When it comes to human trafficking—who’s at risk, where it happens, and what it looks like—there’s a widespread lack of awareness. This is a particular challenge for the many marginalized groups disproportionately affected by exploitation, including Colorado’s Indigenous communities. (We know this from the outreach and clear findings of our latest research initiative, The Colorado Project 2023).
“Indigenous communities experience more risks and vulnerabilities to potential exploitation and abuse. This is especially true for the tribes residing in the Four Corners region of Colorado,” says Alexis Mitchell. Alexis is an LCHT Regional Specialist and Community Education Coordinator at Durango SASO. “These risks are due to the rural location of the reservations and limited resources and knowledge of human trafficking. Plus, there is a lack of legal statutes that address the crime in Indian Country.”
Indigenous individuals experiencing human trafficking are less likely to get the help they need. Kara Napolitano is our Education and Partnerships Director at LCHT. She says, “Native American survivors of exploitation tend to lack access to justice of any kind. This is due to jurisdictional confusion and the lack of resources to support investigations.”
Kara says that there’s a lack of reporting to law enforcement in Indigenous communities. “We hear from folks anecdotally that there is a deep fear and mistrust in the criminal justice response. The lack of a response leads to even less reporting. Survivors become disenfranchised with the process and lack support in escaping their abuse.”
Raven Nyx, Cultural Outreach Coordinator II at Durango SASO, adds, “Police forces either over- or under-police our relatives, meaning they either are heavy-handed with tickets and arrests for minor offenses, or they refuse to take reports of actual crimes.”
They continue, “This is further exacerbated when our relatives are substance users. Human traffickers either use substances to get our relatives hooked or take advantage of those who are already using,” Raven says. Investigations into disappearances are severely lacking. “The institutions that are there to help were specifically designed to oppress the Indigenous population.”
But slowly, change is happening. This is in part thanks to the newly legislated Murdered and Missing Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) Office in Colorado, victim service providers, and advocates like Durango SASO. They are listening to community needs and taking action to support survivors. At LCHT, we’re committing to lifting up the work of our allies and seeing where and how we can support this movement.
Colorado is home to about 200,000 Indigenous people. There are members of over 100 tribal nations living here today. Keep reading to meet two Indigenous advocates in Colorado’s anti-trafficking movement.
Raven Nyx: Spreading Awareness and Encouraging Others to Take Action
In their role with Durango SASO, Raven Nyx (they/them/Nadleehi) holds meetings and culturally meaningful workshops with the Indigenous community. Last November, LCHT was honored to partner with Raven to host a Human Trafficking 101 public awareness training in SASO’s Ignacio office.
Raven stresses that Indigenous people who want to practice traditional healing must be able to do so freely. Currently, some safehouses don’t allow the burning of sage or cedar for healing. Some doctors’ offices don’t offer language translation for non-English speakers. Additionally, stereotypical beliefs that all Natives are alcoholics or drug users perpetuate the oppression. The impact? “It deters our relatives from reaching out for help. And human traffickers prey on populations that are othered,” says Raven.
Raven is also involved in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) movement in Colorado. They provide a safe space to talk about issues, volunteer at events, and spread awareness. They share, “The conversations are hard to have. But until we get comfortable being uncomfortable, we are going to continue losing relatives.”
So how can we strengthen anti-trafficking efforts in Native communities? Raven answers: “If you see something, say something. Take a class to see what to look for.” But it’s more complex than just getting trained. “Throw out all the stereotypes you think you know about our Indigenous relatives. Get to know the people. Spend quality time with them. Listen.”
They continue, “The second thing is they need our help. Join a march, donate time/money, make sure they are the ones being heard, sign up for alerts, and repost them. Be an ally in every sense of the word. Follow their lead. They have been raising awareness and fighting these battles for longer than we have. They know what is needed.”
The stakes are high. Why? “Lives are on the line. It’s up to us to be good relatives.”
