Advocating opportunity (AO)
AO is only one of a handful of programs in the country providing comprehensive, holistic, trauma-responsive legal and support services to persons who have experienced sex and labor trafficking. We also provide family support to ensure that trafficked and exploited persons have a stable home environment with organic supports. Most legal and social service providers across the U.S. provide limited legal services or work with a limited population, such as working only with minors or adults, only with women, only foreign-nationals, or only with those who have experienced sex trafficking. AO is different.
We use a trauma-responsive, human rights-based, client-led approach to combating human trafficking and labor exploitation. This approach focuses on the individual circumstances, needs, and rights of clients and respects the individual’s autonomy, agency, legal and personal rights. AO's approach strives to empower the individual, on their terms, is non-judgmental, and connects the rights of the individual to their own well-being and to the prosecution of traffickers where desired.
Our trauma-responsive, holistic legal services are provided within a legal framework and are client-led. Our Client Advocates and Attorneys employ trauma-responsive mobile advocacy to clients, meeting each person where they are emotionally and often literally. This reduces trauma and stress on clients and increases their access to justice. Advocates focus on addressing each client's needs and goals, as identified by the client, rather than on predetermined needs or goals identified or promoted by our firm.
We are unique among legal service providers for trafficked and exploited persons.
We are inclusive. AO works with clients until they choose to leave services. We partner with existing services in the community to fill gaps in services, support existing resources, find the right fit for our clients, and bolster a human rights-based approach grounded in our clients' interests and goals. This ensures that clients receive effective, coordinated services which are individually tailored to each client’s needs. AO’s whole-person advocacy provides clients with access to linguistically-appropriate, culturally-sensitive, trauma-responsive, and client-centered social, mental health, medical, legal, educational, housing, vocational and other services as requested.
Services are delivered using AO’s Resilience Model©, a trauma-responsive resiliency model, which was developed by AO and Finding Hope Consulting with funding from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), and a private individual donor in 2015. The Resilience Model was developed as research-based approach to support trafficked and exploited persons as they heal from trauma. Supporting and assisting our clients to build their resilience leads to trauma resolution and the resulting opportunity to reorganize their lives. This, most significantly, means choosing a path unencumbered by the effects of a high ACE Score because increased or high resilience mitigates or counteracts the effects of the ACEs. Thus, the Resilience Model, and the implementation of resilience factors, act as both an antidote to ACEs and inoculation against future adverse life experiences.
AO works with local courts, social service agencies, law enforcement, and other organizations dedicated to supporting trafficked and exploited persons. Our partners include the Lucas and Franklin County Common Pleas Court Juvenile and General Divisions, the Crime and Trauma Assistance Program at Mount Carmel, the FBI Innocence Lost Task Force, the Salvation Army of Central Ohio, Covered, the Toledo Bar Association Pro Bono Program, the Ohio State Bar Foundation, the Toledo Legal Aid Society Public Defender Program, Legal Aid of Western Ohio, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, the Office of the Ohio Public Defender, and the Greif Fellowship at Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law among other organizations and partners.
WHY AN ATTORNEY AND A DEDICATED ADVOCATE?
AO provides an Attorney and a Client Advocate to each client to assist them while they reorganize their lives following the trauma of being trafficked or exploited. Our staff is trained extensively in trauma, law, social services, human trafficking and labor exploitation. Each advocacy team works consistently with each client until their concerns and needs are resolved or until they no longer wish to participate in services.
AO is the only non-profit legal services organization whose staff is certified in trauma-responsive care. Each staff member is a certified Trauma Responsive Care Coordinator (TRCC) through Finding Hope Consulting and we use a trauma-responsive approach to working with each client. We never close a client’s case and clients may return at any time for services. AO provides all services at no cost to clients.
A dedicated and human trafficking competent legal advocate assists trafficked and exploited persons to:
Understand the legal system and their rights in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner
Understand the criminal and civil legal processes and their roles, including as a victim, witness, or defendant
Learn to work with and understand the courts, law enforcement, governmental agencies, and non-governmental organizations in a new context
Access immigration relief and assistance
Pursue civil remedies
Address other legal issues as they arise
Provides client-led, trauma-responsive mobile advocacy under a legal and human rights framework
