Helping North Dakota Teens Recover From Human Trafficking

(Adobe Stock via Prairie News Service)

(By Mike Moen. Prairie News Service) – January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month and North Dakota youth organizations said for teen survivors, an open ear is just as important as meeting their basic needs.

Whether it is a podcast, Instagram story or a news headline, leaders from a coalition of regional service providers said the steady flow of information is hard to ignore for teens who have been exploited. And if there is a mention of human trafficking or sexual assault, the trauma of past events can come roaring back.

Mark Heinert, executive director of Youthworks of North Dakota, said as part of this outreach, they remind homeless and runaway youth about their many services. He added making them feel safe is a big part of it.

“When youth are in those formative years, those teen years, we often find that they’re saying that people aren’t listening,” Heinert observed. “We see it as our mission to provide that place where they’ve got their basic needs met, but they’ve got a caring person to be there with them.”