Alexis Mitchell: Building Trust and Strengthening Tribal Partnerships
Alexis Mitchell (she/her) is an enrolled tribal member of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and is also of the Sac and Fox Nation. In her roles with LCHT and Durango SASO, Alexis serves the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute tribal reservations. She researched and compiled a comprehensive resource directory for the Four Corners region, including the two Colorado-based reservations, and disseminated it to service providers and community partners. It included tribal member-focused resources and services. Alexis reflects, “During the process, I was able to begin the process of building trust and relationships on these reservations.”
One of the many relationships strengthened is with the Southern Ute Victim Services Department in Ignacio, CO. “This connection allowed us to begin discussing collaboration initiatives for trainings on topics that intersect with human trafficking,” Alexis says.
Alexis also trains Native communities about what human trafficking can look like. “The training and outreach have promoted discussions about solidifying legal statutes that address the crime of human trafficking.” She explains, “This will better serve the community.”
Through her work with survivors, Alexis ensures that resources and services are tailored to each individual. A common misunderstanding is assuming that someone wants to utilize traditional healing and medicines just because they are Indigenous. But while culturally considerate support is a focus, these personal biases are harmful. Each client’s care should be specialized for them, no matter their cultural identity.
Alexis continues, “Everyone processes trauma differently. That factor can influence the desired route of their healing. Two survivors from the same tribal affiliation could have healing journeys that look like opposites.”
The topic of human trafficking can be taboo to discuss among various tribal nations. Yet, Alexis says, “Holding space to discuss and learn more about anti-trafficking efforts can be a form of honoring our loved ones. It ensures that their voices and experiences are heard rather than forgotten, denied, or excluded. This work in tribal communities can provide tools and knowledge on how to better protect and serve our Indigenous relatives.”
Calling for More Training and Resources to Support Indigenous Survivors and Make Change
Recently, Kara was invited to present to more than 300 people at the Four Corners Indian Country Conference. The conference was hosted by the US Department of Justice. Attendees included tribal council members, prosecutors, judges, law enforcement, and service providers. The more people who understand human trafficking, the better we can hold perpetrators accountable and reduce harm to communities.
Kara shares, “We’re grateful to continue to be invited to the Four Corners region, the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Communities, as well as the Navajo Nation to facilitate trainings over the last several years.” We’ve trained professionals in healthcare, child welfare, law enforcement, housing, and more. Trainings occur both on- and off-reservation.
Anti-trafficking trainings localize the issues of labor and sex trafficking. They educate participants on how to identify situations and how to support survivors. LCHT also helps agencies or even entire communities build protocols on how to respond when trafficking is suspected or identified.
In any community, it can be difficult to examine the fault lines of how and why vulnerability exists—and to come to terms with the fact that a large proportion of traffickers are family members, intimate partners and local employers. Plus, prevention and protection are really challenging. Kara says, “In Indigenous communities, many of the vulnerabilities are systemic and rooted in historical trauma and genocide. Perpetrators target reservations in particular because they know that vulnerability exists, combined with a lack of enforcement and resources. It hits hard for people, not just to hear, but to wrap their heads around a solution.”
“It’s important to have these hard conversations in Indigenous communities with extremely high risk factors of vulnerability. The systemic issues need to be called out for what they are,” adds Kara. “The burden for change is not on Indigenous communities alone, but also those who caused the harm in the first place.”
It’s easy to get caught up in band-aid fixes and unsustainable solutions to urgent issues like human trafficking. But a longer look at addressing the systemic root causes as we support survivors who need help now is crucial. Says Kara, “What I hear over and over again is that tribal communities need more resources. Many are cobbling together a response and utilizing already stretched resources to support survivors.”
Concludes Kara, “Systemic change takes time, so while we have seen progress, it has been slow and there is always more work to do.” But many tribal communities are better understanding the complexities of human trafficking. Some are creating programs to support survivors. Others are requesting more training for youth to recognize grooming and stay safe online. “This is great, as it means that communities are open to the conversation and willing to put in the work to keep kids safer, even when the conversations are hard.”