sex trafficking

In the Booth with Ruth – Holly Austin Smith, Survivor of Child Trafficking and Anti-Human Trafficking Advocate, Speaker and Author

“I was blown away…there was a name for what had happened to them – what had happened to me – human trafficking. Sex Trafficking… For nearly twenty years, I carried around this shameful secret about my past, a secret which led me to believe that I was dirty, that I was damaged goods. And it was a lie all along. I wished I had known that I was not unworthy. I was a survivor. I was a survivor of human trafficking.” Holly Austin Smith, child trafficking survivor and anti-human trafficking advocate, speaker and author, shares her story.

Ruth Jacobs's avatarRuth Jacobs

Holly Smith

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

It was on a Friday or Saturday night in 2009 that I found myself home alone with the television remote. Ben, my fiancé, was out with a friend, and I was pouring wine and baking brownies to celebrate having the apartment to myself. I’d been working long hours at my full-time job, and I needed a night in.

I flopped on the couch and flipped through television channels. Maybe I watched a movie or a couple of sitcoms before coming across a documentary about human trafficking overseas. I can’t remember which station it was on (possibly HBO), but it was about this woman who was a survivor of human trafficking (in India, I think), and she worked to rescue other young girls from the local brothels.

There was one girl in particular who was being sold…

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In the Booth with Ruth – Philip J Cenedella, Executive Director, The National Association of Human Trafficking Victim Advocates

“This fight will not stop until the traffickers and users of slaves are brought to justice and financially impacted by their actions,” says Philip J Cenedella, Executive Director of The National Association of Human Trafficking Victim Advocates. He shares about his goal to stop Google selling advertisements to traffickers, and how he’s going to achieve it.

Ruth Jacobs's avatarRuth Jacobs

Philip J Cenedella

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

By helping one victim of domestic violence who stayed in the only shelter in Dubai for human trafficking victims. On 4 August 2007, I did not know anything about trafficking, but started that day to help Sharla Musabih and her United Hope UAE organization.

What draws you to support and advocate for people enslaved by traffickers?

Empathy.

What does your work involve?

I manage www.stopslavery2013.com. I also collaborate with other advocates via The National Association of Human Trafficking Victim Advocates and I answer hotline calls from throughout the US. As well as that, I help lead the fight against online trafficking, which involves Craigslist, Backpage and Google AdWords – there’s information on that here and you can help here, even if it’s just by quickly sharing some links on Twitter.

What legal improvements or changes would help to…

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In the Booth with Ruth – Magda M. Olchawska – Anti-Human Trafficking Activist and Filmmaker

Magda M. Olchawska – Anti-Human Trafficking Activist and Filmmaker: “…society needs to be aware that the problem exists… citizens need to feel safe enough to report strange activities in their neighbourhoods to the authorities… The support system for the victims needs to be much better… the Swedish system, where not only the oppressor but also people using trafficked victims in any way are punished, could be the right way forward.”

Ruth Jacobs's avatarRuth Jacobs

Magda M. Olchawska

What inspired you to support the movement against human traffickingand make films about human trafficking and sexual exploitation?

Towards the end of 2010, I started reading a lot about human and sex trafficking. I also watched a movie called The Whistleblower, based on a true story of how UN soldiers were trafficking girls from former Soviet Union to former Yugoslavia.

However, the most influential person who inspired me was a lady I met on Twitter, Lynn Robertson. Lynn’s work and dedication made me inspired to write a script and then to turn it into a movie. I wanted to be involved in the fight against sex and human trafficking in any possible way. At that time, I thought the best way for me to make society more aware of the huge problem we are facing was to make a ‘fictional’ movie.

Can you describe the films you’ve made…

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