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Justice for Survivors: Why Civil Legal Remedies Matter

By February 4, 2025No Comments

JUSTICE FOR SURVIVORS

WHY CIVIL LEGAL REMEDIES MATTER

Survivors of human trafficking in the United States face an uphill battle even after escaping their traffickers. Many are burdened with criminal records tied directly to their exploitation, making it difficult to secure employment, housing, education, and financial stability. Despite widespread efforts to prosecute traffickers, survivors frequently find themselves punished by the legal system instead of protected. Addressing this injustice requires both systemic change and survivor-centered civil legal remedies to truly support their path to recovery.

 

The Criminalization of Survivors

The criminal justice system often fails to identify victims of human trafficking, instead arresting them for crimes they were coerced or forced into committing. Research shows that more than 90% of trafficking survivors in the U.S. have been arrested at least once, with many experiencing multiple arrests. Law enforcement officials may not recognize signs of trafficking, leading to prosecutions for offenses like prostitution, drug possession, theft, or fraud — acts often carried out under the threat of violence or psychological manipulation.

Even after leaving their traffickers, survivors face the lingering consequences of their criminal records. A 2016 National Survivor Network survey found that 73% of survivors struggle to secure employment, while 58% experience housing insecurity due to their criminal history. Without stable employment or housing, survivors remain at high risk for re-exploitation, continuing the cycle of victimization.

 

The Legal System’s Double Standard

Despite the immense challenges survivors face, traffickers often evade true justice. Fewer than 35% of survivors report that their trafficker was ever arrested, and even when arrests occur, charges are frequently dismissed. This stark disparity highlights a systemic failure: while survivors are criminalized for their coerced actions, traffickers and their enablers continue their exploitation with impunity.

 

Civil Legal Remedies: A Path to Justice

Civil legal remedies offer survivors a chance to reclaim their lives by addressing both the legal and financial consequences of their exploitation. Unlike criminal cases, which focus on punishing offenders, civil remedies prioritize compensating survivors and restoring their rights. Key legal avenues include:

Civil Lawsuits

  • The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) allows survivors to sue not only their traffickers but also businesses or organizations that knowingly benefited from trafficking.
  • These lawsuits can target hotels, websites, banks, transportation companies, and landlords who profited from trafficking activities.
  • Because the burden of proof in civil court is lower than in criminal cases, survivors have a greater chance of success in securing financial compensation and validation of their experiences.

Criminal Record Relief

  • Survivors can seek to vacate, expunge, or seal their records for offenses committed under duress.
  • Vacatur laws nullify convictions entirely, recognizing that survivors should never have been prosecuted in the first place.
  • Expungement laws remove convictions from public records, allowing survivors to legally deny past arrests.
  • Sealing laws protect survivors from discrimination while still allowing government agencies access to their records.
  • These remedies significantly improve survivors’ access to employment, housing, education, and public benefits.

 

Holding Systems Accountable

Expanding access to civil legal remedies not only empowers survivors but also forces systemic change. Holding traffickers and complicit businesses financially accountable discourages future exploitation, prompting industries to adopt stronger anti-trafficking policies. Additionally, comprehensive criminal record relief legislation acknowledges the injustice of punishing victims for their exploitation.

 

A Call to Action

Survivors deserve more than just freedom from their traffickers—they deserve a fair chance at rebuilding their lives. Expanding access to civil legal remedies is crucial in breaking the cycle of criminalization and enabling true independence. Advocacy efforts must focus on ensuring all survivors have the legal tools they need to erase the injustices of their past and secure their futures.

By shifting the focus from punishment to empowerment, we can begin to correct the injustices survivors face and create a legal system that truly supports their recovery.

 

JUSTICE FOR SURVIVORS

WHY CIVIL LEGAL REMEDIES ARE KEY TO RECOVERY FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING SURVIVORS

Survivors of human trafficking in the United States often face profound legal consequences as a direct result of their exploitation, including serious convictions that deeply impact their ability to leave trafficking situations, maintain their independence, and build stability in independence. Because the focus of anti-trafficking efforts is often on prosecuting traffickers, the legal system frequently fails to recognize survivors as victims. Instead, they are arrested, charged, and convicted for crimes in which their participation was coerced or forced. Criminal records follow survivors long after they exit trafficking, creating overwhelming barriers to employment, housing, education, and financial stability. Understanding these legal repercussions and ensuring access to legal remedies, such as criminal record relief and civil litigation, is crucial for trafficking survivors to truly move beyond exploitation and into freedom.

