Ending Human Trafficking

Dr. Sandie Morgan and Dave Stachowiak discuss Sandie’s recent visit to an asylum center in Athens, Greece. They shed light on the challenges for refugees to receive asylum and the continued hardships of integrating into a new culture. They also discuss how asylum seekers are causing challenges for the country itself.

5 myths surrounding asylum are: the refugee crisis is over, we can easily separate refugees from economic migrants, telling human stories is enough to change people’s minds, the crisis is a threat to European values, and history is repeating and there’s nothing we can do about it.

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe or rate the podcast on iTunes by clicking here. Click here for FAQs about podcasts and how to subscribe.

Haven’t been receiving our newsletter? Visit our homepage to join today.

Contact us with questions, comments, or suggestions at [email protected].

Transcript

Dave: [00:00:00] You’re listening to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. This is episode number 176, Field Trip to the Athens Asylum Center.

Production Credits: [00:00:09] Produced by Innovate Learning, maximizing human potential.

Dave: [00:00:30] Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. My name is David Stachowiak.

Sandie: [00:00:35] And my name is Sandie Morgan.

Dave: [00:00:37] And this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in ending human trafficking. On the last episode we talked about studying the issues in Athens, Greece and we explored some of the big pictures, goals, and outcomes that came out of Sandie’s recent trip there with the Global Center for Women and Justice team. And we talked about student involvement and so many of the takeaways that happened. On this episode, we’re going to zero in on a much more of a micro conversation, Sandie, on one particular piece and one particular experience of being in Greece during that time. And we’re going to really look at in some detail the asylum center that you visited.

Sandie: [00:01:27] I tell you when we arrived at this center and we saw the way the gate is positioned with the kind of metal guides like you were in line to go through security at the airport and it just whines and whines, back and forth. And knowing that refugees show up there at 6 o’clock in the morning waiting for the office to open at 8:00 a.m. trying to get in first. And they have their whole family with the mom, dad, three or four kids and they’re waiting there to get inside. And to begin to understand what that means. And you know, you think about asylum, finding a safe place that you can legally stay. That’s the goal. And so many of the pictures that are emblazoned on our minds from the news reports of boats capsizing and people being pulled out of the water to safety. That’s just the beginning because now they have to figure out how to build a new life, and they need to build it in a safe place.

Dave: [00:02:45] I have so many things I’m curious about the experience and the experience of the center, Sandie. I’m curious first, and I know there’s not an easy answer to this question, but who are the refugees who show up in this line. Where do they come from? What’s their story to the extent that you know?

Sandie: [00:03:03] Well, in that part of the world, the majority of the refugees that we met and encountered were from conflict areas in Syria. Some were escaping for some of the other issues that are related to how you seek asylum for religious persecution. We met asylum seekers from Iran, from northern Iraq Kurdish areas, from Syria, and from Turkey, but they all had the same goal in mind. We want to be in a place where we are safe and our children have a future.

Dave: [00:03:43] So a lot of what we’ve been hearing on the news in the last few years are the conflicts in the Middle East and of course the Syria conflict. You were front and center of the people who have now emerged from that and showed up in Greece seeking that protection.

Sandie: [00:04:02] And here’s the thing that makes Greece a little unique. What I learned from our NGO partners that we were working with, is that refugees that made it further west in Europe are being sent back to their country of entry to the EU, because they didn’t qualify for asylum or for residence. The numbers were cut off in countries like Germany and Norway and so on. And so, the country they entered in with a boat falling apart, was Greece. And so, they’re coming back and now they’re starting the process again there. So even though people say well the crisis is over, right? Greece is a country of 11 million people. About five million are of the age where they’re working and unemployment is about 30 percent.

Dave: [00:05:06] Wow.

Sandie: [00:05:07] So you have an economically stretched country that just is emerging from austerity measures that we also followed and they are the ones tasked with receiving hundreds and thousands of these refugees. And you know, once you come in, they took us in just like we were refugees, they brought us in. And once you get through the front gate, then you’re in this big holding area. We stopped and we took some pictures, and you start thinking about why you’re here. And there’s a little area for children to play, and there’s a little center where you can draw pictures. And I’m looking at the pictures, and I’m going to give it to Andrew and see if he can’t post it somehow on our page. But one 14-year-old girl and this was the story told to me, drew this picture. It was very simple black and white, and it was one arm clasping another arm. So, my hand around your elbow, and your hand around my elbow. But I can’t see you because you’re underwater, but I’m pulling you up. And so, when you’re at the border in one of these landlocked countries and you close the door, they can’t get in, but they’re still standing on dry land. In Greece, what are you going to do, throw them back into the sea? So, this con...

Dr. Sandie Morgan and Dave Stachowiak discuss Dr. Morgan’s recent trip to Athens, Greece. She explains what her team did and shares her personal experience, including the high and low points.

Bridges Humanitarian Initiative

Salvation Army – Green Light Project

UN National Rapporteur – Greece Ministry of Foreign Affairs

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe or rate the podcast on iTunes by clicking here. Click here for FAQs about podcasts and how to subscribe.

Haven’t been receiving our newsletter? Visit our homepage to join today.

Contact us with questions, comments, or suggestions at [email protected].

Transcript

Dave: [00:00:00] You’re listening to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. This is episode number 175, Study the Issues in Athens, Greece.

Production Credits: [00:00:08] Produced by Innovate Learning, maximizing human potential.

Dave: [00:00:29] Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. My name is Dave Stachowiak.

Sandie: [00:00:35] And my name is Sandie Morgan.

Dave: [00:00:37] And this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in Ending Human Trafficking. Sandie, one of my favorite things about you is that in addition to being a scholar and being one who has helped us to study these issues so much in depth over the years, as we’ve talked about many times on this podcast, is that you are someone who is also out there doing amazing work on the ground. Multiple times a year you are flying around the world, meeting people all over the place, forming partnerships. And I think this is probably the sixth or seventh or eighth episode we’ve had talking about one of these incredible trips and journeys you’ve been on. And today we’re going to look at what you’ve learned and the value of really engaging young people in some your work. You were just recently back in Athens, Greece and I’m really excited to hear about your adventure this time and what came out of it for both you and also the people you visited.

