“Since 2000, with the passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have been responsible for placing trafficked children in safe environments where they can receive appropriate care. Most of the children have been placed in Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM) programs which have worked effectively to address their needs. Information and insights presented here are drawn from the experience of URM administrators and staff who work with the children, and from research gathered by USCCB and Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of International Migration who interviewed the children’s social workers, case managers and some of the children themselves. This document reflects the shared wisdom of experienced people. It is intended for all URM staff who will work directly with trafficked children. This document is also intended to suggest best practices as they have evolved through URM program experience with foreign-born trafficked children in the U.S. Since services to trafficked children is a young field, we present these guidelines with the understanding that they are still evolving and that the experience of each URM program serving the trafficked child will contribute to the on-going development of our collective wisdom.” – Publisher’s description