Legal Consequences of Trafficking

Many human trafficking survivors — especially those forced into commercial sex — are criminalized rather than protected when encountering law enforcement. Over 90% of U.S. survivors report being arrested at least once, and most report multiple arrests for crimes they were coerced or forced to participate in. Law enforcement officers frequently fail to identify trafficking indicators, leading to survivors being prosecuted for offenses such as prostitution, drug possession, theft, or fraud. Many traffickers manipulate their victims into engaging in illegal activities as an additional form of control, later threatening to report them to the police to force compliance. In extreme cases, traffickers convince their victims that they were not only involved in criminal activity but also culpable for it.

Tragically, fewer than 35% of trafficking survivors report knowing that their trafficker had ever been arrested. The majority of traffickers who are arrested are never charged or investigated for trafficking-related crimes, and most survivors say those charges were dismissed more often than not. This severe lack of accountability within the justice system for the perpetrators of such severe crimes, while punishing victims for activities outside of their control, enables far too many traffickers to freely continue their crimes.

Even after escaping their traffickers, trafficking survivors regularly face the consequences of their criminal history, regardless of their ability to refuse to participate in the crimes. A 2016 National Survivor Network survey found that 73% struggle to secure employment due to their criminal records, and 58% reported experiencing housing insecurity for the same reason. This continued impact is particularly troubling when considering that lack of stable housing and unemployment are among the most significant factors in creating vulnerabilities to trafficking and other forms of exploitation. Other frequently reported barriers by survivors with criminal histories include a lack of access to federal benefits (such as food stamps), educational opportunities, maintaining custody of children, and obtaining and building credit. With such incredible challenges to achieving fundamental stability, it is no wonder that so many trafficking survivors struggle to reintegrate into society.

Civil Legal Remedies

Civil legal remedies enable survivors to seek compensation for the physical, emotional, and financial damages they suffered during their trafficking experience. Unlike criminal cases, which focus on punishing perpetrators, civil remedies center on compensating victims and restoring their rights.

Legal avenues for civil remedies for survivors include filing lawsuits against their traffickers or third-party facilitators, as well as corporations or employers involved in labor trafficking. Survivors may also pursue criminal record relief to minimize or remove the impact of past offenses on their current opportunities. In some states, survivors have access to restitution or compensation funds as victims of crimes or even restitution orders, which require traffickers to pay damages to their victims.

All of these methods of civil legal remedies offer an alternative path to justice for survivors that removes the unfair consequences of their victimization and restores opportunities for their futures. Many of these processes also hold traffickers, facilitators, and enablers accountable for their crimes or inaction, contributing significantly to industries changing their practices and reconsidering their duty to respond to trafficking.

Civil Lawsuits

The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) empowers survivors to file civil lawsuits against their traffickers, as well as third parties who knowingly benefited from their exploitation. Third parties often include:

    • Hospitality companies, such as hotels and motels, that ignore the signs of trafficking and profit from it occurring on their properties
    • Websites and social media platforms, such as online listings or pornography sites, that facilitate the process of trafficking and buying
    • Financial institutions, such as banks or payment processing platforms, that enable traffickers to conduct their illegal activities
    • Transportation companies, such as airlines, bus lines, and rideshare services, that are used to move victims in the course of their exploitation
  • Corporate landlords or rental platforms, such as property management companies or Airbnb, that profit from trafficking occurring on their properties

In contrast to criminal cases, which focus on punishing traffickers, civil lawsuits can provide direct financial relief to survivors. Because the burden of proof required in a civil court is much lower than in a criminal court (where the defendant must be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt), survivors have a greater chance of winning their case and obtaining financial compensation, as well as some level of validation of the injustice of their victimization.

Criminal Record Relief

One of the most impactful tools available to address the legal consequences of a trafficking experience is criminal record relief, which empowers survivors to clear their records for offenses committed while being exploited. Removing trafficking-related convictions helps survivors gain employment and financial stability, secure housing, access higher education and professional licensing, and build protective factors to minimize their continued vulnerability to continued exploitation.

Common types of criminal record relief include vacatur laws, through which states allow survivors to erase convictions for crimes committed as a direct result of trafficking, and expungement or record sealing, which removes a survivor’s criminal records from public access. 

