Survivor Speak

As a survivor of human trafficking, I know that exiting an abusive situation does not guarantee freedom. Among other burdens, many of us carry criminal records for actions we were forced to commit while trafficked — records that keep us from financial stability and put us at risk for revictimization, even years removed from trafficking. … Continued

A conference on human trafficking changed my life. At the time, I was in ministry, and I knew human trafficking was a real problem. A friend and I found a relevant conference and decided to attend to build our knowledge, skills, and new connections. But something shifted during lunchtime. As the speaker shared, I felt hot tears begin rolling down my face. When my friend asked me what was wrong, I whispered, “They’re telling my story.”

It took me a year and a half to realize that what I’d experienced was labor trafficking. Initially, I kept going through my memories, trying to understand what happened. It was hard to distinguish the lies my trafficker told me from what actually happened. And I was trying to process the psychological trauma of what I went through. 

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, … Continued

I remember getting out of prison and being barred from employment because of my criminal record. Even though the system claimed to have resources to rehabilitate me, I couldn’t get the help I needed through the police, courts, probation officers, or anyone else. I felt like I was walking on eggshells, terrified that one wrong step would send me back to prison.

It wasn’t until my trafficker abandoned me on the street — eight and half months pregnant — that I finally found the connection that saved my life and transformed my future. After I called 911, the paramedics stabilized me and my unborn baby, and the hospital social worker found a bed for me at a local maternity home for homeless expectant mothers.

Advocates across the anti-human-trafficking field are calling on Congress to pass the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act, which would create the first federal pathway for survivors of labor and sex trafficking to clear criminal records resulting from their trafficking experience. This law would break down a massive barrier to survivors’ economic stability and mobility, as having … Continued

Transgender people exist within the perfect storm of vulnerabilities that human traffickers use to exploit them. For example, trans people often lack familial support, are harassed for simply being who they are or supporting others like them, and experience rejection from services and opportunities – like housing and medical care. Traffickers take advantage of these … Continued

Denim Day is an internationally-recognized day to support survivors of sexual violence and bring awareness to the issue of victim-blaming. Human trafficking survivors know this issue all too well.

Many survivors of human trafficking are also survivors of sexual abuse. During April’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we are exploring the intersection of sexual abuse and human trafficking.

Testimony from victims of crime is often the key to successful prosecution, but it can come at a significant cost to the victims themselves, who have to relive some of their most painful experiences.

The voices of Black survivors have historically been left out of the anti trafficking movement. To tell the true story of human trafficking, we can no longer separate it from race.