Jump to content

The Trump Administration Quietly Defunded Legal Services For Trafficking Victims


Recommended Posts

The move comes just two months after Trump signed the controversial FOSTA-SESTA anti-trafficking bill.

 

The Trump administration has removed legal representation from the list of social services the federal government provides to human trafficking survivors, a move that hinders their reintegration into society, many survivors argue.

The Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime sets federal funding aside to assist crime victims, including the victims of human trafficking. Up until this month, in addition to services like health care, education and employment, the funds also covered legal representation ― which human trafficking victims have used to get their criminal records expunged or dismissed. More than 90 percent of human trafficking victims are arrested for crimes like prostitution, truancy or drug possession when they are being trafficked.

But the most recent iteration of the Office for Victims of Crime’s budget, released on June 25, added new language:

“OVC funding may not be used for criminal defense services,” it reads. “Direct representation on vacatur or expungement matters through court filings or through other litigation services, is NOT an allowable cost under this cooperative agreement or with FY 2018 funds.”

Assistance in paying for legal aid is essential to victims’ recovery process, wrote more than 100 trafficking survivors in a letter to the OVC on Friday.

“Criminal records are a barrier to federal financial assistance for higher education, employment with government agencies, and housing programs,” they wrote. “When we have a lawyer help us with the difficult judicial process we are more likely to obtain justice and have our lives rightfully put into a place we can move past our victimization and be integrated back into society.”

Read the rest at: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-defunded-legal-services-trafficking_us_5b3fbeade4b07b827cc0517c

 
Link to comment
Share on other sites





Sometimes I just wonder what the people in this administration have in place of minds and hearts.  The things they decide are important and the things they deem disposable and unnecessary is bewildering sometimes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think this article gives too much credit to the administration being smart enough to pick out one legal service to defund. Plus it's a judicial branch service and it should be their responsibility to make such a decision. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...