    • Vacatur nullifies a conviction entirely, eliminating it from the survivor’s record and removing the possibility that it could impact their opportunities for employment, housing, education, or public assistance. For example, if a survivor was arrested, charged, and convicted of prostitution while being sex trafficked, a vacatur law acknowledges they should never have been convicted in the first place — an important distinction for survivors seeking justice after exploitation. It removes both the conviction and its potential future consequences for the survivor’s opportunities, essentially undoing as much of the damage as possible.
  • Expungement removes convictions from a survivor’s criminal record, clearing the offense from all searchable information. Survivors with expunged criminal activity can legally say they were never arrested or convicted, and background checks will not be able to access the expunged records. This method of criminal record relief allows survivors to apply for jobs, housing, education, and public assistance without fear of discrimination based on their past offenses, but it does not include a legal acknowledgement that the convictions should not have existed in the first place.
  • Sealing hides a survivor’s criminal offenses from public records and background checks but does not erase it. Employers, landlords, and the general public will be unable to access the record, but other governmental agencies, such as law enforcement and the courts, will still be able to see it. Sealing provides a level of privacy for survivors, protecting them from job or housing discrimination, but fails to protect them from consequences on their immigration status, security clearances, or professional licensing.

Barring a few exceptions, vacatur relief can be granted for any number of a survivor’s convictions and nearly any crime, assuming that the crimes were committed as a result of trafficking. It can also be applied to convictions after the survivor has left exploitation, as long as they are also linked to their trafficking experience. In contrast, expungement laws include restrictions on the number and type of convictions considered, as well as the amount of time since the convictions occurred. Many survivors may be eligible for some level of expungement for their criminal record but rarely qualify for the extent needed to fully clear their offenses and eliminate the effects on their daily lives. For these reasons, vacatur is considered the most comprehensive, effective, and just remedy for trafficking survivors with criminal records, especially because it acknowledges that they should never have been criminalized in the first place.

Each of these methods — vacatur, expungement, and sealing — helps to alleviate the burden of forced or coerced criminal activity for trafficking survivors, but they differ widely in their legal impact, accessibility, and implementation throughout the United States. Few states offer vacatur or expungement for trafficking-related convictions, and some only allow relief for specific offenses, such as prostitution, while ignoring the prevalence of other serious convictions among trafficking survivors, such as illegal drug activity or violent crimes. Other challenges to obtaining criminal record relief include time restrictions requiring survivors to adhere to a waiting period, the need to hire legal representation, and the time-consuming nature of the legal process, all of which may strongly discourage or prevent survivors from pursuing relief.

Barriers to Access

Despite their importance in survivors’ journeys toward recovery, civil legal remedies can be incredibly difficult to pursue, especially for survivors who have recently exited trafficking and are in the process of initial healing. Key barriers to accessing civil legal remedies include:

  • Lack of Awareness:  Many survivors are unaware that what they have experienced is human trafficking, and accepting that term can be difficult. Often, survivors must progress in their healing journey to learn about their legal rights in their situation and feel equipped to begin the process of seeking relief. The legal process can be intimidating, especially for individuals who have severe trauma and must speak about their experiences in order to obtain relief. Many trafficking survivors may never choose to pursue civil legal remedies due to the fear, stigma, or pain of remembering their exploitation.
  • Fear of Retaliation:  Traffickers frequently threaten their victims with the justice system as a method of control, promising to turn them in to law enforcement or immigration officials if they don’t comply with their demands. This fear of the justice system can persist long after a survivor has found freedom, and many survivors report a deep distrust or caution of police. Most survivors have been detained or arrested and are afraid of interactions with law enforcement, regardless of whether they have done anything wrong. These barriers can significantly impact their willingness to seek civil legal remedies, as retribution from their trafficker or criminal prosecution for offenses committed during exploitation can be tremendously powerful threats.
  • Financial & Emotional Burdens:  Seeking civil legal remedies can take a long time, consume many resources, and be severely emotionally draining. Survivors must share their stories with people they do not know well and may not trust, adding to the likelihood of experiencing flashbacks, trauma symptoms, and emotional strain. Hiring legal representation can be very costly, and many survivors struggle to make ends meet after a trafficking experience. Many survivors may never have the resources or be willing to make the sacrifice of their well-being to pursue civil legal remedies without comprehensive external support.
  • Statute of Limitations:  Some survivors do not recognize their victimization as trafficking for years after they exit, and many more are not equipped to pursue remedies quickly. This can result in survivors facing expiring statutes of limitations, limiting their ability to seek justice through civil legal remedies. While federal law extends the statutes of limitations for trafficking-related crimes, state laws vary widely and can eliminate opportunities for survivors.

