VACATUR LEGAL PRACTICE GUIDE

Dear FTT Community,

I’m  thrilled to share that Free to Thrive recently published the  first-of-its-kind California Vacatur Practice Guide. This practice guide  is intended to serve as a resource for attorneys representing survivors  in vacatur petitions, prosecutors, judges, court staff, and survivors  entitled to this relief. Despite the fact that California’s vacatur law  went into effect in 2017, it is still relatively novel and often unknown  by key stakeholders. 

As  many of you know, Free to Thrive began representing trafficking  survivors in vacatur cases in 2017, shortly after California’s vacatur  law (P.C. § 236.14) went into effect. We also served on the Justice for Survivors Coalition to expand the vacatur law in 2021 to include survivors of interpersonal and sexual violence (P.C. § 236.15). 

In  the seven years since we began doing this work, we have worked  tirelessly on behalf of trafficking survivors who were criminalized as a  direct result of their exploitation. We have worked alongside other  organizations throughout the state doing this work. Several of those  organizations contributed their insights to the practice guide  including: 

· Immigrant Legal Resource Center

· Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice 

· Office of the San Diego Public Defender 

· Pepperdine Caruso School of Law

· San Mateo Bar Association Private Defender Program

We  are hopeful this practice guide will shed light on this area of the law  and help more survivors access the justice they deserve. 

With deepest gratitude,

Jamie Beck

VACATUR LEGAL PRACTICE GUIDE

You  can help us spread the word by forwarding this practice guide to  attorneys working with survivors, organizations serving survivors,  prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, court staff and anyone else you  think would benefit from this information. Also, be sure to save a copy  of the practice guide as a reference tool when you need it.

Download the Guide

SEXTORTION: THE HIDDEN PANDEMIC  CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE TRAILER

Once you see the trailer, then be sure to go to the new website developed to support the film:  SEXTORTIONFILM.COM

This movie started with the passion of the Million Kids family of supporters and came full circle with a release at the Santa Barbara Film Festival (March 2-12, 2022).  The movie is a powerful message created by Stephen Peek and Maria Demeshkina Peek, Vice Presidents and Executive Producers from Auroris Media. This has been an incredible partnership of Auroris Media, Giving University, Homeland Security, Dept of Justice, ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) NCMEC, Amanda Todd Legacy Society, and Million Kids.  Thank you for your financial support and your prayers as we undertake to get this film in front of every parent and young person in the U.S. and around the globe.  Opal Singleton, President, Million Kids.

During the pandemic, our children are spending more and more time online, putting them at higher risk for interacting with predators. The San Diego Trafficking Prevention Collective is providing online training to teachers in order to continue their mission of bringing human trafficking education, prevention and awareness training  into every public school in San Diego County. 

To learn more, please click here.

Imagine waking up every morning to people you love and feel safe with.
 

Then,  suddenly, strangers take you away and place you in a dull, unfamiliar  place to share with other girls and some of them don’t even like you.  You go from feeling  like you have options to feeling like you have rules to follow or else  suffer consequences. 

Imagine  the ways a child may have suffered, but then is referred to as  “ungrateful”, or “angry”, which makes them lose trust with providers,  and potentially return  to their trafficker. 

Justice is not served unless it’s through the eyes of the victim.

A  trafficker is aware of these perspectives and situations surrounding  care facilities and youth not feeling supported. Just like social  workers have a role and  police have a role, so do traffickers. They have strategic planning,  research, undercover partners, and skills that make them the best fit  for their job. 

Traffickers know that kids still see them as a safe haven. 

Now  imagine being a youth who has finally gained the mental strength to see  those “helpful” people who took you from everything you knew did so  because what you  knew was not healthy. You write a victim impact statement to help get  your trafficker locked away just to find out that, according to the law,  he is not even considered a violent offender (though you know full well  he did multiple violent things to you.) What  now?

There  are so many aspects of surviving trafficking that many of us would not  even consider. We are grateful to hear from those with lived experience  to ensure we  are becoming the best possible advocates. This is why we’re passionate  about creating resources to help us better understand the perspectives  of those we’re trying to serve. They’ve already been through so much and  now they need people to champion them, not  students. 

Included in the course:
 

• 9  Chapters with 46 Videos to help you learn about the unique needs of  commercially sexually exploited children and how to best serve them as  they transition into a life of freedom
• Panels  from experts in Law Enforcement, Probation, and Child Welfare to help  give a well-rounded view of the problem and solutions from all angles of  those serving these youth
• Clips  from the award-winning documentary about CSEC, “Sex + Money: A National  Search For Human Worth” with first-hand accounts from survivors,  traffickers and buyers

Join  now for our introductory pricing at 20% off!