Resilience and Reintegration: Our Stories as Trafficking Survivors

Abstract

This collection of stories was based on a research project to understand the experiences of reintegration among survivors of trafficking, what they think constitutes successful reintegration, and what they feel would best support them in their reintegration journeys. The research was conducted between January and March 2020 by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and the Humanity Research Consultancy (HRC) in Cambodia and Bangladesh. As part of this research, the team conducted 40 in-depth interviews of both male and female survivors (Combined 22 men and 18 women from Bangladesh and Cambodia). The interviews focused on the details of survivors’ personal experiences and perceptions of reintegration. The full analysis and findings (drawing on these and other interviews along with academic and grey literature sources) of the research project can be found in the report Survivors' Perspectives on Successful Reintegration After Trafficking. However, the stories we heard from survivors in our interviews were immensely powerful. The purpose of the research project was not only to create knowledge, but to amplify the voices of survivors and support their agency in shaping the conditions in which they live. To that end, we offer this selection of stories in which the survivors speak in their own voices and provide us their expert perspectives on the experience of trafficking and the reintegration journey afterwards. The stories have been translated from the original language and lightly edited from the conversational interview form to a narrative form for clarity. As editors, we have made every effort to minimize our footprint and preserve the survivors' style of speaking. We hope that these stories will serve as a valuable resource to policy makers and practitioners. The provide invaluable insights into how trafficking happens, how it is experienced, how people encounter risks as they migrate for work, and what really matters when they try to reintegrate into society afterwards.