Sandie: [00:01:42] Well I always loved going back to Athens, and just a big shout out to my friends and colleagues there, because they always make sure that we eat well. You realize Mediterranean cooking is the best way to go. And so big shout out to them. This was our second year to do a partnership with two non-profit NGOs, they’re humanitarian initiative bridges and Salvation Army. And so, the global center literally cosponsored, co-organized a series of conferences while we were there. But I didn’t just go, I took a whole team with me. And I think one of the things that I especially appreciate about being at Vanguard University in an academic setting doing anti-human trafficking work is education has to be an across the generational process. So, bringing students with me instead of going and doing it and then coming back and telling them in the classroom and giving them a quiz, it’s an entirely experiential learning. And the value goes way beyond data that they learn. But it’s transformative in their worldview and in their relationships across borders.

Dave: [00:03:13] I’m so curious. Who are the students that went with you? Like what are their backgrounds and what kind of students do you pull from? And I’m also curious, what do you tell students in advance, like how do you set them up for an experience like this of going across the world and engaging in efforts on ending human trafficking?

Sandie: [00:03:34] You know Dave, every year I try to get better at preparing them for what they’re going to face no matter what country we’re going to. And it never fails to astound me at how shocked they are when we actually get there and see the circumstances. But we do prepare. They have reading things they do before they go. Everybody that goes on a Global Center for Women and Justice trip takes Intro to Women’s Studies so that they understand the issues that are particular to gender discrimination and sexual violence and those kinds of things. And so, they had that kind of preparation. They prepared by studying some of the Live2Free scripts because we use them in some of their prevention strategies. And they prepare by having regular meetings. This trip, because we knew we would be working with refugees, we did some preparation around resiliency because we know that these are folks who have been in a long-term traumatic situation. So, team preparation is great and we try to do some team building exercises but nothing does the job as much as getting on an airplane and going. And on the ground, your team is your backup for everything.

Dave: [00:05:04] You mentioned some of the partner organizations that were part of this. Tell me about those and how did that fit into the outcomes that you were looking for from this experience?

Sandie: [00:05:14] Well, if you recall last year we went and we did a three-day conference and we had about 30 folks that joined us from different NGOs and state agencies, and we also had five representatives from the anti-human trafficking task force in northern Iraq, and a representative from the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime. And so, there was a lot of response “are you going to do something again next year?” Different people wanted different things so the team, meaning our partners there, decided that we wanted to do four different one-day conferences to be able to kind of respond to everybody’s requests. So, the first conference was a conference designed for nonprofits, NGOs, and state agencies. And I think I mentioned about 30 people last year, 175 people came. And the representation was really across the board, international NGOs as well as local. And our partners, the Salvation Army and Bridges, did a great job of setting the stage, making all of the arrangements. And of course, our kind of secret sauce is Derek Marsh and I co-teach this class. And together we co-presented the law enforcement perspective as well as the victimology and some of the trauma-informed issues that we want to address. So, the conference was very well attended. The interaction was amazing and the after conversations also drew in the other partners. So, we weren’t the only presenters, so it was very well represented from the important sectors in Greece. So, we had representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that endorsed the conference from the UN special rapporteur. We also had a representative, a major from the Athens police training director, and that was an amazing outcome. And so, we invited him back to one of the other days and he came back. So, I was especially excited about how organic the conference was where presenting some people show up, they have ideas, they’re able to become part of the conversation in the room right that moment. So, we invited our new friend from the police department that came, [00:08:08] Spiros Brotsokis, [1.6] to just take over one of the sessions that Derek had been scheduled to do. And he was very happy to do that. And it really built what was happening in that comm...

Dr. Sandra Morgan and Dave Stachowiak talk to Dr. Sibylle Georgianna about sexual compulsivity and discuss common misconceptions.

Key Points

Resources

Are you enjoying the show?

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe or rate the podcast on iTunes by clicking here. Click here for FAQs about podcasts and how to subscribe.

Haven’t been receiving our newsletter? Visit our homepage to join today.

Contact us with questions, comments, or suggestions at [email protected].

Transcript

Dave: [00:00:00] You’re listening to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. This is episode number 174. Dr. Sibylle Georgianna Misconceptions About Sexual Compulsivity.

Production Credits: [00:00:11] Produced by Innovate Learning, maximizing human potential.

Dave: [00:00:31] Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. My name is Dave Stachowiak.

Sandie: [00:00:37] And my name is Sandie Morgan.

Dave: [00:00:39] And this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in ending human trafficking. Sandie, one of the great assets I believe that we have at the Global Center for Women and Justice, is the academic work and research that’s so much a part of us being integrated highly into the higher education institution at Vanguard University. And of course, a big part of our work is studying the issues. And I’m so glad today that we have a guest who’s an expert in studying these issues that will really help us to also get some really new perspective on something I don’t think we’ve talked about much before.

Sandie: [00:01:25] Absolutely. So, I’ll let you take it away and introduce her.

Dave: [00:01:28] I’m pleased to welcome to the show today Dr. Sibylle Georgianna. She is a clinical psychologist and the founder of The Leadership Practice and its affiliates sexual health of Orange County California. As a certified sex therapist, certified sex addiction therapists, certified clinical partner specialist, and certified EMDR therapist, Sibylle is treating teens and adults experiencing sexual difficulties and compulsions. She is also an assistant faculty of Vanguard University of Southern California, where she teaches and oversees the graduate research programs of Vanguard’s masters of organizational psychology students supposed research and publications are focusing on self-regulation and self-leadership. She enjoys her family surfing and Southern California’s weather. We’re so glad to welcome you to the show, Sibylle.

Sibylle: [00:02:09] Thank you for having me. The weather, I had to put that in the description.

Sandie: [00:02:14] Yeah, well and I know you know you come from an area in Europe where it’s much colder, right?

Sibylle: [00:02:20] Yes, I grew up in Germany and went to school there and it was very much like the northern and north-west coasts here in the United States. So, I appreciate any little bit of sunshine that we can get here.

