Presenter Bio
Maria Barquin Sommers has been with the BCFS Health and Human Services Common Thread program since 2017, where she was honored to be the first advocate ever hired. In her role as an advocate for commercially sexually exploited youth (CSEY), Maria provided trauma-informed support, offering felt safety and meaningful connection to dozens of CSEY survivors. She played a vital role in coordinating a wide range of services, including emergency shelter placement, residential care, assisted living arrangements, and access to vocational training programs—helping survivors rebuild their lives with stability and dignity.
In recognition of her impactful work in the field, Maria received the San Antonio Business Journal’s 2019 Nonprofit and Corporate Philanthropy Award.
Since 2020, Maria has transitioned into a dedicated data role within Common Thread. Drawing on her deep experience working directly with survivors, she brings a unique perspective to data analysis, ensuring that the stories and needs of both survivors and advocates are accurately represented through numbers. Maria and her team of analysts are committed to using data not just as a tool for reporting, but as a continued form of advocacy—helping to shape more effective services, inform policy, and keep the voices of survivors at the center of the conversation.
Start Date
10-6-2025 11:15 AM
End Date
10-6-2025 11:45 AM
Field of Study
Non-Profit
Abstract
This presentation will focus on the crucial overlap of time management and protection for survivors during data collection. Time management is an essential part of any successful organization, especially when working with vulnerable populations, such as survivors of human trafficking, and facing tight schedules and budgets. It is time- consuming to read through blocks of narratives to find necessary details on survivors, but more importantly, survivors can be harmed by being forced to relive their trauma during data collection. On the other hand, narratives written by advocates can harm survivors if subpoenaed. Documentation data systems that gather quantitative information and tell the story through data can be used to reduce harm to survivors of human trafficking. Data can be used to track survivors’ engagement, connections, needs, and feelings of safety; and to determine efficiency of implementation of intervention strategies. This presentation offers an organizational example of a documentation data system for providing care and protecting survivors of human trafficking.
Included in
CSEY Data Advocacy: Reducing Harm through Data - CSEY Survivors
This presentation will focus on the crucial overlap of time management and protection for survivors during data collection. Time management is an essential part of any successful organization, especially when working with vulnerable populations, such as survivors of human trafficking, and facing tight schedules and budgets. It is time- consuming to read through blocks of narratives to find necessary details on survivors, but more importantly, survivors can be harmed by being forced to relive their trauma during data collection. On the other hand, narratives written by advocates can harm survivors if subpoenaed. Documentation data systems that gather quantitative information and tell the story through data can be used to reduce harm to survivors of human trafficking. Data can be used to track survivors’ engagement, connections, needs, and feelings of safety; and to determine efficiency of implementation of intervention strategies. This presentation offers an organizational example of a documentation data system for providing care and protecting survivors of human trafficking.
