For Immediate Release
Global Emergency Response, Inc. (GER) was selected as one of the 18 winners of the Phase 1 national HHS Innovation Challenge. This innovation challenge was developed to identify, and award existing programs that demonstrate the effectiveness in preventing human trafficking and/or improving health outcomes related to human trafficking among women and girls.
GER’s Domestic Violence Beds Electronic Database System (DVBEDS) is a pioneering web-based platform providing real-time information on emergency shelter bed availability for domestic violence and human trafficking survivors. This innovative initiative streamlines communication among shelter agencies, minimizing the time required to identify open beds and improving the referral process.
“Having real-time shelter bed availability means that our advocates can more quickly connect a survivor to shelter and enable their journey to a safer future without having to make multiples calls. This tool means advocates spend less time trying to find where shelter beds are available and more time on the lines supporting survivors,” said Cheri Epps with The Hotline.
According to the White House’s National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, women and girls are disproportionately impacted by human trafficking, which in turn undermines their safety, health, and well-being. Data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline shows women and girls comprised approximately 84% of individuals in trafficking situations, and 50% of individuals in labor trafficking situations reported to the Hotline in 2021. Women and girls who are sexually abused are more likely to suffer physical abuse, sexual re-victimization, and/or intimate partner violence later in life. Because 1 in 3 women experience intimate partner and/or domestic violence at some point in their lives, they are at a high risk of human trafficking and other forms of abuse.
“Concentrating on human trafficking among women and girls requires a multifaceted approach that combines prevention, education, and support,” said Dorothy Fink, M.D., Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women’s Health and Director of the Office on Women’s Health. “We commend the challenge winners for their dedication and demonstrated success in addressing this critical need.”
For more information about GER, visit dvbeds.info or www.ger911.com; and for more information about human trafficking among women and girls, visit womenshealth.gov.