About Our Expert-Led Trainings

This workshop is designed to provide an overview of the legal barriers people with living/lived experience in the sex trade face when attempting to exit. This curriculum examines these barriers through the lens of cumulative harms and addresses myths surrounding legal issues affecting this population, discusses mechanisms for restorative and preventative justice, and provides a framework for understanding the impact legal issues have on achieving and sustaining exiting the sex trade. 

• Examine legal barriers (criminal/civil) to exiting 
• Understand the compounded impact of forced criminality
• Analyze the availability vs. accessibility of current justice avenues
• Underscore the need for preventative justice
• Explore and confer on viable means of preventative and restorative justice in practice

The Safe Exit Initiative (SEI) works with individuals engaged in the sex trade or at risk of commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking, having served people of all ages—from 11 to 70. This curriculum explores the complex realities faced by these individuals, shares best practices SEI has developed in providing support, and covers strategies for exit planning. It will also address how to support youth transitioning into adulthood and discuss ways multi-disciplinary teams can build safe networks and foster a cultural shift within the community.

• Understanding the many forms of sex trafficking
• Person centered approach in support and response
• Planning for exit and potential barriers
• Supporting juvenile survivors in transition to adulthood
• Building networks to shift culture

This curriculum provides a nuanced exploration of the intersections between substance use disorder (SUD), mental health disorders (MHD), and the sex trade. Designed for mental health professionals, addiction/recovery specialists, social workers, and advocates, the session will explore the underlying factors driving these intersecting issues and highlight the importance of trauma-informed, and specialized programming for this population. Participants will leave with practical tools and strategies to enhance care and build supportive environments for individuals facing these challenges empowering them to better understand and respond to the complexities of these intersecting challenges, using integrated care approaches to foster healing and resilience.

• Understand the intersections of SUD, MHD, and the sex trade  
• Recognize push and pull factors and how they relate to trauma
• Identify the need for specialized programming that integrates mental health and addiction services
• Explore evidence-based treatment models that address co-occurring mental health and substance use issues
• Develop safe, non-judgmental, trauma-informed environments that support recovery and exit planning

This curriculum equips law enforcement officers with the tools and strategies needed to effectively target the demand for commercial sex and arrest buyers, while fostering compassionate and trauma-informed approaches to individuals in the sex trade.  This training aims to create a positive, community-focused police presence by emphasizing buyer accountability while redirecting individuals in the sex trade toward meaningful resources while underscoring the broader societal benefits of law enforcement acting as a bridge to services rather than a driver of incarceration.

• Demand reduction and buyer accountability
• Service-oriented response for individuals in the sex trade 
• Trauma-informed policing strategies
• Community benefits of a service-focused approach 

This curriculum prepares legal professionals to effectively apply Massachusetts' Vacatur Law to help survivors of human trafficking vacate criminal records tied to their exploitation. It emphasizes the importance of restoring survivors’ rights and removing legal barriers to rebuilding their lives.  This training empowers Massachusetts lawyers to use the Vacatur Law effectively to vacate convictions tied to human trafficking. By ensuring survivors receive legal relief, attorneys can help remove obstacles that hinder recovery and provide a critical step toward justice and renewed opportunities for clients.

• Overview of the Massachusetts Vacatur Law
• Building a vacatur case: Gathering evidence and documentation  
• Filing a vacatur petition 
• Trauma-informed legal representation for survivors 
• Impact of vacatur on survivors’ lives and communities 

This curriculum provides nonprofit leaders with the knowledge and tools needed to collaborate effectively in applying for funding opportunities. It emphasizes how organizations can pool resources and expertise to address the intersecting vulnerabilities faced by their diverse client populations to effectively collaborate on grant applications while fostering innovation and resource-sharing to better serve communities facing complex challenges. It highlights how coordinated efforts can not only improve funding success but also enhance service delivery and long-term outcomes for vulnerable populations.  

• Identifying common goals and overlapping needs 
• Building strong collaborative partnerships
• Developing competitive joint grant proposals  
• Maximizing impact through coordinated services

This curriculum equips legal professionals with trauma-informed approaches to provide effective representation for clients who have experienced exploitation in the sex trade. It emphasizes empathy, harm reduction, and strategies to avoid re-traumatization while navigating legal processes.  This training prepares lawyers to provide compassionate, effective representation for individuals exploited in the sex trade. By integrating trauma-informed practices, legal professionals can better support their clients’ recovery, dignity, and long-term success while fostering a more humane and just legal system.  

• Understanding Trauma and Its Impact on Legal Clients
• Building Trusting Attorney-Client Relationships  
• Trauma-Informed Advocacy and Legal Practices
• Navigating Legal Systems with Sensitivity and Care  
• The Broader Impact of Trauma-Informed Lawyering