Dear Healthcare Workers…

Do you really know who’s in your waiting room?

As a medical professional, you took an oath. You promised to do no harm—but there are ways you don’t uphold this oath and you may not even know you’re doing it.

In a world where you are asked to do more in less time, it is important to take a moment. Take a moment to stop and think, to take notice of the things you may not be able to see right away. Doctors are necessary but even more so to those still trapped in a life of sex work and we need you to be ready.

You’ve probably treated one of us before, you just haven’t known it. I know, I know. I’m not what you thought I looked like. Whether you want to admit it or not, you had a predisposition of what you thought a victim of sex trafficking looked like, and I don’t meet that expectation.

To be a woman in this society is to be vulnerable, and predators have carved inroads in the systems that are put in place to protect us. In the halls of your hospital, the charge of tending to sexual trauma can feel suffocating. But sometimes you may be the only person there. You bear witness.

During medical school, you learn to distance yourself. You learn to separate yourself from the narrative of a patient’s pain, weighed down with the duty of simply doing your job and moving on to the next patient. But I’m telling you this—hold on to your empathy. The ability to put yourself in the shoes of the broken woman sitting in front of you is something to embrace. Sometimes we are looking for a different kind of medicine for a different kind of illness.

I don’t know if you truly know how much power you hold. You are in a unique position to make a difference. It’s not only your job to provide quality healthcare but to meet us where we are emotionally. You may be the first person who has access to us that isn’t a trafficker or a buyer. You may be the first pair of hands we sanction to touch our bodies after we have been defiled by the hands of another.

Would you recognize me if you saw me?

When you enter the exam room, you shake my hand. You may note in my chart that I am underweight, compliant, and quiet. You may bandage wounds or take notice of bruises and odd tattoos that mark me. Maybe I’m a little unkempt and there is no light in my eyes when I smile.

But you don’t take a second look when I am unable to produce my driver’s license. You don’t second guess my reality, even though the man I am with answers every question for me and refuses to leave you alone with me. You don’t question my inability to look you in the eyes.

Do you see me, as I cower next to the man who claims to be my boyfriend? Do you see the fear in my eyes when you ask me a question I cannot answer? Do you feel my hands shake as you hand me the discharge papers, no longer able to hide the dread of what is waiting for me outside the hospital doors? We are conditioned to control our emotions under pressure, but signs slip through anyway.

I don’t tell you about my trafficker. I don’t tell you how I’ve been given a monetary value; the greater the innocence, the greater the price to rob it. I don’t tell you how I’m controlled, starved, and put on drugs. I don’t tell you how I am systematically raped countless times a day, sexual violence turning touch into a weapon. It’s not my body’s fault, but it will react like it is.

This is survival. Sexual violence isn’t just in the moment. It is forever, the theft of our feeling of safety.

You don’t ask, and I can’t say. I don’t know how.

There’s not one, solitary sign that screams what I’m going through but the red flags are there. You just have to know how to spot them. Put on your thinking cap, listen to your gut, and put the pieces of the puzzle together.

I don’t mean to be difficult or uncooperative, but I’m scared. I’m silently begging you to see me, fearful of what is waiting for me after I leave the public eye. I might not be able to accept help right when you offer it, but please know you planted a seed. You may never know if I read those pamphlets you slipped in my bag. You may never know if I make the laborious choice to escape. You may never know if I survive. But you can know you did your part.

We so often walk in the doors of healthcare facilities hoping and praying someone would see us. Do you see me?

One day, victims will be heard. They will find their voice, speak out about their experiences, and be believed. Until then, you are our record keepers. I am asking you to no longer live under the illusion that this isn’t something you encounter daily.

I know this might have blended in with everything else in your medical textbooks. The chasm in education has left you in the dark, and I am pleading with you not to stay there. You answered the inherent call to care for members of your community and I’m imploring you to notice.

See us.

Become equipped.

Take trainings.

Do some research.

Know what to look for and how to respond to a potential victim of trafficking.

Learn what it means to truly be trauma-informed. Take the time to recognize and identify the crossroads of health care and trafficking. We are worth it.

Don’t let me slip through the cracks. You may be the one to start the process of my escape. You may be the one to change the entire trajectory of my life – all because you took the time to notice. Don’t close your eyes to us anymore, because we are real and sitting right in front of you. I am hiding in plain sight.

You are on the frontlines. I know you’re really busy, but we are counting on you.

We blow through your doors as swiftly as the wind, and usually leave in the same manner. But you have an opportunity to intervene. Don’t miss it.

Not again.

Dear Teachers…

I know sometimes it can be hard.

I know that struggling with that kid can be exhausting. I know it can cause you to leave your classroom at the end of the day feeling completely discouraged and depleted. I know when that kid leaves, you let out the breath that you didn’t even know you’d been holding in all day. You know what I mean when I say that kid.

It’s hard to teach a classroom of kids when you have that one kid who seems out of control; when that one kid disrupts the students around them just to get a shred of attention; that one kid whose parent has a special parking spot reserved for meetings with you because they’re a regular; that one kid who makes you want to pull your hair out and scream, and makes you question the reason behind you pursing this career field.

It’s hard when difficult behavior is all that you see. I know you’re trying. But what about what you don’t see?