Expanding Access to Justice

To ensure that civil legal remedies are accessible, effective, and equitably available to trafficking survivors, members of every industry must collaborate to break down these immense barriers. Key strategies include:

  • Providing Legal Aid & Pro Bono Services:  Increasing funding for legal aid organizations and incentivizing law firms to take trafficking cases pro bono can expand survivors’ ability to pursue civil legal remedies. This must go beyond responding to survivors’ requests for help to be truly effective — these services need to seek out opportunities to serve survivors who may not know that these avenues are available to them and provide comprehensive support throughout the process.
  • Policy Reforms:  Strengthening state-level statutes of limitations, improving the availability of expungement and vacatur laws, and expanding eligibility for victim compensation programs will remove significant barriers to relief for survivors. Each of these steps should be approached from the perspective of providing survivors with every possible opportunity to recover from their experiences.
  • Survivor-Centered Legal Advocacy:  Access to trauma-informed legal representation ensures that trafficking survivors receive compassionate and effective support throughout the legal process — a critical element in many survivors’ willingness to participate at all. Greater support and training for legal aid organizations and private attorneys to take on these sensitive cases will increase survivors’ opportunities to work with experts who make them feel comfortable, supported, and dignified throughout the deeply challenging process of seeking civil legal remedies.
  • Public Awareness & Training:  The first step for individual survivors to access civil legal remedies is to know that they are available. Educating survivors, attorneys, judges, and law enforcement alike about civil legal remedies will increase utilization by survivors, as well as engagement from the justice system in recommending these opportunities to survivors.

 

Civil legal remedies are a critical but underutilized tool in the fight against human trafficking. By providing survivors with opportunities for restitution, record clearing, and holding perpetrators accountable, these legal avenues help build a future where justice is truly survivor-centered. Expanding access to civil litigation and strengthening legal protections will not only aid individual survivors but also contribute to the broader effort to dismantle trafficking networks and prevent future exploitation.

Justice for Survivors: The Role of Civil Legal Remedies in Human Trafficking Cases

Survivors of human trafficking face a long and complex road to justice. While criminal prosecutions against traffickers are essential, they do not fully address the harm inflicted on victims. Civil legal remedies offer another path to justice—one that empowers survivors to seek financial restitution, hold traffickers and enabling entities accountable, and rebuild their lives. Here, we explore the key aspects of civil legal remedies for human trafficking survivors and their impact on the fight against exploitation.

Understanding Civil Legal Remedies for Human Trafficking Survivors

Civil legal remedies enable survivors to seek compensation for the physical, emotional, and financial damages they suffered due to trafficking. Unlike criminal cases, which focus on punishing perpetrators, civil lawsuits center on compensating victims and restoring their rights. These legal avenues include:

  1. Civil Lawsuits Against Traffickers
    Survivors can sue their traffickers for damages, including unpaid wages, emotional distress, and other harms caused by their exploitation. The federal Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) allows survivors to bring cases against individuals and entities that benefitted from trafficking, even if they did not directly participate in the crime.

     

  2. Suits Against Third-Party Facilitators
    Many trafficking cases involve businesses that knowingly or negligently facilitated exploitation. Hotels, online platforms, transportation services, and landlords can be held liable under certain conditions. Civil lawsuits against these entities can lead to industry-wide changes, incentivizing businesses to implement anti-trafficking measures.

     

  3. Employment and Wage Claims
    Many survivors of labor trafficking were forced to work under illegal conditions, with little to no pay. Through civil litigation, they can recover stolen wages and challenge exploitative labor practices.

     

  4. Expungement and Vacatur of Criminal Records
    Many trafficking survivors are arrested for crimes they were forced to commit while being exploited, such as prostitution, drug offenses, or identity fraud. Expungement or vacatur laws allow survivors to clear these records, removing barriers to employment, housing, and education.

     

  5. Access to Restitution and Compensation Funds
    Many states offer crime victim compensation programs that provide financial assistance for medical care, mental health services, lost wages, and relocation costs. Survivors may also be eligible for restitution orders, requiring traffickers to pay damages directly to their victims.

     

Barriers to Accessing Civil Legal Remedies

While civil remedies offer a powerful tool for justice, survivors face significant obstacles in pursuing them. Some of the key challenges include:

  • Legal Complexity and Lack of Awareness
    Many survivors are unaware of their legal rights or lack access to attorneys specializing in trafficking cases. The legal process can be intimidating, especially for individuals who have experienced severe trauma.

