Survivors’ Perspectives on Caring for DMST Victims

Survivors’ Perspectives on Caring for DMST Victims

When we talk about helping young people who've been sex trafficked, we often hear from social workers, law enforcement, and researchers. But what about the people who actually lived through it? What do they wish someone had done or could do for them?

Some studies have asked survivors this exact question, and their answers are eye-opening. In many ways, they challenge what we thought we knew about supporting trafficked children.

The Problem With the Current Systems

Many survivors describe the same experience: having to retell their trauma over and over again to different agencies that didn’t coordinate with each other. They bounced between programs, got conflicting advice, and often had to navigate complex systems on their own.

What they needed was one person or team who brought everything together, housing, school, therapy, medical care, legal help, and made sure all of it worked in sync. This integrated approach is at the heart of the Mission Haven, where therapy, education, medical care, fitness, art, music therapy, and spiritual support are all available on-site. Everything a survivor needs is in one supportive community.

What They Need Right Away

When survivors look back at what they needed in those first days of being rescued, a few things stand out:

1. A safe place that feels like home

Survivors say they needed safe places that felt warm and caring, not like institutions or jails. They wanted staff who understood what they'd been through and wouldn't judge them. Not a place that feels

like a detention center, but one that feels more like a home where someone genuinely cares.

One survivor said they needed people who saw them as kids who'd been hurt, not as criminals or bad kids. This is exactly why The Mission Haven is building a village-style community in North Carolina (and hopefully in all 50 states someday). It’s a home-like environment where survivors can heal, have their own space, and be surrounded by caring staff and comprehensive, on-site support.

2. Someone they could actually trust

Almost every survivor talks about how hard it was to trust adults. And honestly, can you blame them? Many had been failed by systems that were supposed to protect them. Some had been arrested for prostitution, even though they were kids being exploited. Others had social workers or police officers who didn't believe them or mistreated them.

It takes time to build trust. Survivors say the adults who helped them most were the ones who didn’t judge them and stayed present even when things got messy.

3. The basics: food, shelter, and clothing

It seems simple, but survivors emphasize how deeply it mattered to have these needs met without conditions. A safe bed, regular meals, clean clothes, and hygiene products made it possible for them to focus on healing. Without these, everything else felt overwhelming.

What They Need for the Long Haul

Getting to safety is just the beginning. Survivors say real healing takes years, not months. They highlighted a few long-term supports that made the biggest difference:

1. Faith and finding meaning

Many survivors talk about spirituality as a huge part of their healing. This doesn't necessarily mean organized religion, though for some it does. It's more about finding meaning in what happened to them and hope for the future.

Programs that make space for spiritual needs, whatever that looks like for each person, help survivors feel like whole people, not just victims.

2. Other survivors who get it

Survivors say that connecting with other survivors helped them get through hard times. Nobody understands quite like someone who's been there. Seeing other people who made it through and built good lives gives hope in a way nothing else can.

Support groups, mentorship programs, and life coaches with lived experience create connections that help survivors feel less alone. These relationships show them that recovery is possible.

3. Real opportunities for the future

Survivors need practical help building a future. That means education and job training that fits their situation and personal aspirations. Traditional programs often don't work because they don't account for trauma symptoms, therapy appointments, or court dates.

The programs that work best are flexible, patient, and meet people where they are. They help fill in educational gaps without making people feel ashamed. They recognize that everyone's path looks different.

Caring for DMST Victims: Why We Should Listen

The best strategy for caring for DMST victims is to listen to them. What survivors tell us isn't always easy to hear. It challenges many assumptions about "rescuing" and "saving." It asks us to be more patient, more coordinated, and more honest about what young people actually need versus what makes us feel like we're helping.

But this is exactly why we need to listen. Survivors know what works because they lived it. When we center their voices and let their experiences guide how we respond, we get closer to actually helping instead of just trying to help. Survivors have shown us the way. Now it’s on us to follow their lead.