After Rescue: Evaluation of Strategies to Stabilize and Integrate Adult Survivors of Human Trafficking to the United States, 2006-2011 (ICPSR 36405)

Version Date: Sep 27, 2023

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Principal Investigator(s):
Elzbieta M. Gozdziak, Georgetown University; Briant Lindsay Lowell, Georgetown University

https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR36405.v1

Version V1

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Summary

This mixed-methods project examined comprehensive case management services provided from fiscal years 2006 to 2011 to adult survivors of human trafficking born outside of the United States. The purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of different intervention strategies to stabilize, rehabilitate, and integrate survivors into wider society. Case management services were funded by the Anti-Trafficking in Persons (ATIP) Program of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) under the Per Capita Reimbursement Contract administered by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Several data sources were used for analysis: 1) A longitudinal, relational database of survivor cases as reported electronically by subcontracted social service providers throughout the United States, 2) intake assessment and case notes, and 3) group discussions and in-depth interviews with service providers to gain an understanding of the processes and dynamics involved in protecting survivors from repeat victimization and facilitating their reintegration into the mainstream society.

Two datasets are included in this collection: the Base dataset (DS1), a cleaned and merged version of USCCB records, and the Analysis dataset (DS2), which includes all base items and variables constructed for analysis. The qualitative interview data will be made available at a future date.

Citation

Gozdziak, Elzbieta M., and Lowell, Briant Lindsay. After Rescue: Evaluation of Strategies to Stabilize and Integrate Adult Survivors of Human Trafficking to the United States, 2006-2011. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2023-09-27. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR36405.v1

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Funding

United States Department of Justice. Office of Justice Programs. National Institute of Justice (2012-IJ-CX-0026)

Subject Terms

Geographic Coverage

Smallest Geographic Unit

State

Restrictions

Access to these data is restricted. Users interested in obtaining these data must complete a Restricted Data Use Agreement, specify the reason for the request, and obtain IRB approval or notice of exemption for their research.

Distributor(s)

Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research
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Time Period(s)

2006 -- 2011

Date of Collection

2006 -- 2011
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Study Purpose

The purpose of this study was to provide a profile of human trafficking survivors born outside the United States, and to evaluate the effectiveness of different intervention strategies to stabilize, rehabilitate, and integrate survivors into wider society.

Study Design

The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) contracted the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to administer the Per Capita Reimbursement program, which was designed to provide comprehensive case management services to foreign-born human trafficking survivors and their family members (derivatives). USCCB formed partnerships with local service providers in several U.S. states, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands to provide services. A wide range of programs were represented, including those that specialized in services for trafficking survivors, immigration and refugee assistance, domestic violence shelters, and other community-based organizations. All programs were vetted by USCCB to ensure that they were equipped to address needs of foreign-born trafficking survivors.

Eligibility criteria for clients to be enrolled in the Per Capita Reimbursement program were meeting the Trafficking Victim Protections Act (TVPA) definition of a victim of a severe form of trafficking, be removed from the trafficking situation, and meet additional requirements (residing in the U.S. but not a citizen or permanent resident, working toward or received eligibility from Health and Human Services/ORR, and requiring case management).

USCCB created a case management information database to be used by the participating service providers to maintain records on clients. The database contained information drawn from client case management files, demographic files, and agency surveys. For client-level data, at time of entry into the program, agencies recorded basic client demographics, and then subsequently recorded information on client stability and needs for each month the client received services from the agency. For agency-level data, at time of registration for the program, agencies filled out a survey on agency characteristics (e.g. capacity, services provided).

Telephone interviews were conducted with representatives of 20 Per Capita Reimbursement programs across 8 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. 30 service providers, mainly program directors and caseworkers, were interviewed. Each interview lasted between 45-90 minutes.

Sample

The analysis used USCCB database records from 2,735 clients who were pre-certified or certified and assisted under the Per Capita Reimbursement program between April 2007 and September 2011. Data for 2006 were incomplete and were not included in the analysis for this project. 120 agencies participated in the Per Capita Reimbursement program during the study time period.

Time Method

Longitudinal, Cross-sectional

Universe

  • Clients born outside the United States and identified as human trafficking survivors receiving social services during the study timeframe.
  • Stakeholders from agencies providing services to human trafficking survivors.

Unit(s) of Observation

Organization, Individual

Data Source

American Community Survey (ACS)

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)

Data Type(s)

Mode of Data Collection

Description of Variables

Survivor characteristics: country of origin, age, gender, type of exploitation (labor, sex, or both), certification status, date first received services, number of months receiving services, and needs and stability assessment during each month.

Agency characteristics: agency type (human trafficking specific, refugee/immigration, domestic violence, or community-based), staffing levels, experience working with trafficking survivors, service provision, and location. Additional state-level items on unemployment rate and presence of co-ethnic populations come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS).

Agency stakeholder interview question themes: Background history and characteristics of the program as related to handling human trafficking clients; stabilization, including definition, training on related issues, and outcomes for clients; usefulness of the USCCB database; and lessons learned from working with trafficked clients.

Response Rates

Not applicable.

Presence of Common Scales

None.

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Original Release Date

2023-09-27

Version History

2023-09-27 ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:

  • Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.

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Weight

Not applicable.

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Notes

  • The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.

  • One or more files in this data collection have special restrictions. Restricted data files are not available for direct download from the website; click on the Restricted Data button to learn more.