     

  • Fear of Retaliation
    Survivors often fear retribution from their traffickers or criminal prosecution for offenses committed during their exploitation. Confidentiality protections and legal advocacy are crucial to ensuring survivors feel safe pursuing justice.

     

  • Financial and Emotional Burden
    Litigation can be lengthy and emotionally draining. Survivors may struggle with trauma, housing instability, and financial insecurity, making it difficult to engage in legal proceedings.

     

  • Statute of Limitations
    Some survivors do not recognize their victimization until years after their trafficking experience. While federal law extends the statute of limitations for trafficking-related claims, state laws vary, sometimes limiting survivors’ ability to seek justice.

     

Why Civil Legal Remedies Matter

Providing survivors with access to civil legal remedies is crucial for long-term recovery and prevention. These legal actions:

  • Empower Survivors – Giving survivors a voice in the legal system helps restore their dignity and autonomy. Civil cases allow survivors to tell their stories on their terms, rather than as witnesses in a criminal prosecution.
  • Hold Perpetrators and Facilitators Accountable – Beyond criminal convictions, civil cases send a strong message that trafficking will not be tolerated. Holding businesses accountable also promotes stronger anti-trafficking policies and corporate responsibility.
  • Secure Financial Resources for Survivors – Compensation from civil lawsuits can help survivors regain stability, access healthcare, and pursue education or employment opportunities.
  • Drive Systemic Change – High-profile lawsuits against traffickers and third-party facilitators push policymakers, law enforcement, and industries to strengthen protections against trafficking.

Moving Forward: Expanding Access to Justice

To ensure that civil legal remedies are accessible and effective, stakeholders must work together to break down barriers. Key strategies include:

  • Legal Aid and Pro Bono Services – Increasing funding for legal aid organizations and incentivizing law firms to take trafficking cases pro bono can expand survivor access to justice.
  • Policy Reforms – Strengthening state-level statutes of limitations, improving expungement laws, and expanding eligibility for victim compensation programs can remove barriers to relief.
  • Survivor-Centered Legal Advocacy – Trauma-informed legal representation ensures that survivors receive compassionate and effective support throughout the legal process.
  • Public Awareness and Training – Educating survivors, attorneys, judges, and law enforcement about civil legal remedies increases utilization and improves case outcomes.

Conclusion

Civil legal remedies are a critical but underutilized tool in the fight against human trafficking. By providing survivors with opportunities for restitution, record clearing, and holding perpetrators accountable, these legal avenues help build a future where justice is truly survivor-centered. Expanding access to civil litigation and strengthening legal protections will not only aid individual survivors but also contribute to the broader effort to dismantle trafficking networks and prevent exploitation.

 

Using Civil Legal Remedies to Bring Justice to Survivors of Human Trafficking

Human trafficking survivors face significant barriers to justice and recovery, often leaving exploitation with little financial security, limited access to healthcare, and deep emotional scars. While criminal prosecution is an essential tool in holding traffickers accountable, civil legal remedies offer survivors another critical pathway to justice, financial stability, and long-term healing.

In a recent Safe House Project webinar, legal expert Gregory Czarczar explored the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) and how civil litigation can be a powerful tool for survivors to hold not only their traffickers accountable but also the industries and institutions that knowingly benefit from trafficking.

Understanding Civil Litigation Under the TVPRA

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) was first passed in 2000, establishing federal criminal penalties for human trafficking. In 2003, it was reauthorized as the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) and included a critical new provision: the right for survivors to file civil lawsuits against their traffickers.

Originally, survivors could only sue their direct traffickers, but in 2008, Congress expanded the law, allowing lawsuits against any entity or individual who knowingly benefited from trafficking, or “should have known” they were financially profiting from it. This change allowed survivors to seek justice against hotels, websites, financial institutions, transportation services, and other industries that enable trafficking operations.

Why Civil Litigation is Crucial for Survivors

While criminal prosecution punishes traffickers, it does not necessarily provide survivors with financial compensation or the resources needed to rebuild their lives. Civil lawsuits can help survivors:

  • Recover financial damages for lost wages, medical expenses, therapy, and housing.
  • Receive compensation for the long-term trauma they endured.
  • Hold corporations, institutions, and facilitators accountable for their role in trafficking.

