March 2022 – NEXUS and Different & Equal (D&E) have published three reintegration guides exploring key issues in supporting trafficking victim reintegration. These reintegration guides address:
- The stages of recovery and reintegration of trafficking victims
- Supporting the children of trafficking victims
- Mentoring of victims of trafficking
The target audience is a broad range of reintegration practitioners in Albania, such as social workers and social assistants, psychologists and counselors, child protection workers, healthcare providers, lawyers and paralegals, shelter staff, public administrators, educators and school administrators, professionals working on economic empowerment, and others. The guides will also be helpful to reintegration practitioners in other countries who will benefit in their daily work from these practical tools and resources.
Each reintegration guide is a practical, stand-alone resource for reintegration practitioners to use in their day-to-day work and offers practical guidance on how to improve reintegration efforts. The guides can also be used to prepare and train practitioners, as well as be referred during on-going reintegration work.
The reintegration guide series was drafted by Different and Equal (D&E) and NEXUS Institute in the framework of the project Providing Comprehensive Reintegration Services and Improving the Protection Framework for Victims of Trafficking in Albania. These guides are based on two decades of reintegration work in Albania and the experiences of trafficking victims. They were also reviewed and validated in December 2021 at a practitioner workshop hosted by D&E and NEXUS Institute and attended by practitioners from government and civil society. The workshop provided an opportunity for participants to learn about the guides and to share their experience and knowledge. It was also an opportunity to discuss how the guides can be implemented and operationalized in day-to-day reintegration work in Albania.
Stages of recovery and reintegration of trafficking victims. A reintegration guide for practitioners (2022)
Available in Albanian
Recovery and reintegration after a trafficking experience is far from an easy or smooth transition. It is often a complex, taxing and complicated process that involves significant challenges for victims, as well as their family members, and which is impacted by the family and community environments into which they reintegrate. This reintegration guide outlines the three stages of trafficking victims’ recovery and reintegration – 1) crisis phase, 2) transition phase and 3) reintegration and inclusion phase – based on the experiences of trafficking victims and reintegration practitioners in Albania. The guide begins with an explanation of reintegration, outlining the three stages of reintegration. It then goes into further details about each of the stages, providing an overview of the specific phase, victim feelings and behaviors in this phase, and what assistance and support is typically needed and provided in this phase. Each section then concludes with a checklist of suggestions for reintegration practitioners as guidance for their daily work.
Supporting children of trafficking victims. A reintegration guide for practitioners (2022)
Available in Albanian
To date, little attention has been paid to the reintegration of children of trafficking victims. These children – those who were left behind, those who were trafficked with their parent(s) and those born from a trafficking situation – face serious and diverse challenges, not only while their parent is trafficked, but also after trafficking ends and their recovery and reintegration is underway. Equally, service providers face a range of constraints in effectively supporting the safety, well-being, and long-term reintegration of these children, not least given the complexity and diversity of their assistance needs. Based on the experiences of trafficking victims and reintegration practitioners in Albania, this reintegration guide offers an enhanced understanding of the experiences and needs of children of trafficking victims, to effectively and appropriately support the inclusion of these children into their families and communities and to ensure their access to the rights and opportunities that they are entitled to and which are vital for their healthy development. It offers guidance and suggestions for reintegration practitioners to support them in their daily work with children of trafficking victims and their families.
Mentoring of victims of trafficking. A reintegration guide for practitioners (2022)
Available in Albanian
Recovery and reintegration after trafficking is a taxing and complicated process that involves significant challenges for victims, as well as their family members. Service providers play an important and sometimes lifesaving role in supporting recovery and reintegration. This includes mentors who provide trafficking victims with emotional and social support, serve as a positive role model and an example of a healthy, and supportive relationship. Mentors also work with trafficking victims to build their trust, confidence, and self-esteem. This reintegration guide equips practitioners with information about mentoring trafficking victims during their recovery and reintegration. The guide begins with an overview of recovery and reintegration after a trafficking experience. It then goes on to explain the mentoring model and the role of mentors in supporting recovery and reintegration. It also explains how to establish mentoring relationships, different stages in the mentoring process, and challenges faced in mentoring. The guide concludes with guidance for mentors and reintegration practitioners when employing a mentoring model to support trafficking victim reintegration.