What Trafficking Victim Services Can Learn from Domestic Violence Programs: Evaluation Challenges and Strategies

• In Event: Human Trafficking Practice and Research: Lessons from Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

Abstract

Programs serving survivors of human trafficking share many characteristics with those addressing domestic violence. Some of the core characteristics defining both types of programs present particular challenges for evaluation. Examples include emphasis on trauma-informed care, client empowerment, and a coordinated response by advocates and service providers. As with many programs, services for survivors of trafficking and domestic violence face pressure to demonstrate outcomes in order to justify ongoing support. Defining and measuring outcomes is particularly difficult given the diversity of individual circumstances, and service needs among clients, challenges of program engagement, and frequently uneven progress toward objectives. This presentation will explore some of these shared evaluation challenges and identify promising approaches from both types of programs.

Authors

• Jennifer Hardison Walters, RTI International

• Deborah Gibbs, RTI International