Sandie: [00:02:32] Well, for me it’s been such a delight to get to know you this year and I’m so glad you’re at Vanguard. And you spoke it Ensure Justice where we began a conversation that I hadn’t really studied a lot before. And what I understood was that we in our communities often have a lot of misperceptions about sexual compulsivity and if anybody is listening and you missed Ensure Justice, we’ll put a link to the recordings and you can hear Dr. Georgianna and many others by clicking on that link.

Sandie: [00:03:11] But let’s jump into this, and look at just a few of these perceptions that we have and talk about those. So, the first one is that sexual addiction and compulsivity does not exist. So, talk to us about that. Dr. Georgianna.

Sibylle: [00:03:30] Yes and I appreciate to share on this because we don’t really have guidelines that are fully accepted in the medical community in the psychiatric community. And they are just listed as a condition to explore further and need more research. And at the same time, we know that individuals that are being studied using brain scans for describing sexual compulsivity to the providers coming in, that they have a very similar brain as to cocaine addiction that we see in addicted individual’s brains. So, the complexity, even if we don’t have clear guidelines yet, that are embraced in the treatment community. However, we see that there is physical evidence that nowadays technology can provide. We do hope that this physical evidence will be used to then also supports a clear diagnosis and something that is being embraced as a viable diagnosis in the medical community.

Sandie: [00:29:20] OK. And I think it’s important for some of our listeners with a professional background, to understand that part of that is taken from the DSM4 so that we understand that we’re talking about classifications that are tracked and recognized across the psychological, intellectual community so to speak. And because you are so precise, I made really a lot of notes so that I can be equally as precise. I admire your attention to detail. You’re one of the most accomplished research professors on this subject that I’ve ever met. And so, when you were speaking at Ensure Justice, one of the misconceptions that you addressed is that sex work is a choice that women consent to it and can make a lot of money. And that was really a departure from your normal language, but it captured the attention of so many people who were attending Ensure Justice. Can you speak to that and why that’s not true?

Sibylle: [00:30:16] Thank you for that background. I think what is so difficult in this conversation, is that we do have some medical information, and we have some studies and surveys, and then we have information that for instance, everybody can basically broadcast through social media. And that piece of the misperception, that this is something that people choose. And there are really no strings attached, apart from generating an income source, is really reflected more on what we see in let’s say, YouTube videos, and what is so commonly portrayed in the media or social media. However, if we really would then have a survey assess interview really go in-depth with the person who may have presented themselves in the social...

Dr. Sandra Morgan and Dave Stachowiak talk again to Harmony Dust about her book Scars and Stilettos and the work she is doing with Treasures, a Los Angeles, CA, based outreach and support group for women in the sex industry.

Key Points

Resources

Are you enjoying the show?

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe or rate the podcast on iTunes by clicking here. Click here for FAQs about podcasts and how to subscribe.

Haven’t been receiving our newsletter? Visit our homepage to join today.

Contact us with questions, comments, or suggestions at [email protected].

Transcript

Dave: [00:00:00] You’re listening to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. This is episode number 173, Harmony Dust talks about survivor leadership.

Production Credit: [00:00:09] Produced by Innovate Learning, maximizing human potential.

Dave: [00:00:29] Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. My name is Dave Stachowiak.

Sandie: [00:00:35] And my name is Sandie Morgan.

Dave: [00:00:37] And this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in ending human trafficking. Sandie, one of the many opportunities and blessings we have of having this show going now for seven-plus years, is that we’ve been able to learn and grow along with many of our guests and today we are going to be welcoming back a past guest to the podcast, who is continuing to learn and grow herself. So, this is an adventure and a constant state of learning for all of us as we so focus on in the Global Center for Women and Justice, don’t we?

Sandie: [00:01:18] Yes, I’m really excited. If you didn’t meet Harmony Dust before, go back and listen to podcast number 37. Harmony is the founder and executive director of Treasures, a Los Angeles, California based non-profit organization for women in the sex industry. When completing a master’s degree in social work at UCLA in 2003, Harmony founded Treasures as a dream born from a broken past and a heart healed by the love of God. Treasures is the first and only organization of its kind in the adult industry capital of the world, San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County and one of the few survivor-led organizations in the country. The mission of Treasures is to reach, restore, and equip women in the commercial sex industry and victims of sex trafficking in order to help them live healthy, flourishing lives. And we’ll talk some more about the Treasures outreach as we engage. But welcome to the show Harmony.

Harmony: [00:02:25] Thank you. Thank you for having me. It’s good to be back.

Sandie: [00:02:28] Well I’m really excited because when I heard that you had written a Scars and Stilettos second edition I preordered my copy and it came last week.

Harmony: [00:02:41] Yay.

Sandie: [00:02:41] It’s so, so exciting. Tell us what’s new in it.

Harmony: [00:02:46] Yeah, well first and foremost people who are familiar with the first edition will notice the facelift, a completely new design and just updated with the times. But also in addition to that, there is a new epilogue, some new endorsements. And I went throughout and re-read the entire thing and was able to just use the past almost 10 years of experience since I wrote the first edition to insert new insights that I’ve had, a background of a person and as a leader and new parts of the story that I wasn’t necessarily completely comfortable sharing before, but I thought were important to include for the sake of giving other people hopefully some insight.

Sandie: [00:03:28] Dr. Henry Cloud, who I’ve read all of his books he says that your book exposes the realities of the commercial sex industry and inspires hope that freedom and healing are possible. That was amazing. Amazing.

Harmony: [00:03:44] Yeah.

Sandie: [00:03:45] And I think one of the things people don’t understand is that the hypersexualized media stories that we see in our movies and sitcoms that end in 30 minutes or whatever, those are not the realities. And so, it isn’t an easy thing to write this kind of story.

Harmony: [00:04:09] No, yeah, it’s not.

Sandie: [00:04:09] So tell us about what that’s like.

Harmony: [00:04:11] Well, first of all when I first started Treasures almost 15 years ago, I just really felt like there was such silence, especially in the church around stories of any kind of sexual brokenness at all. And so, for me, the charge that I felt was to break the silence and to encourage myself and the women around me who have similar shared experiences that our story matters. And it doesn’t matter if the church is uncomfortable, it doesn’t matter if the world at large is uncomfortable with hearing the truth and the reality of the commercial sex industry. We have to be willing to tell the truth. And so that’s kind of how things were about 15 years ago.

