Highlights of one of our Core Programs (check back soon for more!)

 The Partnership for Trafficking Prevention (PTP)

Target Population

Thailand, located in Southeast Asia, has an estimated population of 65,068,149. The estimated adult HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is high. The project will be implemented in the Muang, Mae Sai, and Mae Chan districts of the Chiang Rai province. The origin of commercial sex is in these areas, which incidentally also has the highest rate of HIV+ people.

Need

Millions of people around the world are exploited as a consequence of a lack of opportunities in the villages; if a woman does not have the opportunity for gainful employment in her village, she may feel enticed by the possibility of higher income and the lure of an exciting life that come from living in a city.  In the case of Thailand, many women in the sex industry chose to enter into it because there were not enough opportunities for them to earn money back home; none of them would have chosen to enter this risky field of work if they had the opportunity back home to earn sufficient income to take care of their families.  When a jewel-clad person drives into a village in a fancy car and offers deals to the young women that seem too good to be true, if the women do not know any better and have no other options for employment in the village, then of course they are going to take what seems like easy money.  Most of us would do the same if we were in their situation.

 Certainly, around the world, many women have been kidnapped, but more often than not women chose to enter the trade or were sold into the sex industry by their families.  In the former case, it is likely that the woman would choose to go back to the establishment or at least into the same line of work; in the latter case, however, what does it mean to have a contractual obligation between a trafficker and the woman's family?  Though the contract is not legally binding in a court of law, families know better than to cross the traffickers; these "saved" women know that if they do not return to the brothel to work, the brothel owner will go to their village and their younger sister or cousin would then have the burden of completing the contract that her parents signed.  So when brothels are “busted”, what we see on TV and what happens after the cameras go away are two completely different things; most of the time, the brothel owners get by with just a slap on the wrist and a broken front door, free to reclaim their lost workers and be back in business within a few weeks.

In South East Asia, the challenges of HIV/AIDS and sex trafficking overlap at times. Many of the victims who survived being trafficked find themselves living with HIV/AIDS. Sex trafficked persons living with HIV/AIDS (STPWAs) face stigma and discrimination within the community, where they often find it difficult to maintain financial security and access to appropriate healthcare.

Long-term solutions are needed to combat trafficking and exploitation before it even begins to take shape in each individual case.  Economic and social  conditions in the communities must be improved so that young women will know better than to take a chance with some stranger, and will not have to do so because they already have a good job right there in their communities.
 
Goals and Objectives

The proposed project is modeled on the Population and Community Development Association’s Positive Partnership Program (PPP), which addresses both the income earning opportunities and the reduction of discrimination and stigmatization for people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS (PWAs). The objectives of the PPP have been adapted for the prevention of trafficking of at-risk populations and to serve sex trafficked persons living with HIV/AIDS. The initial PPP was launched in 2002 with pilot funding from UNAIDS and it was  continued as a three year comprehensive program with funding from Pfizer. The objectives of the proposed project are as follow:

Prevent STPWAs
Decrease the risk of re-trafficking of STPWAs
Reduce internal migration and breakdown of family structures
Decrease stigma and discrimination toward STPWAs
Increase understanding of sex trafficking and HIV/AIDS
Develop income-generating opportunities for STPWAs
Establish sustainable Youth Banks
Improve the management of healthcare for STPWAs

Methodology

This project responds to STPWA needs and prevents the trafficking of at-risk populations. Ultimately, the only cure for trafficking is prevention. In Thailand, we have seen that by providing access to education and local income opportunities, women are at a much lower risk to be exploited.  A lot is made of trying to "save" the women once they enter prostitution. This is a nice thought, but knocking down the doors to brothels doesn't work, contrary to popular notions strengthened, sadly, by the media.  Many organizations that fight trafficking use this "kick down the door" method because it is easier to do than prevention and makes a nicer report for their donors and for media (filled with pictures of contrite brothel owners being carted off to prison and happy women back in their villages, safe from these evil men now that the men have been locked up behind bars).  Time and time again, unfortunately, we see that these women simply end up back in the brothels - many times treated even worse than before by the very same brothel owners who were supposed to be in jail.

