Victim-centered approach for front-line professionals working with trafficking in human beings

The purpose of this guide is to describe the Victim-centered Approach (VCA) for
assisting asylum seekers and refugees who are potential or recognized victims of
trafficking. It is meant to be a practical guide for front line officers at police or other
governmental departments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) staff who
encounter potential victims through their work.
The information in this guide is mainly derived from the years of professional
experience in using the victim-centered approach, in an attempt to transfer
knowledge and assist in the efficacy of supporting victims of trafficking. This is not
a training manual and cannot be used alone, without appropriate training for
working with victims of trafficking. It is short and practical, as it is understood that
time is valuable and meant to be spent for support of the victims.
Therefore, this guide is appropriate for social workers, psychologists, lawyers, frontline
officers like immigration, migration, social defense officers, NGO officers, other
governmental officers and police.
It should be noted that a trafficking victim can be anyone, either coming from another
country or from the local community, be male or female and be exploited for labor,
sexual exploitation or organ collection. This guide focuses only to women trafficking
victims for sexual exploitation that are asylum seekers or refugees.