That kid is also the one being bought and sold for sex by their family. That kid is the one who is being raped every night by multiple men, conditioned to believe this is normal behavior but doesn’t understand why it feels so wrong. That kid struggles and wants to know why nobody—their teacher, parents, or kids in their class—like them; that kid is the one who needs someone to fight for them for once in their life, because they’ve never had anyone in their corner; that kid is the one who doesn’t know how to tell their teacher about their hurt with words, so they’re acting out instead; that kid is the one who needs you to see beyond that meltdown, that disobedience, that bad behavior, to see the kid behind all the “thats.”

Take that as their sign; you might be all they have.

There is a war on our students in the form of slavery and it is so often hidden behind the mask of that kid. It only takes one adult to help turn things around and that adult can be you. I know, I know. This isn’t quite what you signed up for, yet you’re doing it anyway.

You are so important to the formation period of a child. There may be many of your students who go home to lives that are drastically different than yours, and you don’t even know about it. Your classroom isn’t just another classroom. It’s a safe place.

I know you feel the weight of all the expectations that come with being an educator, but I also know you have the capacity to change and make a difference in your students.

Always remember that you are making a lifetime impact. There are many people within the education system that have failed to understand the power of inquiry, the power of critical questions. It’s okay sometimes to pry; it’s okay to ask the hard questions. Please don’t give up. You may not see it, but the impact is there.

The way we talk to kids becomes their inner narrative. When the stories about a student are saturated with negativity, have the courage not to join in. Tell a new story. You are the primary responders; the ones on the front lines working with our kids. What you do in your classroom when no one sees– it’s our best hope.

The kids who need the most love will ask for it in the most unloving ways, so often becoming labeled as that kid.

But that kid is also the one who can do the best impressions; that kid is the one who knows the name of every constellation that litters the nighttime sky; that kid is empathetic to each and every other student in their class, always offering to help or sharing their lunch when other students are hungry; that kid is the one who wakes up sick to their stomach with excitement for being able to go to school each day, even if they feel their teacher may despise them. That kid is crying out in the only way they know how, unable to voice what is happening to them at home.

It’s worth the hard work. These kids are worth the late hours, the back to back DIY crafts and projects, the spending of your own money, and so much more. They’re worth the hard conversations to discover the reasons for their cries for help. They’re worth the research behind child abuse and the trainings to introduce you to difficult topics nobody wants to talk about. All your sacrifices and efforts don’t go unnoticed.

Be the voice. Be the understanding. Be the protector.

Thank you for fighting to protect our children.

Ways YOU Can Fight Human Trafficking

There is no one-time fix for the issue of sex trafficking. But despite what you may think, there are many ways that you can do your part to fight against sex trafficking.

• Take the time to learn about the real red flags of trafficking – of both traffickers and their victims. There are so many myths about sex trafficking that are constantly circulating, specifically on social media. It’s time to break those harmful stereotypes and for use to go beyond simple surface knowledge. Dig deeper. Read books written by survivors. Listen to valuable voices in the anti-trafficking movement. Educate yourself on the reality of trafficking because you can’t report it if you don’t know what it looks like. Being aware IS action.

• If you suspect someone is being trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. They are available 24 hours and can contact the proper authorities if need be. It’s okay if you aren’t 100% sure – don’t hesitate to call. You could save someone’s life!

• Contact local schools and encourage them to utilize curriculum that teaches about sex trafficking. Knowledge is power when it comes to kids; an empowered child is incredibly hard to exploit.

• Know your consumer footprint. It’s easy to feel like trafficking doesn’t happen here, and thus that it doesn’t affect your life. But there are most likely people being trafficked to create some of the very items you are consuming or wearing. Purchasing from ethical companies and buying fair trade products allows you to fight trafficking in your daily life. Research where the items you are using come from. Know what you are supporting when you make purchasing decisions.

• Be vocal about this issue. Social media is a powerful tool to spread awareness about things you’re passionate about. You may be the only one in your sphere of influence who holds knowledge of what trafficking looks like or how it’s affecting your community. Don’t be afraid to share it!

• You can call or write your local, state or federal government representatives. Let them know how much you care about trafficking and ask them some of the ways they are addressing the issue. This helps keep the issue of trafficking at the forefront of their minds and shows them there are people out there who won’t stop until this issue is addressed.

• Although it’s important to hit the books and do your own research, the only way to even begin to truly understand trafficking is to get involved. By volunteering with a local anti-trafficking organization, you can increase your knowledge on trafficking while also making an impact.

• Another way you can get involved and making a lasting impression is by fundraising for your local anti-trafficking organization. Even something as simple as donating your birthday by creating a Facebook birthday fundraiser makes a huge impact. Financially supporting those in this fight might not seem exciting or fun, but it is truly one of the biggest ways you can help. You are investing in the freedom of survivors and helping non-profits aide in the aftercare of the exploited.

• Pray for the exploited. Not just in your community, but worldwide! Prayer is a powerful tool and sometimes those quiet moments with the Lord are exactly what is needed to play an important role in fighting trafficking.

You might not think you can make a difference when it comes to human trafficking, but this list shows how that isn’t true. You can change the lives of survivors in your community by implementing different actions on this list. You can make a difference, and we thank you for your efforts.