The Payoke Way

Since 1987, Payoke has been a pioneer in the fight against trafficking in human beings, working relentlessly towards: providing victims the support they need to regain their rights, freedom, and dignity; waking up stakeholders to the realities of human trafficking; assisting in the development of a proper legal framework; developing a coordinated and cooperative approach toward victim identification and protection. This book is the result of our 30 year history of lessons learned in order to provide guidelines and best practices to practitioners in the field of counter-trafficking.

Payoke’s foremost mission is to reintegrate trafficked victims in society, either in Belgium or their own country, through legal, psychological, social, and administrative assistance. In this process, the role of shelters is crucial. This manual wants to inform practitioners and is part of a broader vision to improve cooperation and the protection of the rights of victims of human trafficking. Our aim for this book is to provide those who come in daily contact with the victims – case managers, shelter workers, social assistants and healthcare professionals – with the necessary theoretical and practical knowledge needed to combat human trafficking, as well as enable them to provide better assistance, protection and victim support. We hope that our journey and this book will inspire people all over the world to be creative, overcome barriers and stand up for human rights.