This project is designed to improve their access to greater income and health care resources by creating "Positive Partnerships”, and reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS. The project is modeled on the successful efforts of PDA's Positive Partnership Project (PPP) but will serve HIV+ persons who are also victims of trafficking, as well as those most at risk for being trafficked. After ten months of the PPP project in 2004, the perception in the community of little HIV/AIDS knowledge decreased from 46.2% to 9.5% and fear of PWAs decreased from 47.7% to 14.0%. Given that STPWAs face the most difficulty with social stigma and access to health care and income when they return to their rural communities, it would be most effective to implement this program in Northern Thailand.

The project’s theory of change is that when a partnership consisting of an STPWA and an HIV-negative community member is supported (through a financial loan) to develop and run a business venture together, the combined impact includes not only a reduction in poverty for both partners, but also stigma reduction and an improvement in health care access for the STPWAs. In addition, when the families of those most at risk for being trafficked are provided with an alternative income source, the chances of being trafficked are decreased.

In the proposed project, participant pairs will choose a business venture from a variety of income generating activities, and PDA staff will provide related skills and business training.  This program has built in sustainability with full utilization of Village Banks. As loan amounts are repaid, new partnerships are then supported. In the past, the Positive Partnership Project has had a high loan repayment rate, ranging between 75% and 85% per evaluation period. Often, loan default is due to the progressing illness of the PWA.

The role of the negative partner is also one of support to their HIV+ partner in the form of mental, physical, and medical assistance. An advocate role placed on the negative partner will work to reduce the stigma and discrimination that exists within the community. STPWAs will also be connected to support groups for victims of trafficking.

PDA works closely with health officials and many of community based PPP activities are undertaken at local STI clinics. The project gives not only economic opportunities to HIV infected people but also gives them better access to healthcare, providing services like getting regular blood tests and CD4 tests, that normally might not be available or difficult for them to obtain by themselves. The negative partners may also need to take their HIV partners to the hospital, provide care when they are sick, buy medication, assist in any medical costs, educate their partner (and the community) about healthcare management, remind HIV positive partners to regularly take their medications (ARVs), and make regular appointments with the doctor.

Throughout the project PDA will hold seminars and training sessions for healthcare and social workers, doctors, and nurses from local and district hospitals, and local health centers. These sessions are designed to provide basic information on HIV/AIDS and healthcare management. The seminars and training will include Primary Health Care, HIV/AIDS prevention, family health, how to take care of HIV Patients, usage of anti-HIV/AIDS medication, and basic treatments for HIV.

Following are the three components of the proposed project:

Component 1: Trafficking Prevention
Part (a): Families in Need: Child is still in school
The goal would be to provide an income source for families so that they do not end a child’s education to provide additional income for the family. The first step will be to  determine which families are in need of financial support; especially those families that are likely to end a child’s education. Appropriate business opportunities will be discussed with the family in relation to a potential loan of $600 per family. The collateral wiill be that the child stays in school. Occupational training will be provided and the family will be partnered with another family that is not “at risk”.

Part (b): Families in Need: Child has already left school
The goal would be to provide an economic alternative for girls, preventing them from being trafficked. A group of 4 to 6 girls will participate in non-formal education in exchange for occupational training and participation in the loan fund. Each girl will receive $US250 for the collateral of promising to stay in the village and obtain adult education.

Component 2: Trafficked Women
The goal would be to provide trafficked persons with an option to their current situation. Trafficked persons will be identified. They will be asked to start businesses in groups, and each group will receive $US600. They will be provided with HIV/AIDS prevention and STI education.

