SOPs for Facilities for Human Trafficking Victims
Today, RET International handed over standard operating procedures for all residential care facilities that work directly with human trafficking victims. It is a key component of the organization’s SAFE Belize Project. At the Biltmore Plaza in Belize City, representatives from existing facilities, as well as the Ministry of Human Development, signed off on the document, committing to improving the services being provided to this vulnerable group of persons. Service delivery and the classification of needs of the victims were among the gaps identified during the consultation leading up to today’s handing over.
Cherese Ferguson
Cherese Ferguson, Country Director, RET International
“To provide a more comprehensive and standardized procedures for shelters to be able to operate and provide the best quality of wrap-around services, trauma informed care services for victims of trafficking. And so we started the project back in 2021, had a series of consultations, meetings with government and non-government organizations, review of policies, other frameworks that are in place to get us to this point of the development of the SOPs.”
Dolores Balderamos-Garcia
Dolores Balderamos-Garcia, Minister of Human Development
“It’s a good day because it is a day of all the partners coming together to say look, if you are going to have a shelter here – whether it is in Corozal, whether it is in Toledo – there will be procedures that are followed. And it is a good thing to get it right. As I said in my remarks earlier, we need to get it right. And if one shelter is offering a particular set of services, then another one should do the same.”
Elswith Chevez
Elswith Chevez, Victim Assistant Coordinator, Human Trafficking Institute
“The reason why this SOP is very important is to have documents and policies in place of what should happen when a victim goes into these residential care facilities. What HTI will be doing as part of our mission to work along with the government is to do training with these residential care facilities and also foster families who have to work with victims of human trafficking. It is a different dynamic; the job is very tedious because we have to remember victims do not trust authority. And so it is even more dedication on these residential care facilities as well as foster families that work along with trafficking victims. There are currently three existing facilities. Part of the project involves the establishment or identification of three other facilities.”
There are currently three existing facilities. Part of the project involves the establishment or identification of three other facilities.
