Should and how should survivors be included in anti-human trafficking activities? What is a survivor-led approach, what are its advantages and disadvantages? These are just some of the questions addressed by Slobodanka Dekic and Isidora Jaric in the publication “(Mis)Use of Human Trafficking Victims’ Experiences in Advocacy Processes”, which was presented last week at the Belgrade Art Hotel, organized by ASTRA.
In collaboration with therapist Biljana Slavkovic, the authors explored how someone who is now considered a survivor—but was once a victim—might experience involvement in anti-trafficking activities and whether this could lead to retraumatization. The project was supported by the British Embassy and the Swedish foundation Kvinna till Kvinna.
“Our goal with this publication was to present the survivor-led approach on a general level, to examine both its positive and negative aspects, as well as the challenges of its implementation. We also wanted to specifically reflect on how feasible such an approach is in the context in which we work—that is, Serbia, with all its shortcomings in the fight against human trafficking,” said one of the authors, Slobodanka Dekic, a PhD candidate at the Department of Sociology at the Faculty of Philosophy.
She explained that this approach primarily involves people who have survived human trafficking—but only those who have truly processed their traumatic experience and are no longer in the status of a victim, but rather a survivor.
“They actively engage in the work of NGOs that focus on human trafficking, or they run their own organizations dealing with this issue. They may also participate in national-level bodies and institutions dedicated to the prevention and fight against human trafficking. When we say ‘engage,’ this can mean working on preventive activities such as workshops, training sessions, and awareness-raising, as well as mentorship, supporting other victims of trafficking, or advocating for laws, strategies, and action plans,” explained Slobodanka Dekic.
She emphasized that in the existing literature that addresses this approach, several recurring advantages are highlighted, including destigmatization and policy improvement.
“The first advantage is that their active involvement can reduce social stigma, which, I believe, still exists around people who have had this traumatic experience. It can also provide a sense of confidence because they have overcome trauma and are speaking about it. The second advantage mentioned is the improvement of policies and strategies in the fight against human trafficking. It is generally stated that a person who has had personal experience and has gone through that hell can actually provide much higher-quality and deeper insights into the entire problem, which can later be translated, so to speak, into legislative and policy strategies,” said Slobodanka Dekic.
She added that this approach can contribute to improving rehabilitation and integration programs for other victims. However, she also highlighted that an important aspect is achieving financial independence and stability.
“What is stated as a kind of axiom in the available literature on this approach is that all survivors who actively engage must be financially independent, and there must be compensation for their work, which should be paid. Finally, another advantage is the issue of trust in institutions and organizations working on the ground, involved in the fight against human trafficking. The literature often critiques the existing approach, which goes beyond mere manipulation of victims’ needs by institutions and organizations—victims are frequently used to share their experiences and be publicly exposed without any compensation,” explained Slobodanka Dekic.
The aim of the publication “(Mis)Use of Human Trafficking Victims’ Experiences in Advocacy Processes”, as one of the authors stated, is to critically examine this approach.
“The question that naturally arises, and for which there is no clear answer yet, is precisely who, when, and how determines that a victim has become a survivor. In other words, when can we say that someone has truly processed the trauma of violence and exploitation and is capable of speaking about this issue in the public space without the risk of retraumatization and reliving what they went through?” she said.
Isidora Jaric: The most important question is when a victim can participate in anti-trafficking activities without retraumatization
Co-author of the publication and full professor at the Department of Sociology at the Faculty of Philosophy, Isidora Jaric, expanded on the key issue of this work—who can determine when a victim has become a survivor.
“Some believe that the person making this assessment must be someone competent and experienced, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist. Others argue that it would be necessary to involve trauma experts who could make this assessment. Some refer to the ODIHR guidelines, which suggest a five-year distance from the severe experience of human trafficking. However, knowing that this is a deeply personal and traumatic experience, and profoundly damaging, we also know that the path out of trauma is highly individual. No one can predict whether a person will complete this journey in five years, or if it will take ten years, or perhaps just one year,” explained Isidora Jaric.
She adds that the problem they identified while working on the survivor-led approach is that all documents addressing this issue are based on the terminological distinction between a “victim” and a “survivor.” However, she argues that this distinction cannot fully capture the complexity of the experiences individuals go through.
“Many of our respondents share fragments of their own experiences at various conferences, testifying to the retraumatization of survivors. Furthermore, many report that, for example, the daily allowances for individuals with lived experience differ from those of experts participating in the same conferences, indicating a certain asymmetry. Additionally, many highlight the lack of recognition of the different stages of overcoming trauma, and those very stages are directly influenced by the internal capacities of individuals with lived experience,” said Isidora Jaric.
She points out that all of this reveals that we are essentially dealing with a “poorly regulated space” and that additional efforts are needed to regulate it in order to reduce risks for those with lived experience who, as she puts it, participate in this type of activity.
“The conclusion of our research is that the implementation of this survivor-led approach is currently taking place in an environment that is not capable of adequately moderating and eliminating the risks to which individuals with lived experience of human trafficking may be exposed,” explained author Isidora Jaric.
Biljana Slavkovic: The most important thing for victims is that they have already survived what happened to them – they are already in that category
Psychotherapist and ASTRA associate Biljana Slavkovic notes that the issue of trauma, as well as the distinction between who is a victim and who is a survivor, is constantly tied to language and terminology, which she sees as a problem in itself.
“Why do I see this as a problem based on direct work with victims? The first thing we emphasize in therapeutic work and any form of psychological support is that the most important thing has already happened—you have survived what happened to you, you have survived the trauma. This means that from the very first encounter with someone who has managed to stay alive through such severe trauma—which is, in fact, complex trauma, structurally disruptive as it affects all levels of a person’s functioning—we already consider them a survivor. Surviving such trauma is already a great achievement,” adds Biljana Slavkovic. She also notes that discussing terminology feels like “going back to the beginning.”
“Twenty or thirty years ago, it was important to prove that victims even existed. Now, I feel there is pressure—not only on organizations working with victims but also on the victims themselves. We have enormous expectations of them; we assess how much they have recovered and, based on that assessment, decide whether we can or cannot ask or expect something from them. And we expect them to go out and fix this world where they have suffered, even though they did nothing to create such a world,” added Biljana Slavkovic.