Harmony: [00:04:48] Now the pendulum has swung a little bit and now there’s a lot more not just tolerance for survivor stories but a desire to hear them. So, we have to be careful not to unintentionally exploit survivors by using their stories or asking them to share them when they’re not ready. So now my new message is my story matters but it doesn’t define me.

Sandie: [00:05:11] Can you back up just a little bit and define for everybody what is the commercial sex industry that you’re talking about?

Harmony: [00:05:18] The commercial sex industry includes porn, stripping, escorting, street prostitution, dominatrix, any area where sex is being bought or sold and people are being bought or sold for someone else’s sexual gratification.

Sandie: [00:05:37] Well and I always love the fact that you used the term commercial here because it clearly is a business and the business plan is to make money. So, it’s all about profit and greed. It’s really not about the sex.

Harmony: [00:05:51] Yeah and they’re such a facade of glamour around it, that I’m really passionate about exposing the truth and the reality behind it. And I think that not only is ...

Dr. Sandra Morgan and Dave Stachowiak discuss the effects adverse childhood experiences can have on a person’s entire life. They also share tools that can be used to measure the impact these experiences can have and also the factors that influence a person’s resilience.

Key Points

Resources

Are you enjoying the show?

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe or rate the podcast on iTunes by clicking here. Click here for FAQs about podcasts and how to subscribe.

Haven’t been receiving our newsletter? Visit our homepage to join today.

Contact us with questions, comments, or suggestions at [email protected].

Transcript

Dave: [00:00:00] You’re listening to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. This is episode number 172, Adverse Childhood Experiences and Building Resilience.

Production Credits: [00:00:10] Produced by Innovate Learning, maximizing human potential.

Dave: [00:00:30] Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. My name is Dave Stachowiak.

Sandie: [00:00:35] And my name is Sandie Morgan.

Dave: [00:00:38] And this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in ending human trafficking. Sandie, today we’re going to take a look at a model that came out of a study from a number of years ago and you have an assessment under my nose as well that I have a feeling I might be taking here shortly.

Sandie: [00:00:59] Well, there was a study that began with the Center for Disease Control and Kaiser. And it’s called the ACE Study, adverse childhood experience, and the concept was that we have childhood experiences that are predictors of our future health, including mental health, behavioral health, everything. And even how opportunity works in our life. And so, we want to look at this as a predictor of how we better serve the most vulnerable for becoming victims of human trafficking or how that experience actually informs how we support victims and intervene on their behalf.

Sandie: [00:01:48] And so the first thing we’re going to do is look at the actual survey tool that’s used, and it’s called an ACE quiz. I’ve used it in my classes for years, especially when I first started teaching family violence because if you understand how that child, who is involved in a situation beyond their control, how that impacts their future then you can better create strategies for prevention and early intervention.

Sandie: [00:02:18] And so I’ve printed this quiz. It’s only 10 questions, and you will have a link for you to download it. But Dave I want you to take this, while I read the questions so everybody understands the direction that we’re going with this. You take the quiz and then we’ll ask you what your score is.

Dave: [00:02:39] Ok I’m ready.

Sandie: [00:02:40] The first question, did a parent or other adult in the household often or very often swear at you, insult you, put you down, or humiliate you, or act in a way that made you afraid that you might be physically hurt? So, you answer yes or you answer no. And if it’s a yes, it’s one point. The next question, did a parent or other adult in your household often or very often push, grab, slap, or throw something at you, or ever hit you so hard that you had marks or were injured? Did an adult or person at least five years older than you touch or fondle you, or have you touch their body in a sexual way or attempt to have oral, anal, or vaginal intercourse? Answer yes or no. Number four, did you often or very often feel that no one in your family loved you, or thought you were important or special, or your family didn’t look out for each other and feel close to each other or support each other?

[00:03:43] And number five did you often or very often feel that you didn’t have enough to eat, had to wear dirty clothes, and had no one to protect you? Or your parents were too drunk or high to take care of you or take you to the doctor? Number six, was a biological parent ever lost to you through divorce, abandonment, or other reasons? Number seven, was your mother or stepmother often or very often pushed, grabbed, slapped, or had something thrown at her? Or sometimes often or very often kicked, bitten, hit with a fist, or hit with something hard, or ever repeatedly hit over at least a few minutes, or threatened with a gun or a knife? Number eight, did you live with anyone who was a problem drinker, or alcoholic, or who used street drugs? Number nine, was a household member depressed, or mentally ill, or did a household member attempt suicide? And the last question, did a household member go to prison, no or yes? So now you add up your yes answers and that is your ACE score.

Dave: [00:04:54] And my score thankfully is 0.

Sandie: [00:04:58] I give this every year, and the majority of my students in my classes are from 0 to 2. And then there are probably about 20 percent who are the four or five. And then there’s about 5 percent that are six or more. And I remember the first time a young student scored eight and we took our break and she was immediately right in front of me, “Am I going to be OK?”. And I learned that day, don’t give the resilience quiz after the break, give it before the break because there is a corresponding quiz on resilience. And so, the idea that this is a determining quiz. This is all of these bad things will happen to you is not true. When we figure out how to build resilience back in and we have to start from that perspective.

Sandie: [00:05:58] So we use the ACE quiz because it has a lot of validation. Later research...

Dr. Sandra Morgan and Dave Stachowiak talk to Dr. Hilary Chester about the work she is doing with the Catholic church to fight human trafficking, including long-term care and working with less visible victims like offshore fisherman.

Resources

Are you enjoying the show?

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe or rate the podcast on iTunes by clicking here. Click here for FAQs about podcasts and how to subscribe.

Haven’t been receiving our newsletter? Visit our homepage to join today.

Contact us with questions, comments, or suggestions at [email protected].

Transcript

Dave: [00:00:00] You’re listening to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. This is episode number 171. Dr. Hilary Chester and the USCCB Anti Trafficking Program.

Production Credits: [00:00:12] Produced by Innovate Learning, maximizing human potential.

