Driving Freedom Podcast

In June, which is Pride Month, we want to acknowledge and work against the difficulties and discrimination faced by those in the queer community, which can make someone more vulnerable to trafficking. It’s ok to disagree with people, but no matter if or how we disagree, it’s important to make sure everyone is safe. That’s why it’s important to better understand what LGBTQ2ia+ individuals face, so we can do that … so we can stop trafficking however it happens. Forty percent of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ+ and 46 percent of them ran away due to family rejection. LGBTQ+ youth are 7.4 times more likely to experience acts of sexual violence than their non-LGBTQ+ peers. And providers for youth report that many LGBTQ+ youth prefer to engage in sexual acts in exchange for a place to stay rather than risk experiencing the abuse and potential violence they sometimes face in youth shelters and foster care. Imagine feeling that putting yourself in that position is better than what could be faced in a place that is supposed to support you, but hasn’t in the past or has hurt your friends. Hear from Wade Arvizu, an anti-trafficking subject matter expert, author and speaker about the realities faced by people in the queer community and how we can each take action.

Resources:

• Wade’s books
• The book recommended by Wade: “Love is an Orientation” by Andrew Marin 
• “Ride with Pride: With changing times, LGBTQ truckers move more confidently in spite of lingering harassment” 
• The National Human Trafficking Hotline
• How to better understand and connect with LGBTQIA loved ones
• "Know Your Rights" section to help LGBTQIA people experiencing discrimination 

Traffickers exploit any vulnerability they can find in their victims, whether that is trauma from past violence, isolation from support networks, language barriers, lack of familiarity with their surroundings, or simply their hopes and dreams for a better future. These vulnerabilities can be particularly heightened among immigrants and refugees, which is why we’re thrilled to have Kristyn Peck, the CEO of Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area, on with us to share her insights into the intersection between human trafficking and migration. From the exploitation of domestic workers, to a teenager lured by the promise of romance, to construction workers trapped in debt bondage, join us on this episode of Driving Freedom as we discuss the stories of survivors and examples of how traffickers use their migrant victims’ vulnerabilities as methods of both recruitment and control. 

Resources: 

• Case example 
• Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area
• The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants services for trafficking survivors webpage. Check out the toolkit, “Safety Planning with Foreign National Children and Youth Survivors of Trafficking,” for resources and tips. 

Anti-sex trafficking programs and organizations across the US report that survivors on their caseload are overrepresented by youth or young adults from the foster care system. Some programs even report as high as 85% of the survivors getting services from their programs have had contact with the foster care system. Tune in to hear from Josie Feemster, a survivor advocate who’s worked with survivors who’ve been in the foster care system, as we learn how trafficking and foster care overlap and what we in the trucking and transportation industries can do about it.  

Resources:
Intersection of human trafficking and foster care
U.S. Office of Children and Families
The Runaway Hotline

Unlike adults without consistent housing, youth are often pushed into homelessness directly, because of an already traumatic situation -- whether that is violence in the home or rejection by their family. Fresh off one traumatic situation, they are then targets of traffickers seeking to exploit the vulnerabilities that seem to grow exponentially overnight. This leaves survivors of homelessness and sex trafficking like Sherry, who also served as a committee member of the Advisory Council for the National Network for Youth, to ask, “Do I really have a choice? Or is youth homelessness and trafficking truly a never-ending cycle?” Join us as we speak with Darla Bardine, the executive director of the National Network for Youth, an organization dedicated to amplifying the voices of youth experiencing homelessness, in the hopes of seeing an end to it. What are the barriers to finding secure housing and to leaving sex trafficking for youth experiencing homelessness? Tune in to learn more!

Resources: 

Homelessness and human trafficking
National Network for Youth
A study by Covenant House on labor and sex trafficking of homeless youth

Trafficking doesn’t happen instantaneously. Traffickers manipulate and trick their victims into thinking they want to be there or it’s their fault. This makes it much easier than trying to keep someone locked up against their will. This also means there is a time before the trafficking begins where we, as fellow youth, parents, and safe adults can recognize the signs of grooming and stop trafficking before it happens! Pay attention if you hear of a persistent relationship with a person online who your friend or child has never met in person or if you notice new clothes or nice gifts from an unexplained source. Tune in to this episode to learn more from Danny Papa with the New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking about how you can recognize and stop grooming from leading to trafficking. Learn the role a school bus driver can play and how you, as a truck driver, community member, or local advocate can best equip your local schools to recognize and stop trafficking as well!

