Western Mass. lacking is programs to help victims of trafficking

An informational ad about human trafficking appears on the information board at Springfield’s Union Station.
Republican file photo

Not every childhood is the same. From the age of 3 until she was 13 years old, Talia, who did not want her last name used for privacy reasons, was trafficked for sex in the Baltimore area.

Her trafficker was the one person who was supposed to protect her — her mother. Talia’s mother was addicted to narcotics and would trade her daughter for drugs or the money to buy them.

“I remember smells, sounds. I remember a lot of it,” she said.

As Talia got older, she would spend as much time as possible at friends’ houses. Referring to her mother, she said, “She just kind of left me alone.”

She added, “No one stepped in and saved me or anything like that.”

The trafficking eventually ended because her mother died from an overdose.

Talia did not tell anyone about her experience until she was in her 20s. Even then, while she recognized that she was abused, she didn’t realize it was human trafficking.

“A lot of kids don’t think of themselves as being trafficked. It’s shameful. It’s embarrassing. It’s a really big stigma,” she said, adding that victims think, “Maybe you shouldn’t have been in that park or maybe you shouldn’t have been online.”

Talia is now the director of the RFK Community Alliance Human Trafficking Legacy Program in Pittsfield. She works with girls and boys whose experiences run the full spectrum of trafficking.

“A lot of the kids I work with now, it’s somebody they know. In Hampden County, it’s more gang-related,” Talia said.

The internet has increased the prevalence of trafficking, she said, and traffickers often reach out through gaming platforms.

“Take time to talk to your kids about internet safety,” Talia urged parents. “I want people to not be embarrassed to say, ‘My kid’s talking to an 18-year-old on the internet.”

RFK Community Alliance offers programs for at-risk youth in several locations from Boston to the Berkshires, but the Pittsfield location is the only site that specifically addresses the needs of formerly trafficked youth.

“In Western Mass., there’s not a ton of services. There are more in the more-populated places,” Talia said.

Margaret Tantillo is the executive director of the O’Dell Women’s Center in Springfield. The agency does not provide direct services, but funds grants and offers space to organizations that address women’s needs.

“We definitely abhor the sex trafficking of women and girls. We do try to connect them with resources,” Tantillo said. However, funding for those resources in Western Massachusetts has dwindled. “This is, unfortunately, more and more what we’re seeing. We’ve talked about the cuts but now we’re seeing it firsthand.”

The YWCA of Western Massachusetts operated a program for people who had been trafficked but it was unable to continue due to funding. While operating, the program helped more than 50 women who had been trafficked for sex, labor or a combination of the two. Men are also trafficked, with 15% of trafficking victims identifying as men.

Some programs, such as those for domestic violence, may offer resources that overlap with those for trafficking. “Second chances and not victim blaming is huge,” Talia said. She added that one of the most important ways to help a child who is being trafficked is to “have one trusted adult. I know it sounds corny, but it helps.”

The following are some of the resources available to trafficked people in the Pioneer Valley:

National Human Trafficking Hotline
1-888-373-7888
Text “HELP” or “INFO” to 233733
Available 24/7
Humantraffickinghotline.org

Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts
413-737-2601
info@jfswm.org
jfswm.org/trafficking-victims-assistance-program

Children’s Advocacy Center of Hampshire County
24 Hour Hotline: (800) 792-5200
593 Elm St., Northampton, 413-570-5989
kmcelhone@cachampshire.com
cachampshire.org

Baystate Family Advocacy Center
413-794-9816
300 Carew St., Springfield
baystatehealth.org/fac

Safe Passage
413-586-1125
75 Carlon Drive, Northampton
Safepass.org

Salvation Army of Massachusetts
(413) 733-1518
170 Pearl St., Springfield
salvationarmyusa.org/usa-eastern-territory/massachusetts/human-trafficking