Mar
19
2013
The Cure for Late-Winter Apathy
Melissa Partner Organization News, Survivor Stories, Trafficking News & Information 0
I’ve been struggling with some late-winter apathy. I’m tired and unmotivated (hence, in part, the silence on the blog). Fighting human trafficking sometimes seems just too impossible and exhausting (I mean, how can I make a real difference in the world if I can’t always keep this blog updated?). But IJM and its president Gary Haugen provide two important reminders: 1. At the Justice Conference last month, Gary talked about the long, tedious road to justice. Perseverance is not always glamorous, but it’s powerful. (This video is absolutely worth watching; it was one of my favorite talks at the conference.)Read more
Mar
07
2013
Human Trafficking on Social Media
Melissa Empower Women, Survivor Stories 0
This article from CNN about how pimps are using social media to target victims for human trafficking highlights several key themes in the fight against human trafficking. • Technology aids traffickers. • Many typical American teens are vulnerable. • The romantic lies that traffickers use to lure girls are powerful. Here’s part of the article: Upper middle-class and college-bound, Nina had her plans derailed in her senior year of high school after her mother was sentenced to two years in prison for financial crimes. Lonely and looking online for male attention, she started messaging back and forth [on Facebook] withRead more
Jan
17
2013
Dina Leah: Survivor of Human Trafficking
Melissa Ethical Fashion, Survivor Stories 2
In honor of Human Trafficking Awareness Month, author Ruth Jacobs is sharing interviews with advocates against human trafficking and survivors of trafficking. You can find them all on her website: ruthjacobs.co.uk. Below is a compelling interview with author Dina Leah, survivor of sexual exploitation and anti-exploitation author: What inspired you to write about sexual exploitation? I was inspired to write about sexual exploitation because of my experiences as a teenage runaway who was forced to rely on sexual favors in order to obtain the necessaries of life: food, shelter, safety from the violence of the streets and from other predators,Read more
Oct
18
2012
Why Aftercare Is Vital
Melissa Empower Women, Survivor Stories 0
Rescue is an unspeakably critical turning point for victims of human trafficking; but aftercare is what turns a victim into a survivor. It helps women heal from the physical and emotion trauma they’ve faced, and it gives them a marketable skill they can use to provide for themselves and their families. As healed, capable women they develop an enduring sense of dignity and pride. This combination of education and self-worth is the best defense against being trafficked again. And, as the icing on the cake, these women create beautiful jewelry, clothing, and accessories—Stop Traffick Fashion exists because of successful aftercare.Read more
Sep
13
2012
A Fresh Start for Trafficking Victims
Melissa Survivor Stories, Trafficking News & Information 3
Barbara Amaya is a survivor of trafficking in the US. After being abused by a family member, she ran away from home and was later taken in by a couple who groomed her to be a prostitute. She was eventually cast aside by her pimp at age 17 and left alone and drug addicted on the streets of New York City. Read her full story here. She writes about the problem of human trafficking and what can be done to fix it in the Washington Times Communities. Her most recent article highlights one of the major challenges to recovery for victimsRead more
Jun
27
2012
Thai Fishing Boats: Targets for Human Traffickers
Melissa Survivor Stories, Trafficking News & Information 1
NPR has done a series of articles on form of human trafficking that is often overlooked. Enslaved works staff many fishing boats that stay at sea for weeks on end. The grueling work takes victims from their families—from any means of escape—and risks their lives and their health. Read about Vannak’s story below and here and here. From Part 1: Cambodian Vannak Prum’s destiny changed in a dirt-road town called Malai. It’s a Cambodian outpost on the border with Thailand that is known for its involvement in the trafficking of human beings. Prum arrived in Malai seven years ago searchingRead more
Jun
05
2012
Reintegrating Survivors of Human Trafficking
Melissa Empower Women, Survivor Stories 0
The United Nations Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking (UNIAP) has created a report about the challenges of integrating human trafficking survivors back into their societies. The report first takes a look at the existing reintegration systems in Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Next it talks about seven issues that make reintegration a complicated process, including victim identification, misguided economic assistance, and weak psychosocial support. I found the section on defining successful reintegration—one of the seven challenges—very interesting. Practitioners across the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) expressed concerns that the social, psychological, and medical gains that may be made duringRead more
May
31
2012
Surivivor Story: Neet’s Sweets
Melissa Empower Women, Survivor Stories 0
Read this North Carolina human trafficking survivor’s story of hope and healing, and find out more about the bakery business she launched. “[I thank] God for this day, as well as every day, that I can continue to keep fighting and pushing [for] my dream. As I embrace 27, I think about what it has [taken] for me to get to this point…I am not even supposed to be here. Just being a young black woman starting a business is tough, so I am forever grateful that I am able to use my past as my strength to inspire others toRead more
Apr
26
2012
A 10-Minute Pep Talk: Overcoming the Darkness of Trafficking
Melissa Empower Women, Everyday Abolitionist, Survivor Stories 1
It’s no secret: Human trafficking can be depressing to read about. Here’s a 10-minute pep talk from journalist Nicholas Kristof, author of Half the Sky. In this TEDxWomen interview, he speaks about the resilience of the men, women, and children he’s met in his travels around the world. People assume, based on the dark topics he reports on, that he must be “profoundly depressed or highly neurotic.” But he insists that “side by side with the worst things happening in the world, you see the very best.” Everywhere he goes around the world he sees humanity and altruism—and we canRead more
Apr
19
2012
Child Abuse: A Precursor to Sex Trafficking
Melissa Survivor Stories, Uncategorized 0
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Statistics show that kids who are victims of abuse at home are at risk of being trafficked. “According to Sandra Morgan, R.N., M.A., the director of Vanguard University’s Global Center for Women and Justice, “65 to 85 percent of child victims of commercial sexual exploitation have a history of child sexual abuse in their own community or home environment.” Survivor Holly Smith wrote an article for the Washington Times telling her story and urging readers to help prevent child abuse. Part of her story is below. Find out about the six protective factorsRead more