Dave: [00:00:31] Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. My name is Dave Stachowiak.

Sandie: [00:00:36] And my name is Sandie Morgan.

Dave: [00:00:38] And this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in ending human trafficking. Sandie, one of the things I love about talking with you every other week is getting to meet so many wonderful advocates, and trailblazers, and folks that have so much enthusiasm for this as we do. And today we’re going to be connecting everyone else with the relationship you’ve had for a long time.

Sandie: [00:01:06] Yes, I’m really excited to welcome Dr. Hilary Chester to our show.

Dave: [00:01:11] Dr. Chester directs the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Anti Trafficking Program. The ATP has several initiatives including a national education and awareness raising campaign directed to immigrant communities, a federally funded program to deliver stabilizing and sustaining services to foreign national victims of human trafficking, a federally funded project to build global awareness and the capacity to respond to victims of human trafficking and exploitation in the maritime industries, and a new program to provide specialized employment services to survivors of trafficking in the U.S. as well as the ongoing development and delivery of training curricula to national and international entities. That includes law enforcement advocacy and service providers, evaluations and quality improvement planning for service delivery and outreach programs, and of course research and advocacy. The ETP consults for the U.S. government on child trafficking cases and response to technical assistance requests.

[00:02:12] Dr. Chester has over 12 years of experience working with vulnerable migrants including unaccompanied children, victims of human trafficking and refugees. Program management, social science research, and evaluation. She is a member of the global COATnet, Christians Organization Against Trafficking steering committee, and has been an invited member of the national and international working and advisory groups on human trafficking migrant children and alternatives to migrant detention. She received her doctorate in anthropology from Southern Methodist University. Dr. Chester, we’re so glad to welcome you to Ending Human Trafficking.

Hilary: [00:02:50] Thank you. I’m excited to be here. I’m really excited to have the opportunity to share what we’re doing at the Bishops conference, and to see where there may be other people that are interested in what we’re doing and cross-promoting with what Sandie’s been doing.

Sandie: [00:03:03] I loved our e-mail conversation and I actually captured the quote under your e-mail signature, “creating a world where immigrants, refugees, migrants, and people on the move are treated with dignity, respect, welcome, and belonging.” And I have a sense, Hilary, that that’s kind of a life motto for you in everything you do.

Hilary: [00:03:28] It really is, I think it speaks certainly to my personal faith. And then also, I think it speaks to why I’ve worked in faith-based organizations on the issue of trafficking and serving migrants and refugees. I’ve always been, it seems, drawn to some of the most vulnerable among them- so the unaccompanied children who are migrating, refugees that are forced and displaced from their communities, and then certainly victims of human trafficking.

[00:03:56] And I think that what’s important to me is not just serving people, but also really thinking about how to empower them, how to help them move on so that they don’t continue to be in these vulnerable situations, and even thinking about how we talk about them as our beneficiaries. And how we talk about our programs and making sure that we’re using really empowering language so that the beneficiaries themselves don’t always kind of feel like a charity case. You know people want to feel like they have value, and contribute, and are not just always receiving assistance. So, I think that the issue of belonging and respect are really critical.

Sandie: [00:04:37] Wow, well that really fits our values of dignity and the idea of justice, where we do have equal opportunities. And we actually try to even the playing field for people who come to us with vulnerabilities and risks. So, we use, for our Ensure Justice conference every year, we base it on Proverbs 31:8, that tells us to be a voice for those who have no voice and ensure justice for those being crushed. And as I’ve gotten to know you and followed your website, the opportunity to intervene on the behalf of those being crushed is something that you’re doing amazing work and I appreciate your leadership. So, let’s jump in, and just tell us a little bit about the anti-trafficking program.

Hilary: [00:05:28] Sure. At the Bishops conference, we’ve had an anti-trafficking program since the early 2000s. But even before we had a standalone program, we were looking and advocating at the issue back in the late 1990s. In part because both our own programs for refugees and for migrants here in the U.S. and programs that our Catholic partners our Catholic sister organizations overseas we’re doing with, for example migrant workers for women and other people being displaced out of places like Eastern Europe at the time when the Soviet Union was dissolving, that people in these ministries were seeing people that they were serving in their traditional work with domestic violence, or their traditional work for migrant workers, or for refugees. But seeing situations and people in situations that were just a little bit different, a little bit off, and frankly a little bit more kind of criminal and sinister. And so, it was through that exposure to people in our own programs that we began, like others at the time we weren’t unique, to recognize that there was this sort of new distinct, maybe not new, but you know we thought needed to be highlighted as a separate crime.

[00:06:44] And so in the late 1...

Dr. Sandie Morgan and Dave Stachowiak talk to Chad Napier about the devastating impact drug use has had in his community and the dangers of synthetic drugs.

Key Points

Resources

Are you enjoying the show?

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe or rate the podcast on iTunes by clicking here. Click here for FAQs about podcasts and how to subscribe.

Haven’t been receiving our newsletter? Visit our homepage to join today.

Contact us with questions, comments, or suggestions at [email protected].

Transcript

Dave: [00:00:00] You’re listening to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast, this is episode number 170, Chad Napier: Drug Trends and Risks in Our Communities.

Production Credits: [00:00:11] Produced by Innovate Learning, maximizing human potential.

Dave: [00:00:30] Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. My name is Dave Stachowiak.

Sandie: [00:00:36] My name is Sandie Morgan.

Dave: [00:00:38] And this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in ending human trafficking. Sandie, we’ve been spending the last couple of episodes of hearing from some of the experts that we had at the Ensure Justice conference this year in 2018. And today, another expert that is going to again challenge us with some new thinking and help us to study the issues, such an important mission of what the Global Center for Women and Justice is all about. Right?

Sandie: [00:01:09] Absolutely.

