As schools, businesses, churches, and organizations across the country close to flatten the curve of COVID-19 cases, survivors on a path to fiscal independence struggle. The women in our program do not have resources to stockpile groceries, pay for childcare, or make ends meet when...
A common argument for the decriminalization of sex work is that if women choose to sell their body, that’s their right. In discussions, this can be positioned as a feminist, almost entrepreneurial stance. Coming from the anti-trafficking world, I look at this with a different...
Let’s Be Thankful Every Day...
Yesterday congress performed a rare feat in near-perfect unity by doing the right thing despite pressure from the deep pockets of Silicon Valley. Three cheers for the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act. The victory is shadowed by one painful question: why the hell did it...
Women talk a lot these days about finding their “voice”—after enduring lifetimes of insecurity and self-doubt, experiences of sexual harassment, or the simple day-to-day experience of a culture that encourages—or enforces—women’s silence. How do you find your voice when you’ve been silenced for so long?...
When collaborating with a survivor of human trafficking, there are times an exchange punches me, taking my breath for a moment. This week I checked in on Harriet after an involved surgery that landed her 4 weeks of bedrest and asked if she knew what...
Imagine you are a young girl living in poverty. Someone comes in and promises hope for your future, a better life for you and your family. You take that opportunity, only to learn that you were tricked. You find yourself being a commodity of a...
Yesterday, as I waited to pick up my son at school, I scrolled through Facebook and couldn’t help but smile at all the lovely Diwali posts. Pictures of people dressed in their Indian finery and celebrating this holiday left me nostalgic. I moved from my...