Grant boosts Topeka YWCA’s efforts to help trafficking victims who use drop-in day center
$513,368 grant helps Topeka YWCA Day Center aid trafficking victims The Topeka Capital-Journal
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YWCA Day Center in Topeka Expands Access to Services with Federal Grant
The YWCA Day Center in Topeka provides people who have often experienced considerable trauma with opportunities for growth, connection, trust, and rapport, said Becca Spielman.
The center is a safe place to eat, sleep, shower, and wash clothes for victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking, said Spielman, who is program director for the YWCA Center for Safety and Empowerment.
A federal grant will now enable the center to expand access to its services, Spielman said.
How much has the YWCA Day Center been awarded?
The Office for Victims of Crime has awarded YWCA Northeast Kansas a competitive, three-year Enhanced Collaborative Model Task Force to Combat Human Trafficking grant in the amount of $513,368, Spielman said Tuesday.
YWCA Northeast Kansas acquired the grant while working in collaboration with the office of Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay, she said.
What does the YWCA Day Center offer?
YWCA Northeast Kansas opened the center four years ago to help the people it serves meet their basic needs while encouraging them to take the critical first step toward getting help.
The center’s creation was financed by contributions from donors that included the Topeka Rotary Foundation, Topeka South Rotary, Rotary District 5710 (Eastern Kansas), Rotary District 3141 (Mumbai, India), the Rotary International Foundation, and a private donor whose name hasn’t been revealed.
YWCA Day Center gives trafficking victims and survivors ‘a sacred space’
The center is aimed in particular at meeting the needs of people being trafficked who aren’t ready to relocate but are looking for a safe place to eat, shower, or charge their cell phone.
People using the center’s services don’t always have “a safe place that they consider to be their own,” Spielman said.
The center offers amenities that include beds, couches, a kitchen, computers, lockers, meeting space, a library nook, bathrooms — including a shower — and a washer and dryer.
The center meets the basic needs of people who are being trafficked to help them become independent from their traffickers, who often control others by meeting their basic needs.
What will the grant enable the center to do?
The center, which is currently staffed by three part-time advocates, will now be able to increase its staffing to include three part-time advocates and one full-time advocate, Spielman said.
The center is open 14 hours a week. The grant will enable it to expand that to 30 hours a week, she said.
Spielman said the grant is also expected to do the following:
- Enable the center to do more to focus on helping victims and survivors of labor trafficking.
- Enable the center to do more to educate the community about sex trafficking and labor trafficking.
- Help arrange for the establishment of a task force through which the YWCA and the center will work more closely with law enforcement.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 5: Gender Equality | Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres | No specific indicators mentioned in the article |
| SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | Target 8.7: Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labor, end modern slavery and human trafficking, and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labor | No specific indicators mentioned in the article |
| SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions | Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of children | No specific indicators mentioned in the article |
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
SDG 5: Gender Equality
The article discusses the YWCA Day Center providing services to victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking. These issues are related to gender-based violence, which is a focus area of SDG 5.
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
The article mentions that the YWCA Day Center aims to help people being trafficked become independent from their traffickers. This aligns with SDG 8, which aims to eradicate forced labor, end modern slavery and human trafficking.
SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
The article highlights the YWCA Day Center’s collaboration with law enforcement and the establishment of a task force to combat human trafficking. These efforts contribute to SDG 16, which focuses on promoting peace, justice, and strong institutions.
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres
The YWCA Day Center provides services to victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking, which are forms of violence against women and girls.
Target 8.7: Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labor, end modern slavery and human trafficking, and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labor
The YWCA Day Center aims to help people being trafficked become independent from their traffickers, contributing to the goal of eradicating forced labor and human trafficking.
Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of children
The YWCA Day Center’s efforts to combat human trafficking and collaborate with law enforcement contribute to the goal of ending trafficking and violence against children.
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
No specific indicators are mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 5: Gender Equality | Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres | No specific indicators mentioned in the article |
| SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | Target 8.7: Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labor, end modern slavery and human trafficking, and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labor | No specific indicators mentioned in the article |
| SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions | Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of children | No specific indicators mentioned in the article |
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Source: cjonline.com
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