[00:01:11] I am so glad to welcome to our show today Chad Napier. Chad is the prevention coordinator for Appalachia HIDTA, which is the high-intensity drug trafficking area for West Virginia and Virginia since 2015. Prior to this position, he spent 20 years in law enforcement and retired back in 2015. In 1997, he was assigned to the CPD street crimes unit with the primary duties of investigation, arrest, and prosecution of street-level drug deals. For three years he was assigned as a detective with the Metropolitan drug enforcement network team, with the primary duties of investigation and prosecution of state and federal drug violations. He was later appointed the commander of the Metropolitan drug enforcement network team. He’s worked on hundreds of drug-related arrests and drug violations. And he’s also been declared as an expert witness in illegal drug possession and distribution in many state and federal courts. Chad we’re so glad to welcome you to Ending Human Trafficking.

Chad: [00:02:12] Thanks for having me.

Sandie: [00:02:13] We’re so excited. Originally, I tried to do an interview with you and your partner with Handle with Care, Andrea Karr. But we already interviewed her a couple episodes ago and now I’m really glad that you weren’t both available because we need more time with each of you individually. So, welcome. Let’s start off with learning a little bit more about what does it mean, the HIDTA, what does that really entail.

Chad: [00:02:44] HIDTA stands for High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. So, there are 28 HIDTAs across the country, and I work for Appalachia HIDTA. And Appalachia HIDTA is in West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee. And Virginia. But HIDTAs are funded by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. So, like I said, there’s 28 across the country, and mainly they find your drug units throughout the areas that are designated as HIDTA counties and to dismantle and disrupt drug trafficking organizations and also money laundering organizations. But some HIDTAs also have prevention education coordinators, and that’s what I do.

Sandie: [00:03:19] So how would a listener find out if there is a HIDTA in their area?

Chad: [00:03:22] You can Google it online and look for your area, and find out what HIDTA actually represent your area. Like I said, there’s 28 across the country, I think they are in 49 states. So, if you get online, you can find out what counties are actually HIDTA counties and those that are not.

Sandie: [00:03:36] OK, I have a feeling we have some of those here in California.

Chad: [00:03:40] You definitely do.

Sandie: [00:03:41] We will definitely start looking that up. So, tell us a little bit about your work, on a day to day basis. What do you do?

Chad: [00:03:49] Spend a lot of time in schools. Last year we had six initiatives, this year we have two initiatives. In our initiative this year, one is the Handle with Care initiative, which you’re very familiar with. And then another initiative we have is Chasing the Dragon, which is an FBI and DEA joint venture, in order to bring knowledge to the opioid epidemic and the dangers of prescription pill abuse. So, on a given day, I may speak to 1000 kids at once. You know I’m not naive, as I go into a topic it’s about the drug awareness, drug trends. Take the attitude, you are speaking to these kids they’re very smart. You know, if one listens and doesn’t go down that road, then it’s obviously well worth my time. But also, I do a lot of education when it comes to professionals, especially teachers and principals. But I don’t exclude any of us, spoken of a lot of colleges, and then also even for hospitals and other professionals.

Sandie: [00:04:41] OK, so when I met you and Andrea, you used the expression that your HIDTA is ground zero for the opioid crisis. And can you tell me what that feels like because it is a battle? So, describe what your situation is right there.

Chad: [00:05:04] Well, West Virginia unfortunately, we’re leading the nation in the drug overdose death rate. The national average is going to be around 19.8 per 100,000 and West Virginia is at 52 per 100,000. We also lead the nation in new cases of hepatitis B, and we lead the new cases of hepatitis C. We are first in neonatal abstinence syndrome, babies born exposed to drugs. The national average is around 6 per thousand, and West Virginia is at 53 per thousand. Then our hardest hit community in West Virginia sets in our across state area West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio area is 153 per thousand. So, you know with this opioid epidemic, we’re starting to obviously see all the other things that come along with it and that’s blowing up our school system, our foster care. And then you look at all the diseases that are associa...

Dr. Sandra Morgan and Dave Stachowiak talk to Dr. Jodi Quas about children dealing with chronic stress. When helping children who are under chronic stress, we need to realize that many of their behavioral problems are symptoms of the stress, not just because they are poorly disciplined.

Key Points

Resources

Are you enjoying the show?

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe or rate the podcast on iTunes by clicking here. Click here for FAQs about podcasts and how to subscribe.

Haven’t been receiving our newsletter? Visit our homepage to join today.

Contact us with questions, comments, or suggestions at [email protected].

Transcript

Dave: [00:00:00] You’re listening to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast, this is episode number 169, Dr. Jodi Quas: Communicating with Child Victims of Trauma.

Production Credits: [00:00:10] Produced by Innovate Learning, maximizing human potential.

Dave: [00:00:31] Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. My name is Dave Stachowiak.

Sandie: [00:00:36] And my name is Sandie Morgan.

Dave: [00:00:38] And this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in ending human trafficking. Sandie, one of the things I’m most grateful for over the years of knowing you, is just the wonderful lessons you bring in connecting me and us with so many experts out there. And as I mentioned in the introduction, studying the issues is a huge mission of the Global Center for Women and Justice and particularly around the issue. And today we have an expert from her own backyard, here at the University of California Irvine, that I know is going to really challenge us with some new thinking. And I’m so excited for our conversation today.

Sandie: [00:01:18] I’m looking forward to it.

Dave: [00:01:21] We’re glad to welcome Dr. Jodi Quas to the show today. She is a professor of psychology and social behavior at the University of California Irvine. Her work focuses on children’s eyewitness capabilities, consequences of legal involvement on child victims, witnesses, and defendants, and children’s and adolescents coping with stress maltreatment and trauma. She teaches and conducts training for academic and professional audiences worldwide on these topics. She has received numerous awards for her research and student training, including the scientific early career contributions in developmental psychology from the APA, and the outstanding mentoring award from the American Psychology and Law Society. Dr. Quas, we’re so glad to welcome you to the show today.

Jodi: [00:02:05] Thank you so much. I’m absolutely delighted to be able to speak with you and to hopefully learn from you, while also sharing some of my thoughts.

Sandie: [00:02:13] Well Jodi, you and I have known each other for a few years. I think Judge Maria Hernandez introduced us, and every year I grow to appreciate more the expertise that you bring on how we can use your knowledge, your expertise, your research when we work with youth who are at risk for trafficking or have been trafficked, because communicating with victims of trauma has some minefields in it. For those of us who just want to go in, we want to help you and we’ve got stuff for you, and then we’re really disappointed when they don’t respond well. Because we think our motivation is fantastic and they should appreciate that, right?