As Czarczar pointed out, studies show that child sex abuse survivors may need an average of $250,000 in mental health care over their lifetime. Civil cases can help provide those funds, allowing survivors to access crucial services without financial stress.

Who Can Be Sued Under the TVPRA?

One of the most impactful aspects of civil litigation is the ability to hold third-party enablers accountable. Survivors and their attorneys can pursue lawsuits against:

  • Hotels and motels that ignored clear signs of trafficking.
  • Websites and social media platforms (such as Backpage.com and Pornhub) that facilitated trafficking through advertisements.
  • Financial institutions that processed payments for traffickers.
  • Transportation companies like airlines, bus lines, and rideshare services used to move victims.
  • Corporate landlords or rental platforms (such as Airbnb or VRBO) where trafficking took place.

These lawsuits do more than just provide survivors with financial compensation—they force industries to change their practices. For example, after multiple lawsuits against hotel chains, the hospitality industry implemented mandatory anti-trafficking training programs in 2020.

The Legal Process: What Survivors Need to Know

Filing a civil lawsuit is entirely survivor-led, meaning survivors choose whether to pursue legal action, what claims to bring, and how to proceed at each stage. Here’s what the process typically looks like:

1. Case Evaluation & Survivor Readiness

Before filing a lawsuit, it’s essential to evaluate whether a civil case is in the survivor’s best interest. Litigation can be an emotionally taxing process, and some survivors may not be ready to relive their trauma in a legal setting. Advocates and trauma-informed lawyers play a crucial role in helping survivors navigate this decision.

2. Identifying Potential Defendants

Unlike criminal cases, which focus on convicting the trafficker, civil lawsuits identify all entities that knowingly benefited from trafficking. This could include businesses, hotels, banks, or websites that failed to take action despite clear warning signs.

3. Filing the Lawsuit & Pre-Trial Proceedings

Once the lawsuit is filed, defendants can either:

  • Answer the complaint, moving forward to the discovery phase, where both sides gather evidence.
  • File a motion to dismiss, arguing that the case does not meet legal requirements. However, many motions to dismiss in trafficking cases have been successfully defeated.

4. Settlement Negotiations

Many cases settle before going to trial, allowing survivors to avoid lengthy legal battles. However, if defendants refuse to take responsibility, the case proceeds to court.

5. Trial & Potential Outcomes

If a case goes to trial, survivors present evidence and testimony before a jury. If successful, they receive financial compensation, which can be life-changing, providing housing security, mental health treatment, and education opportunities.

Statute of Limitations: How Long Do Survivors Have to File?

Congress recognizes that trauma often delays a survivor’s ability to seek justice, so the TVPRA has longer statutes of limitations than many other types of cases:

  • For adult survivors: Civil lawsuits must be filed within 10 years of the last trafficking incident.
  • For minors (under 18 at the time of trafficking): Survivors have no statute of limitations—they can file at any time, as long as they were under 28 years old when this law changed in 2022.

This means that even survivors who escaped trafficking years ago may still be eligible to pursue civil claims.

The Role of Advocates & Nonprofits

Collaboration between lawyers, nonprofits, and survivor advocates is crucial. Many survivors may not know they have the right to sue or may not feel strong enough to go through the process. Advocates can help by:

  • Documenting evidence early (such as hotel stays or financial transactions) to help survivors who may seek legal action years later.
  • Connecting survivors with trauma-informed attorneys who specialize in these cases.
  • Providing emotional and logistical support throughout the legal process.

Real-World Impact: How Civil Lawsuits Drive Systemic Change

Beyond helping individual survivors, civil litigation forces industries to take responsibility. Past lawsuits have led to:

  • The shutdown of Backpage.com, a notorious website used for trafficking advertisements.
  • Hotel industry reforms, including mandatory anti-trafficking training.
  • Stronger financial regulations to prevent money laundering for traffickers.

These cases send a powerful message: profiting from human trafficking will come with consequences.

Conclusion: Justice Beyond Convictions

Civil lawsuits are a powerful but often overlooked tool in the fight against trafficking. While criminal cases punish traffickers, civil cases provide survivors with financial security and hold entire industries accountable.

As awareness grows, more survivors will have the opportunity to seek justice—not just in courtrooms but in their everyday lives, with greater financial stability, safer housing, and access to healing resources.

For survivors, advocates, and legal professionals alike, understanding civil litigation under the TVPRA is a crucial step toward full justice.

For more information on civil remedies for trafficking survivors, visit Safe House Project.

 

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