Component 3: Education and Setting up of Youth Banks
The goal is to educate and provide income so youth learn about business and initiative, and thus will stay in villages and not migrate to earn an income.     Education on trafficking will be provided by PHI. Community Centers and Village Youth Councils have been an integral part of PDA’s PPP as they create a foundation from which the students and the local community are educated on HIV/AIDS. There will be one Village Youth Bank per district, and each bank will receive $5,000 for youth-initiated businesses. Initial funding for the banks will be provided through an environmental awareness campaign, for each tree planted, $1 will be contributed to the bank.

Evaluation
PDA’s Research and Evaluation Division (RED) will conduct project evaluations. A combination of surveys and loan repayment measures will be used to monitor the program’s success.

Pre-Program Community Assessment
Prior to program initiation, community members in the project implementation area will be surveyed on their knowledge of HIV/AIDS, sex trafficking, and associated risks. This survey will also gauge the community’s level of acceptance of STPWAs.

Program STPWA Assessment
STPWAs will be asked to complete bamboo ladder surveys. The bamboo ladder survey is a monitoring and evaluation concept that is unique to PDA; it is a 10-level rating tool that measures the effectiveness of projects that involve life improvement and changing mindsets. The bamboo ladder, a self-anchoring striving scale, permits respondents to express their perceptions without imposing forced choices through Western style questionnaires while allowing comparisons over time. Each respondent is asked to define, on the basis of his/her own assumptions, the top and bottom rungs on the picture of the ladder (anchoring points) which would represent the best and worst possible personal life conditions. In this instance it will be used to assess how HIV/AIDS has affected PPP participants in the past, how the project is benefiting them at present, and their hopes for the future. There are five areas to be rated by each project member: individual self, social, economic, policy/political, and environmental. The bamboo ladder permits respondents to express their perceptions without imposing forced choices. Results will be compared to bamboo ladder surveys taken at different points in time throughout the duration of the program.

Evaluation of Support of Partner towards STPWA
Three months after project initiation, project staff will conduct a survey on how the HIV-negative partners have helped the sex trafficked victims in the project. Based on a survey employed in the PDA’s first Positive Partnership Project, this type of support might include taking the STPWA to see a doctor, being a business partner, or providing emotional support through talking and counseling.

Evaluation of STPWAs’ Progress
Throughout program implementation, STPWAs will be evaluated monthly on changes in their social and economic condition, and mental and physical health. Success of the project will be determined by STPWAs being able to sustain themselves without resorting to sex work.

Post-Program Assessment
One year after program initiation, the community members will be surveyed again on their knowledge of HIV/AIDS, sex trafficking, and associated risks in order to evaluate program success.

Loan Repayment Evaluation
PDA will track loan repayment rates.

Budget

We are seeking US $300,000 for the prevention and education aspect of the project, and in-kind donations of AZT to HIV+ trafficked victims from major PHARMA companies.

    Component 1: Prevention
Part (a): Families $US 100,000
Part (b): Women/girls that have already left home or left school     $US 25,000
Component 2: Trafficked Women/Girls/people “at risk”         $US 25,000
Component 3: Education and set up of Youth Banks            $US 25,000
PHI technical assistance and project monitoring             $US 25,000

Total $100,000

Qualifications

Prevent Human Trafficking Institute – PHI  (formerly known as Project HOPE International) is a Washington, D.C. based anti-trafficking non-profit organization started in 1999. It supports anti-trafficking efforts of NGOs in South East Asia; with programs and services in Thailand, Cambodia, and the United States. PHI empowers individuals, organizations and governments to tackle the root causes of human trafficking through direct support and technical assistance.

The proposed pilot project will be implemented by PHI's Thailand-based partner, the Population and Community Development Association (PDA). In operation since 1974, PDA sponsors a variety of innovative programs to benefit Thailand's rural poor, and is a leading innovator in combating HIV/AIDS through community-based prevention and education solutions. PDA has 18 community centers throughout Thailand, and is well established in the proposed region.