Jodi: [00:03:02] Well, I mean for first of all I guess our motivation is fantastic, and I would hate to stop anybody from working hard thinking that their motivation isn’t anything but amazing. So, yes it is. But when you work with highly vulnerable populations including maltreated children, children exposed to chronic violence, children who grow up under conditions of extreme poverty or uncertainty that is all of the children who are at risk for becoming involved in trafficking. It’s really important to take into account the broader lives of these children. And so, when you’re interacting with them, perhaps you’re interacting with them because of a particular trafficking incident or set of experiences related to trafficking. But children come with these entire histories of experiences that have shaped in really profound and long-lasting ways how they respond to the world, how they interpret the world, and how they interact and communicate with others.

Sandie: [00:04:18] So, at Ensure Justice we were looking at the intersection of substance abuse and drug addiction and Andrea Darr, was a guest on our show the last episode. And this kind of helps us drill down from what she talked to us about, with Handle with Care, that when we see these kids we need to understand some of the backstories. So, when you talk about the difference between acute and chronic family stress that really speaks to the environment that they’re in and they don’t have control. So, what do we need to know about that?

Jodi: [00:04:58] It is true that we need to kind of differentiate or at least heuristically acute vs. chronic stress acute stress we all experience. We have bad days, we give a really bad presentation, and these are usually single incidents. In children maybe witnessing a fight, even a violent fight between parent, and these are the kinds of events that we think about when we talk about stressors. And our bodies and our minds, we’re actually fairly well programmed to respond to those acute stressors, even if they’re predictable or unpredictable we mount a response, we attend, we figure out and strategize about how to solve whatever challenge is in front of us. And then afterward we recover or regulate. That’s really different than the kinds of chronic, repeated stressors that really define the lives of many of the children who eventually end up in situations where they are exposed to when involved in trafficking. So, these chronic stressors can be things like extreme poverty, neglect, exposure to physical abuse. Sometimes they’re predictable sometimes they’re not. But what happens when you’re exposed to these chronic stressors is we need to mount a response. And we do, when we have these stress systems that are developed to mount these responses. The problem is that we can’t keep mounting these responses. Over time the stress systems that are activated, they need to adjust, they need to change. And those changes or this adjustment actually have consequences, they have health consequences, they have consequences for how children come to understand and interpret their world, they have consequences for regulation and even academic performance and cognition.

Sandie: [00:07:04] When you’re talking about regulation, can you ki...

Dr. Sandra Morgan and Dave Stachowiak talk to Andrea Darr from Handle with Care West Virginia about her state’s drug crisis and the effect it is having on its children. She also shares the ways the Handle with CARE program helps these children.

Key Points

Resources

Are you enjoying the show?

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe or rate the podcast on iTunes by clicking here. Click here for FAQs about podcasts and how to subscribe.

Haven’t been receiving our newsletter? Visit our homepage to join today.

Contact us with questions, comments, or suggestions at [email protected].

Transcript

Dave: [00:00:00] You’re listening to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. This is episode number 168, Drug Endangered Children: Handle with Care.

Production Credits: [00:00:09] Produced by Innovate Learning, maximizing human potential.

[00:00:29] Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. My name is Dave Stachowiak.

Sandie: [00:00:34] And my name is Sandie Morgan.

Dave: [00:00:36] And this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in ending human trafficking. And today’s guest, Sandie, is going to be such an important addition to our ongoing conversation on ending human trafficking. And also, very much connected to the theme upcoming for the Ensure Justice conference.

Sandie: [00:00:57] That’s right. And by the time you’re listening to this podcast, Andrea and her colleague, Chad Napier, will have been presenters here at Ensure Justice. And you’ll have to go back and review that, and make sure you sign up for 2019.

Dave: [00:01:13] Well we are really pleased to welcome Andrea Darr to the show today. She is the director of the West Virginia’s Center for Children’s Justice, which promotes and supports a statewide trauma informed response to child maltreatment and children’s exposure to violence. Before devoting her work full time on children’s initiatives, Andrea served as the coordinator of Victim Witness services for the West Virginia Prosecuting Attorneys Institute from 2005 to 2015. Andrea’s also worked in direct services with victims of crime violence and abuse, while serving as the victim liaison in the Konneh County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Andrea we’re so glad to welcome you to Ending Human Trafficking.

Andrea: [00:01:56] Well, thank you so much for having me today.

Sandie: [00:01:59] So we’re going to dig right into this podcast content because there’s so much information that we’d love for you to explain for us. My first question is, can you explain what a drug endangered child is?

Andrea: [00:02:17] Sure. Drug endangered children are children whose lives have been adversely affected by their parents or caregivers, youth manufacturing, trafficking illegal substances. So, their children that experience a wide range of abuse and neglect because of the substances. For the most part, a neglect really stands out in this because a lot of times when people are addicted to drugs, you know that’s their focus, that’s their primary focus. It’s the first thing they think about in the morning. What does my stash look like? How am I going to use today? How am I going to get some more? Where am I going to get the money to cover it? So, they’re not thinking about packing the child’s lunch, getting the child to school, making sure they have clean clothes. And when you get into cocaine and methamphetamine and things like that, the physical violence really escalates with that. And the sexual violence escalates. So, it’s just children who didn’t choose this, but they live in homes where there’s substance abuse. And it really negatively affects them.

Sandie: [00:03:18] We’ve known that this is an issue that we need to engage for a long time. But the media attention we have now to the opioid crisis, brings this to the top of the charts. And you live at ground zero. Can you explain why that’s so significant?

