Date
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Time
9:00 AM - 10:15 AM
Name
Can I Get a Witness? Ways to Support a Trafficking Survivor Who is a Witness in a Criminal Case
Track
Law Enforcement, Legal & Policy
Jamie Zeigler
Description

The goal of this workshop is to equip professionals who are working directly with survivors who are witnesses in criminal proceedings. The workshop will discuss how people in different roles can better understand survivors and support them as a witness. It will also discuss the benefits and the difficulties of survivors when asked to testify. It will give people in these professional roles information that can be used to support a survivor who is a witness in a criminal case. Specifically, it will examine the roles of law enforcement officers, direct service providers and members of the justice system (including prosecutors) can work together to understand and support a survivor who is a witness in a criminal case. While all the mentioned roles have unique lanes of work, this presentation will discuss different goals and how these goals are better met when everyone understands survivors better and uses trauma informed tools to support survivor witnesses. It will end with a real-life scenario of how a survivor can feel supported to assist in prosecuting traffickers when professionals work together.