Emancipation Nation

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Harold D'Souza, a highly educated man, came to the U.S. in search of a better life only to find he and his family trapped in a labor trafficking nightmare. He was worked 16 hour days, 7 days per week to the point of physical and psychological exhaustion. Their traffickers demeaned Harold and his family and made him feel like a failed parent, failed protector, failed provider, and failed person. But he knew deep down inside that he was a good and strong person and that suicide or silence was no longer an option for him. In extreme daily fear, Harold called on God and recounted that he had to remember that he should not tell God how big the storm is in his life, but should tell the storm how big God is in his life. Harold found the courage to get himself and his family away from their traffickers only to find out that the systems designed to help vulnerable people were unkind and unsympathetic to what he and his family had suffered. Today Harold and his family are doing well. Harold has devoted his life to helping other victims. He also does presentations and works both locally and internationally helping professionals understand that labor trafficking is a critical issue in the U.S. and around the world. Harold is a brilliant, compassionate, and devoted advocate focused on bringing both awareness and effective solutions to those modern-day labor trafficking slaves in the U.S. and abroad.

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This week learn how I, and a few trusting souls, started the Human Trafficking and Social Justice Conference with little more than our dreams.  This week we highlight the 16th annual Human Trafficking and Social Justice Conference that was held September 19 and 20, 2019.  It now serves as the largest academic international conference in the nation serving over 1,500 attendees coming from 42 states and 30 countries. Attendees had the opportunity to choose from 70 sessions over a two day period. And just so you are aware, the conference is not a political one where everyone agrees. Social justice is vast and so perspectives are vast. There is diversity of thought at the conference from those that approach this social justice focused work from a programming perspective, research, activisim, policy work and more. Presenters range from researchers to grass roots outreachers. There are several presentations from survivors. Even though all involved fight human trafficking, there are a range of perspectives about adults involved in the commercial sex trade, including those that are abolitionists and those that support sex worker rights. The time at the conference is both educational and inspiring because experts provide attendees with the information and tools to return to their communities and take action. Check out the conference schedule at traffickingconference.com  Go to "attend" and click on "schedule" to see all of the powerful presenters and presentations from this year. We hope you will join us next year so that you can meet others from the nation and find your tribe! 

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Theresa Flores founded the Save Our Adolescents from Prostitution (SOAP) campaign that has reached over a million in hotels/motels across the U.S. Learn about SOAP and how to get involved and/or start a chapter in your community. SOAP also hosts survivor retreats that bring survivors together from across the U.S. to learn, grow, and heal from places of brokeness. The listener is also challenged to address their own brokeness in order to fully serve others.

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Collaboration is one of the key tools advocates use to effectively address human trafficking. In fact, you cannot be a successful anti-trafficking advocate without knowing how to effectively collaborate- yet collaboration is the very thing that no one is really taught how to do. In this episode I'll review seven agreements that you need to make with yourself. Once you do these, you'll master the art of collaboration.

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Nurses work in health care facilities don't they? Not always, some nurses become fearless advocates against human trafficking and go to the streets, of Philadelphia in jails, and they develop programs and safe houses for victims to recover. Some nurses not only help to heal the body, but they work to heal the heart and mind and put their energies into healing the soul of a nation that ignored vulnerable victims. Not all nurses take blood pressure, some take on issues. Meet renaissance woman Dr. Donna Sabella who tells about how she used her knowledge and skills in nursing to fight trafficking both directly in working with victims and as a researcher.

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What does a direct practice advocate do when they work with victims and survivors on a daily basis? Nora Riggs, a master level social worker explains her daily work in helping clients one-on-one including how she helps clients identify their goals based on their needs and the very real risk that she, like others, will suffer vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue. Nora discussess how she recognizes when client trauma is affecting her life. She talks about how both hard work and "hope" for client recovery is most important and the advice she would give to others that do this work or want to do this work.

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This episode is devoted to those who are passionate about anti-trafficking work, but who haven't gotten started in the field yet. You can stop waiting and start making a difference. It's not that hard. I'll show you how to get started and ways you can consider bringing your talents (superpowers) to the table to make a difference.

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Jeffrey Epstein was accused of the sex trafficking of minors. He killed himself while in prison awaiting trial. The business of sex trafficking involves supply "victims" and "demand" customers. Let's shine the spotlight on Epstein and discuss the "demand" side of the issue in this short episode spotlighting Jeffrey Epstein.

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Caroline Palmer is an attorney in charge of making sure the Safe Harbor Law, the state law that mandates we see child trafficking victims as victims of abuse instead of delinquents, is implemented across the state of Minnesota. She ensures that 40 anti-trafficking projects are funded across the state and across 9 of the 11 tribal nations in Minnesota. How does one even do that? Very carefully.

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Dr. Dominique Roe-Sepowitiz, Director of the Office of Sex Trafficking at Arizona State University, discusses the ways she is and has been involved in anti-trafficking work with victims and prostituted women in jails, in groups, in a drop-in center, and in the community. One of her current projects is working with many others to bring "pop up" services to prostituted and trafficked women in Phoenix. Every six months collaborators, made up of various social service agency representatives along with university students and survivors volunteer to set up in an area in the community to offer housing services, substance abuse services, counseling, basic needs and other services and supports to vulnerable others. They don't wait for someone to find them. They bring the application process and help to the people that need it most. The projects is now occuring in a few other cities across the U.S. and has been very successful.  Dr. Roe-Sepowitz welcomes anti-trafficking advocates from other communities to learn how to implement the project in their cities.