Survivor Speak

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.

The National Survivor Study used the experience and expertise from survivors to create a detailed picture of the arc of trafficking.

The findings of the National Survivor Study tell the story of survivors after they exit their exploitation – and it’s the first time this story is being told.

The language we use when talking about human trafficking can be triggering to survivors and preventing victims from recognizing they're in a trafficking situation. It's past time we listen to survivors and develop survivor-centered language.

Guest Blog by Survivor-Advocate Annika Huff Our stories are powerful. When I share my story, audience members often tell me that hearing someone’s real-life experience, in their own words, changes the way they connect to the issue. This is not unique to the work of reducing and preventing human trafficking and supporting survivors. Any successful … Continued

Keyana Marshall was just 15 when she was manipulated into selling sex by a female trafficker she originally went to work for as a babysitter. Throughout her teen years she was passed from one trafficker to another. Finally, law enforcement stepped in. But for Keyana, that only made things worse. She wound up serving nearly … Continued

The National Survivor Study is live. If you are a survivor of human trafficking, please consider participating in this one of a kind study.