sex trafficking

In the Booth with Ruth – Anna Beard, Child Trafficking Survivor and Anti-Human Trafficking Activist and Advocate

“While I was being trafficked, I had no idea that it was trafficking,” says Anna Beard, Child Trafficking Survivor and Anti-Human Trafficking Activist and Advocate. “The reason I had no idea was because there was no awareness of what trafficking was… the grooming and manipulation tactics used by traffickers. This was how I was able to fall under the control of one… If I knew the signs concerning human trafficking, I would not have fallen victim to it. Now that I have gained restoration, I have a heart to bring awareness to the public – specifically at-risk youth. I want to bring an end to unawareness and promote education as a method of prevention.”

Ruth Jacobs's avatarRuth Jacobs

Anna Beard

How did you become involved in the movement against sex trafficking and sexual exploitation?

Unfortunately, I was trafficked at the age seventeen by a co-worker who was forty years old. I was in that situation while still attending high school, until I was nineteen. During that time, I was forced to do unthinkable things and experienced extreme sexual violation through manipulation and brainwashing while participating in his ‘art project’. I didn’t find out until years later that what I was actually doing was pornography.

What draws you to support people who are trafficked and sexually exploited?

While I was being trafficked, I had no idea that it was trafficking. The reason I had no idea was because there was no awareness of what trafficking was. My situation began in 2003 and although the law regarding human trafficking was established in 2000, there was still no awareness about the grooming and…

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In the Booth with Ruth – Sheila Quigley, Author and Ally of Human Trafficking Victims

International bestselling author and ally to victims of human trafficking, Shelia Quigley, talks about sex trafficking and in particular, her bestselling novel, Run for Home.

Ruth Jacobs's avatarRuth Jacobs

Sheila Quigley

What inspired you to write about human trafficking and sexual exploitation?

The idea came from pieces I’d read over the years, and I hope my novels have taught some girls and women not to be so trusting when dealing with strange men. Always remember though, the shoe can be on the other foot. I think the best fiction has a fact basis; this is how people are able to put themselves in the characters lives and become involved. They are happy when the character is happy, sad, and sometimes frightened.

Can you describe the storyline of your novel about human trafficking and sexual exploitation?

My first novel, Run for Home, is about a family living on what some people call a sink estate. Thirteen-year-old Claire is enticed away by the delectable Brad, thinking she is going to be part of a film. He leads her to the docks where…

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In the Booth with Ruth – Barbara Amaya, Child Trafficking Survivor, Author, and Educator of Human Trafficking

“He had been a pimp, true, but for years I’d been thinking all that happened to me had been my fault, the abuse I suffered before I ran away from home, the beating he gave me to make me compliant and more. I had truly believed all of those things were my fault and I’d carried it with me for decades.” Barbara Amaya, Child Trafficking Survivor, Author, and Educator of Human Trafficking.

Ruth Jacobs's avatarRuth Jacobs

How did you become involved in the movement against human trafficking?

I had the classic ‘aha moment’ or an epiphany last spring as I watched a newscast about trafficked teens in my neighborhood here in Virginia. At that moment, I realized that all those years ago when I’d been in the streets of New York, the man who’d exploited me had actually been trafficking me. He had been a pimp, true, but for years I’d been thinking all that happened to me had been my fault, the abuse I suffered before I ran away from home, the beating he gave me to make me compliant and more. I had truly believed all of those things were my fault and I’d carried it with me for decades. That night, something happened to me as I listened and reacted to the newscast about girls who were the same age as I had…

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