Andrea: [00:03:39] It’s so significant for these kids. You know you’re more likely in West Virginia to die from a drug overdose than any other state in the country. We are ground zero for the opioid epidemic. We’re a very rural state, rural as in non-farming. So, two thirds of the total population live sort of a rural, non-farming area. In West Virginia for years and years coal was king here. Lots of the jobs here were coal, and timbering, and lots of physically manual jobs. And a lot of these people when they got hurt, often doctors would give them a pill instead of doing the physical therapy and the surgery and everything needed just to get them back to work. So, in West Virginia we have lost 40 percent of our coal jobs in the last five years. And when you lose your job it’s not just a paycheck- it’s who you are, your purposes, your connection to the community, your connection with your family, it’s so many things about yourself. So, for our population to lose these jobs have been devastating. And along with that, one in four of our kids live below the federal poverty line. We are ground zero for the opioid epidemic. We had a terrible pill problem, which obviously turned into a terrible heroin problem because it is cheaper and it’s more accessible. We have one of the highest rates of neonatal abstinence syndrome, you know babies born with drugs in their system. And all these things are creating a really high rate of transient kids, couch surfing kids, kids who you know they’re just transients, they’re just staying wherever they can, however they can survive. And of course, that’s how I got to you all today, and coming to the conference because oftentimes they get picked up in trafficking situations just to survive. And in West Virginia we lead the nation in removal of kids from homes because of all these problems. And I think we’re right now second in the country in grandparents raising their grandkids.

Sandie: [00:05:41] Oh my goodness.

Andrea: [00:05:43] You put all that together and you’ve got so many transient and displaced children who aren’t on anybody’s radar really.

Sandie: [00:05:52] And when do you historically feel like this started to really come to the attention in West Virginia, of child welfare of government? How long have you been tracking this?

Dr. Sandra Morgan and Dave Stachowiak talk about a great way to promote human trafficking awareness during basketball’s March Madness. Join in on the #SlamDemand hashtag!

How to get 3 points for #SlamDemand

The #SlamDemand Toolkit

Are you enjoying the show?

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe or rate the podcast on iTunes by clicking here. Click here for FAQs about podcasts and how to subscribe.

Haven’t been receiving our newsletter? Visit our homepage to join today.

Contact us with questions, comments, or suggestions at [email protected].

Transcript

Dave: [00:00:00] You’re listening to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. This is episode number 167, A Three-Pointer to #SlamDemand.

Production Credits: [00:00:08] Produced by Innovate Learning, maximizing human potential.

Dave: [00:00:28] Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. My name is Dave Stachowiak.

Sandie: [00:00:34] And my name is Sandie Morgan.

Dave: [00:00:36] And this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in ending human trafficking. And scoring a three-pointer now and then, right Sandie.

Sandie: [00:00:47] That’s right. You know of all of the sports, basketball was always a little more assessable for me as a very vertically challenged person. I know that sounds a little counterintuitive, but I was a good guard in middle school because people tripped over me.

Dave: [00:01:08] Used it to your advantage.

Sandie: [00:01:09] Yeah. There you go. And then people didn’t expect me to actually shoot, but I could do a decent layup. So, I like watching basketball, it moves fast, the games are always really energetic, and I just love basketball. So, when the anti-trafficking world started using sports as a platform for increasing awareness about human trafficking like Nicosia did #tackledemand during the Super Bowl. So, when a lot of people are focused on a sport, there’s a brand-new audience for us to start talking to about human trafficking. And we’ve got to spread and broaden our reach. And during baseball season Deidre Pujols launched #strikeoutslavery in 2016. So, this year at Vanguard University our Live to Free students, launched #slamdemand at a doubleheader, I don’t know if they say that in basketball, but two games in one night, and at our Vanguard gym. And it was so much fun. And our students were posting on social media. Our athletes were doing their best jump shots to slam dunk, and the focus was on all forms of human trafficking. So, I thought, let’s equip our community with the toolkit we put together for that event at Vanguard. March Madness is coming up. Do you know what that is?

Dave: [00:02:52] I do know what March Madness.

Sandie: [00:02:53] Well tell us about it.

Dave: [00:02:55] The NCAA tournament that happens every year for college basketball, it’s you know they get down to Sweet 16, and the Elite 8, and the Final Four, and eventually there’s a national championship. I don’t know what city it is in this year.

Sandie: [00:03:08] It’s in San Antonio this year.

Dave: [00:03:10] Oh good. So yeah, it’s quite the event and especially the couple days with the first and second rounds are going on, so many people across the country are watching it and tuning into it. So, it really seems like a logical place, Sandie, to come alongside and to raise awareness. And that actually brings up a point as we’re of course really big on prevention. And I know you say a lot about we need to move beyond just awareness but in this case a slightly different focus, right?

Sandie: [00:03:35] Yeah, I’m actually kind of adjusting my perceptions on this because sometimes awareness is prevention. It’s like if there has been a flood or something, they’ll put signs up, “water is contaminated, don’t drink from here.” Well, that’s preventing people from getting some really awful health issues. But in an area of fighting human trafficking where we haven’t really reached a population. Sports fans they are a cross-section of our community across our nation. And for these few days every year, everybody’s tuned in that is a fan of that particular sport. And so, we want that to happen during March Madness. And we want to equip you, as a sports fan, to spread this awareness to your community. And we looked at this a little bit from a basketball rules point of view. Like, when I was growing up, so this kind of tells you how old I am. You could only score two points with a basket.

Dave: [00:04:40] Really?

Sandie: [00:04:43] See Dave, for you what was the top score?

Dave: [00:04:46] Of my top score?

Sandie: [00:04:47] Yeah. Did you ever get a three-pointer?

Dave: [00:04:50] Oh, I’m sure I did when I was standing by myself after attempting it seven times at a gym. No one else around. But I don’t think ever in a basketball game.

Sandie: [00:04:58] Well I went online to look at how did that come into being, because I didn’t get to do that. And so, I found out that it’s kind of a very measured arc and it’s like 22 feet away from the basket, and so you get three points instead of only two because the level of expertise is higher. Right? So, my theory in using this model is that you, as a listener, will improve your expertise and improve your score on fighting human trafficking during March Madness by using our little tool kit as a way to just bring it up and increase people’s awareness and understanding of how they might be contributing to demand. And that is the key to reduce human trafficking, we have to reduce demand. And we’ve talked about that on this show so many times and it is an important aspect.

Dave: [00:06:02] So that’s what the three-pointers are. And you mentioned you didn’t get to do a three-pointer, why was that?

Sandie: [00:06:07] Because it didn’t exist when I was a student. We only had two points in 1979.

Dave: