Healing Hearts: A Woman’s Journey with Survivors of Trafficking

“Thank God, I have a lot of Spirit because you must be strong, and you have to know how to deal with trauma, because in working with it, you must recognize your own trauma. This is the first step” says Venezuelan-born Livia Rincon. The 61-year-old clinical psychologist has worked with survivors of trafficking ranging from young children to the elderly. Never once has she considered leaving it behind.​​

Livia moved from Venezuela to Trinidad and Tobago nine years ago. She admits that initially, the move was not easy. From working 12 hours a day in hectic Venezuelan hospitals, the slower pace of life in San Fernando, the most populous city in the country, left her questioning her purpose.   

But when more Venezuelan migrants came to Trinidad and Tobago, Livia’s workload began to increase. “When you listen to stories of 12 or 13-year-olds who were exploited or trafficked, you must be resilient. If you say and feel that you want to save everyone, you will lose your mind.” 

Livia is one of the specialised clinicians engaged by the International Organization for Migration through local non-governmental organization Families in Action. She provides mental health and psychosocial support to minor Victims of Trafficking as well as facilitates training sessions to build the capacity of psychologists, counsellors and social workers. Through her work, Livia will do her part to strengthen support systems for survivors of human trafficking in Trinidad and Tobago while empowering survivors to heal their trauma and fulfil their dreams. 
 
​“​After all, a migrant’s experience is uniquely vulnerable and traumatic​,” ​the psychologist said. The reason to leave home, the journey to the Caribbean, and adapting to a new language and culture are all traumatic. She still remembers the first survivor of trafficking she worked with in Trinidad and Tobago - a 12-year-old. That experience would set the tone for her work to come.

“When I was in Venezuela, I never imagined I would work with victims of human trafficking and this sort of abuse. At that time, we were working to have the first safe place in South Trinidad. We started with 10 children, and soon had 100 children. We decided we needed to do something. It wasn’t only children, it was also women, and all of them were vulnerable and ​traumatised. I received​ families that gave up their children for life or were forced to have sex to survive. The cost is high,” she lamented, as her voice softened.  

Livia also said that because of the economic circumstances many migrants and their families are in, they often work many jobs   and children who may be left at home for many hours unsupervised become easy targets for trafficking and abuse.  Migrant workers can also suffer from burnout​.​ 

However, while the work of psychologists is important, she said it is also essential that ordinary people do their part too. Sensiti​s​ation and education of the population are needed to make a more impactful change.  

Livia believes “When men go to the bar and want to have sex with young girls, they don’t ask how old they are. How can we change this cycle? We are only talking about the girls. I have men, boys - nobody is talking about them. It’s hard. It’s hard for a boy to say he was trafficked. Of course, we need to work with the survivors of trafficking, but also, we need to do something with the regular population,” she said.

An important part of her purpose, the clinical psychologist said, is to make people understand that trauma does not only mean something terrible has happened. In many instances, she said, we may not ​realise​ that we too are ​traumatised​. “We, as a society, need to talk more about trauma to remove the stigma,” Livia urges.