Resources:
School outreach toolkit & school transportation toolkit
More about grooming
‘15 ways to engage your school’

What if you are not an over-the-road driver or spend every night at home? Could you still be in a place to recognize and report human trafficking? Yes, local and regional drivers are still very much in locations to potentially intersect with victims of trafficking as you’ll hear from America's Road Team Captain and TAT Ambassador Tim Taylor, a road driver for FedEx Freight. Tim shares his own stories as a driver, experiences as a TAT Ambassador and his experience observing sex trafficking in Florida. Learning to see the red flags, such as recognizing minors in commercial sex and the signs of traffickers, and then, telling others about trafficking, are both ways to make a difference wherever you are. Drivers are critical members of our communities, and no matter the miles you drive on a daily basis, you can be equipped to provide a pathway to freedom. 

Resources:
TAT training materials
Harriet Tubman Award nomination page 

Wondering about the prevalence of trafficking in Canada? Join us as we examine the issue of trafficking in Canada with a powerful survivor interview which highlights the reality of the situation, including a personal account of her experiences as a minor in Nova Scotia. Hear where it happened, how she was groomed by her family, the signs adults in her life could have looked for, and the tips you’ll need to recognize to report trafficking in Canada today.

Resources:
TAT Canada
Canadian Centre To End Human Trafficking
Canadian Centre To End Human Trafficking, report on human trafficking in Canada

Pornography is inextricably linked to sexual exploitation and sex trafficking. In 2020, TraffickingHub, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) and a New York Times article spotlighted the stories of individuals who were sex trafficked or sexually abused in videos shared on the now notorious website, Pornhub. Pornhub and other free porn upload sites like it claim they have no responsibility for the content uploaded by users on their site, so then what are we to do to stop this sexual violence? Listen in to our conversation with NCOSE's Jake Roberson to learn how to navigate this topic and make a difference in your community.

Resources: 

• TAT’s Man to Man: Address Demand Campaign
• Resources recommended for compulsive porn use: https://endsexualexploitation.org/resources-struggling/
• Earn It Act
• Communications Decency Act and Section 230
• FOSTA SESTA
• Action steps you can take: https://endsexualexploitation.org/doj/
• Information on PornHub and how to take action against them specifically: https://endsexualexploitation.org/pornhub
• Why Self-Regulation Can’t Fix Pornhub (or the Pornography Industry)

You may have heard of a boomtown -- a town experiencing rapid growth due to prosperity -- in this case, prosperity due to oil. Have you heard how this sudden prosperity has also led to some unintended consequences related to human trafficking? Meet Kevin Ficke, one man who’s part of a network, facing off against traffickers who wish to exploit the oil and gas industry's good work for their own gain. Hear how traffickers could operate freely, selling their victims by word of mouth, and how Kevin confronts those who think it must not be a problem, simply because it isn’t their daughter being exploited. Kevin shares how multiple agencies, schools, and companies work together to help survivors recover and begin to thrive, and how he is there the whole way, providing support for survivors beyond the criminal case. In all of that, what you’ll hear is not only the story of the energy industry’s role in combating human trafficking, but the story of how you, as a professional driver, energy industry professional, or community members, are in those same shoes … the shoes of someone who can make the call, and save a life.

Resources:
Truckers Against Trafficking Empower Freedom
Truckers Against Trafficking Empower Freedom materials 

“You are my hero.” That’s the sentiment we often hear when it comes to our Harriet Tubman Award winners, and it is who we know professional drivers to be. The Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) Harriet Tubman Award, presented by Protective Insurance, honors a member of the trucking, bus, or energy industry whose actions directly impacted the life of someone exploited through human trafficking. Arian Taylor of Ballard Trucking shares the story of how he was in the right place at the right time with the right training to open a door to recovery and safety. Imagine a woman made to get out of a car holding all of her possessions while you’re waiting to unload your trailer. What would you do? Tune in to hear the experience and the impact of Arian’s call.

Resources: 
TAT’s Harriet Tubman Award details and storie