. Imagine the frustration that many have experienced in renewing a drivers’ license. Now, imagine that the benefit is not just a license, but health care, housing, food, and the person seeking those benefits cannot read, does not have access to identity documents or suffers from trauma-related injuries that complicate the ability to complete an application.

Since the 1996 welfare reform legislation, eligibility and program requirements have centered on reducing fraud and incentivizing work. Even though fraud is rare and overstated, public benefit offices are heavily biased against applicants. As a result, families, particularly Black and Brown mothers, face harsh and wrongful punishments. Research reflects that marginalized groups are disproportionately affected by administrative burdens. Immigrants, LGBTQ+, and those with mental health issues face even greater challenges. When they are at their most vulnerable, survivors must complete complicated forms and comply with difficult requirements.

Survivors with children are also receiving less and less assistance every year. Since 1994, Congress has failed to increase funding for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, leaving vulnerable families with 38% less assistance in 2020. In response, ECPAT-USA will continue to advocate for the expansion of supportive programs for human trafficking victims across the country, allowing for greater access to urgently needed services they rightfully deserve. Until the United States reforms its approach to safety net programs, this crisis of accessibility will continue, and survivors will continue to face the potential of extreme poverty, hunger, and a cycle of violence because of overly complicated and flawed social welfare systems.