What We Do

In the beginning, compelled by compassion, we began to seek ways to be a part of the solution to the tragedy of child sex trafficking. After conducting extensive research and studying the global situation, we identified the countries that required significant assistance but were being neglected. We focused on Indonesia, a nation made up of thousands of islands and over 260 million people. Girls are trafficked from island to island, and law enforcement has limited resources to stop it. 

Indonesia has historically presented a challenging front for anti-trafficking efforts, with many organizations struggling to survive in the region. However, our collaborations with local church leaders proved instrumental in quickly establishing partnerships and gaining credibility within the community.

Compassion First only provides care within Indonesia. In the USA, we are honored to serve our church partners through resourcing and equipping pastors and congregations to understand and respond to the complex issues of poverty around the world that inform the sex trafficking crisis. We value collaboration and are grateful for the friendship of two like-hearted local organizations who are experts in their fields: Safety Compass - providing care and resources for trafficking and exploitation survivors in Northwest Oregon, and Hannah Grace Family - serving children and their families facing various forms of trauma, hardships, and instabilities.

Our community development work includes the provision of education support and drop-in centers, housed in vulnerable communities. These communities are home to people who are in the margins of society both economically and socially, many of whom are migrants from all over Indonesia. The poverty, instability, and risks due to migrating from conflict or disaster makes these populations extremely susceptible to trafficking and exploitation.

Transit Monitoring intercepts are different from rescues, they stop the trafficker before they are able to take a girl from her home island to a place of exploitation. CF staff are embedded into transit stations and use a step-by-step protocol developed by our project partner, Love Justice International.  

Here’s how it works:

• CF staff watch for signs of trafficking in a transit location, like a ferry port
• The staff member may approach someone who is potentially being trafficked and ask them a series of questions
• If they uncover red flags, the staff member will separate the person who is potentially being trafficked for private questioning
• If trafficking is determined, the staff member will intercept through local police who arrest the suspected trafficker
• Our CF staff are also positioned to provide the potentially trafficked person with care and trafficking awareness education.
• We interview the potentially trafficked person to collect data for understanding traffickers operations and achieving future intercepts
• We help coordinate the safe return home of the potentially trafficked person.

We provide a strengths-based system of care for each individual resident that includes:

• A safe, secure, and loving home
• Medical and dental care
• Trauma counseling and resilience building
• Spiritual support (optional)
• Education and/or vocational training to her highest potential
• Progressive athletic and alternative activities

Children who come into our care are on average two years behind in their education. We assess the education needs of each girl in our care and work with them to find the best solution for her academic success. CF is a licensed educational facility allowing us to provide catch-up education for each girl until the time she is ready to participate in mainstream schooling. Each girl is empowered to dream of a future of her choosing. 

We encourage girls in our care to envision their futures. If college is part of their vision, we don’t hesitate. We support their educational journey fully. We have supported girls through college, including graduate school, medical school, and seminary.

We believe the best place for a girl to be is home, safely with her family; and we are also faced with the reality that for some, this is not a plausible solution. Our strengths-based residential program is designed to work alongside each resident to heal and build the resilience she will need to thrive and pursue her dreams. The targeted time frame for residential aftercare is two years. However, the individualized care for each girl helps determine when she is ready to graduate.

• She is under the age of 18
• She has been legally rescued by law enforcement
• She has been sexually trafficked
• She has experienced multiple sexual traumas
• She does not have a safe home or community to return to

Holistic, individualized care is costly. Compassion First provides wrap-around care including full access to the medical care she needs, trauma-informed counseling, case workers, legal support, 24/7 security, school tuition and supplies, and room and board. The context in which we work does not provide access to government social services or subsidized resources, all of the care each girl receives is funded through the generosity of our Compassion First donors.

We advocate for closed court sessions for the survivors in our care. This ensures that when a girl provides her testimony in court, she isn't required to be in the same room as her trafficker. Our team meticulously prepares each girl for her court appearance, helping her navigate the process and address any emotional or physical triggers that may arise. With limited documentation, our clinical team focuses on mentally and physically preparing the girls through simulated trials, empowering them to bravely and confidently deliver their testimonies.

According to the 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report by the US State Department, Indonesia is designated as a Tier 2 country - meaning the government does not fully comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, but is making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards. Compassion First supports the efforts of the government and law enforcement by robustly collaborating with local law enforcement, prosecutors, and governmental agencies toward case-managed investigation, intervention, and restoration. We also partner with the port police and authorities in transit monitoring.