“ Beautiful ” and “ human trafficking ” are not words we usually find in the same sentence . The ugly truth of human trafficking ( defined as using coercion to exploit an adult for commercial sex or labor or the use of a child by any means for commercial sex or exploitative labor ) appropriately dominates the human trafficking narrative with service providers , law enforcement , media , and the public . However , the ugly truth is not the only truth that belongs in this narrative . Commonly overlooked is a population of women , men , and children who managed to get away from traffickers , survived the abuse and manipulation , and discovered lives |
they thought they could never attain or sometimes never knew existed . As lawyers providing pro bono legal services exclusively to more than 700 human trafficking survivors for the last twelve years , we have watched our clients experience the devastating effects of human trafficking .
Traffickers and related abusers are responsible for complex trauma , addiction , the criminalization of their victims , and a host of other
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Commonlyoverlooked isapopulationof women , men , and childrenwhomanaged togetawayfrom traffickers , survived theabuseand manipulation , and discoveredlivesthey thoughttheycould neverattainor sometimesnever knewexisted . |
unspeakable harms . Yet somewhere in this darkness , there is a deep beauty found in survivors ’ courage , resilience , heart , and determination to create lives of independence , meaning , and purpose and to disrupt generational vulnerabilities to exploitation . Out of the ugliness comes an even more beautiful truth — life is possible .
In that context , here is a bit of one of our clients ’ amazing journeys . We ’ ll call her “ J .” Trafficked as a minor and an
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