Opinion: To Help Survivors of Human Trafficking in Michigan and Beyond, Support Criminal Record Relief

I didn’t always identify as a survivor of human trafficking. I exited before trafficking was a buzzword. I was in and out of domestic violence shelters in Michigan, who were aware that I was involved in prostitution but didn’t identify it as trafficking. For years, I thought of myself as an ex-prostitute — after all, that’s what my family thought I chose to be at age 13. And it’s what society said about me: As a result of trafficking, I had a criminal record, including prostitution.

This is a common experience among survivors. A recent survey found that 42% of us have a criminal record, usually related to trafficking. Those records keep us from getting jobs, education, housing, and so much more. Some of us end up being trafficked again when we can’t make ends meet.

I didn’t have much choice about where to work or live. I had to find employment where no one would look at my record, so I worked two jobs until I retired. To this day, I can’t access affordable housing because prostitution is still there. My record almost cost me custody of my child because people did not understand my situation. In the end, it was my son who saved my life. I chose to stay alive for him, and I put him first with every decision I made. But I know I’m fortunate to be a parent — many survivors don’t even get the chance to raise their own children.

I’m sharing my story now because we have a real chance to knock down a barrier for survivors with criminal records. An important bill, known as the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act, has been introduced in Congress. This legislation would be the first opportunity for criminal record relief at the federal level, continuing the progress made by many states that have passed similar laws. 

I’ve had my own journey to this point. Once I left my situation and got access to the internet, I started seeing anti-trafficking programs and began to understand my experience. I realized I should have been protected, not criminalized. I realized that I had experienced trauma and was still dealing with it. And I started to see myself differently: as strong and resilient. 

Unfortunately, the world doesn’t see me the same way. Instead, I’ve often felt it telling me, “You’re dirty. You’re wrong. You deserve this.” And one major reason is that I still have a criminal record. Even now, 26 years after exiting and 19 years sober, my record haunts me everywhere I go. I’ve had to change my name, which is like having your identity stripped away. It’s affected family dynamics. I’ve lost friends, and it’s even come up in dating. I try not to interact with law enforcement; I’m afraid of them and embarrassed that my record might come up.

Over the years, I’ve had to fight for opportunities, and I’ve used those experiences to help others in their healing journeys. I sit on the board of Self-Care for Advocates and have participated in leadership programs for survivors. I just took my first plane flight in years to attend a conference on juvenile sex trafficking. Someday, I want to start a nonprofit in my rural area. I know I belong in this field.

My trauma does not define who I should be or who I can become. But for too many survivors, having a criminal record narrows the choices we can make. We need Congress to pass the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act to give us a better chance for success — a chance to live our lives.