Background:

We’ve gone through a lot of learning how to help survivors. But remember we’re here to empower and support, not save. So how do we go about our advocacy from a place of true good intention and not from a place of playing ‘savior?’

Action: Start with Motivation

• Motivation is key. Dig into why you’re doing what you’re doing

  • Is it for recognition, a plaque, a top donor award, etc?

  • Do you expect anything in return? You shouldn’t. Don’t expect awards or shoutouts or big thank you’s for your time or donation – nothing beyond what you’d expect in a normal, equal interaction - attention, honesty, and mutual respect from those you are helping.

  • In general, if you frame your thinking of “doing the work” to “doing the work because it is good for our planet, our community, our future generations,” versus “I am doing this to save people from a traumatic experience,” then it gets at the root of the cause of these injustices and puts more distance between motivations of saviorism

• Remember that whoever you’re helping you’re both on equal playing fields

  • You’re both humans, therefore you are equals in this exchange, not the helper/helpee

    • “This is good for us both as human beings, not just because you’ve had trauma”

  • Meet people where they are – means hearing them, regardless of what you “think is best” 

“Empathy requires believing people. The quickest path to an empathic miss is to evaluate + judge what people are sharing through the lens of our lived experiences vs listening and believing.” 

- Brene Brown, Author & Researcher

• Offer support while respecting the choices of others.

  • Offer support and do what you can, then let it go. Do not take on the responsibility of their choices, this is their life.

Action: Stop Savior-ism

• Stop sensationalism – don’t share things just for the “wow” or “ew” factors

• Don’t “other” victim/survivors 

• Do not “revictimize” – sharing photos without consent, telling somebody else’s story without consent (or at all), “outing” someone’s trauma history (i.e. making it known you are working with a victim/ survivor when out in the community with them. – clothing saying, sign posted in window, etc.)

• Caring about human trafficking means caring about food deserts, chronic homelessness, accessible healthcare, affordable housing, rooting out racism, and dismantling all systems of oppression.

  • To effectively fight human trafficking you also need to be invested in these, because these are the root causes.

Action: Empower others and spread the word!

• Check out and share this TikTok about empowering over saving!

• Share these ways to help stop savior-ism!