WORD ON THE STREET
Empowering survivors, professionals and the community to learn about what happens behind closed doors where crime usually happens and not on a television screen is important to help keep life real. Real collective solutions require a real understanding of the problems we are facing and how to face it collectively. Our individual learning curves and capacity also varies based our previous experience and training on how we looked at the problem. Anti-trafficking work will not always appear wrapped up in a nice bow or people's imagination of a "rescue" and "happy endings". However, recovering victims and hearing first hand from what they have to say are necessary steps to improve the future of the work.
I valued the entire class. My eyes were opened on day one. Having the victims speak brought a dimension that grabbed my attention like no other class.
Police
Where do you even start. Wow. Amazing class. I learned about victims, not prostitutes. Mind was blown every day. I learned how to investigate pimping and pandering from start to finish.
Police
Survivors were very impactful. It was one thing to be told in lecture we need a paradigm shift and view them as victims, it's another to put a face to it and see it on another level.
Police
One of the best parts of the class was hearing from the survivors. They all had great stories and all are very brave to come up in a room full of cops and tell their life stories.
Police
This is a key training course for any who truly has a passion for this type of investigation. Great variety of quality of speakers. Nice to receive info from people who truly specialize their field, from prosecutors, to advocates, to investigators.
Police
As a new volunteer, I learned so much about human trafficking after volunteering to help with outreach. I find that attending events, communicating with the community, and building relationships with other volunteers have given me a sense of purpose. I've created awareness through social media, participating in walks, and volunteering at my church. However, it's through my volunteer work with the Task Force that I have personally seen the impact of how one person's efforts for helping survivors make a difference.
Volunteer
It seems that many people are not aware of human trafficking that takes place around us, even in affluent communities. So I've welcomed the opportunities for outreach and educational purposes to help raise awareness, and I hope that with awareness might come acknowledgement of the problem. For to acknowledge a problem is a necessary first time towards taking action to help eliminate it. And we need action-takers in our fight against human trafficking.