Ending Human Trafficking Podcast

Dr. Sandie Morgan is joined by Ezequiel Escobar Bellshaw, an attorney from Madrid. The two discuss the role Fiet Gratia, an NGO of which Ezequiel Escobar Bellshaw is the Executive Director, plays in preventing trafficking in Spain. Ezequiel Escobar Bellshaw Ezequiel Escobar Bellshaw is the Executive Director of Fiet Gratia, an NGO specialized in intervention and comprehensive assistance to victims of human trafficking, with presence in different parts of Spain. In 2019, Ezequiel was offered the position of Executive Director, and accepted the offer to develop the project of the Solidarity Law Firm with his partner Alberto Miguens. Since 2012, he has been directing as partner and founder, the Law Firm Miguens & Bellshaw, developing an intense work in the area of Human rights. Ezequiel has a degree in Law from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, a Master in management, a Minor in Big Data and Business intelligence, a postgraduate in Compliance, and is a practicing lawyer in Madrid. Key Points Fiet Gratia is

Dr. Sandie Morgan is joined by Stella Ayo-Odongo from the director for Pathfinding Countries' global partnership to end violence against children hosted by UNICEF. The two discuss the importance of advocacy and creating spaces where the voiceless can be heard. Stella Ayo-Adongo Stella Ayo-Odongo is the director for Pathfinding Countries' global partnership to end violence against children hosted by UNICEF. She's a child rights, child protection, social policy expert, and an advocate for social justice. Stella is a motivated leader and development practitioner with over 25 years of progressive experience in strategic leadership, development management, and program operations. She has extensive knowledge and experience advocating for vulnerable groups, such as the children, youth, and the elderly. Stella is a visionary Pan-African leader, as demonstrated in the founding of national and regional level movements for social justice, such as the African wide movement for the children, civil society organizations fo

Dr. Sandie Morgan looks back at Episode 28 "Stop Blaming the Victim" with, Dave Stachowiak and Amelia Franck Meyer. The three discuss the prevalence of victim blaming against commercially sexually exploited children, how it affects the children, and how to help them. Dr. Amelia Franck Meyer When we first interviewed Dr. Amelia Franck Meyer, she was the CEO of Anu Family Services, a child welfare agency located in 90 different counties in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Now, Amelia Franck Meyer serves as Anu's Senior Strategic Advisor and is the founder and CEO of Alia. Alia provides innovations for people and systems impacted by childhood trauma and is a strategic partner of Anu Family Services. Amelia is leading a movement to create a child welfare system where both caregivers and children can thrive. She has worked throughout the United States and internationally, promoting her ideas to change the way children welfare systems work. Amelia Franck Meyer also brought together professionals at the University of Minnes

7Nicole Strattman Nicole has been employed with the County of Orange Social Services Agency (SSA) since 1999. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California. She is currently the manager for the Resource Families: Recruitment, Development and Support program in Children and Family Services. Nicole has worked in a variety of programs at SSA which have included assignments investigating child abuse as well as representing SSA in Family Law Court. In 2014, Nicole began working alongside the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force to create an enhanced collaborative response model, treating trafficked children as victims and ensuring the child welfare system had the services to meet the victim’s needs. She is a California Department of Social Services "Above and Beyond" award recipient and has received recognition from California State Senator Ling Ling Chang and California Congresswoman Katie Porter for her commitment to end Human

Sandie is joined by Matthew Soerens from World Relief to discuss a recent New York Times investigation that revealed unaccompanied children arriving at U.S. borders are being exploited for labor. They discuss the findings of the report, the U.S. process to place children, and the Department of Labor's response. Matthew Soerens Matthew Soerens is the US Director of Church Mobilization for World Relief, where he helps evangelical churches to understand the realities of refugees and immigration and to respond in ways guided by biblical values. He also serves as the National Coordinator for the Evangelical Immigration Table, a coalition that advocates for immigration reforms consistent with biblical values. Matthew previously served as a Department of Justice-accredited legal counselor at World Relief’s local office in Wheaton, Illinois and, before that, with World Relief’s partner organization in Managua, Nicaragua. He’s also the co-author of Seeking Refuge: On the Shores of the Global Refugee Crisis. Key Point

Dr. Sandie Morgan is joined by Erin Burke from Homeland Security to discuss federal investigations into child exploitation crimes. They discuss the public-private partnership between HSI and NCMEC, the difference between child exploitation and human trafficking, and the rise of sextortion amongst our youth. Erin Burke Erin Burke is the Unit Chief for the Child Exploitation Investigations Unit (CEIU) at Cyber Crime Center (C3) with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). CEIU is comprised of three sections, the Victim Identification Lab, Intake and Operations, and Angel Watch. As a Special Agent, Erin has worked investigations related to child exploitation, human trafficking, national security, transnational narcotics, gangs, and financial crimes for over fifteen years. Erin earned a master’s degree in Forensic Science from The George Washington University. Key Points The Child Exploitation Investigations Unit (CEIU) is the primary unit addressing child exploitation within HSI and partnering with other law

Jamie Manirakiza, LMSW Jamie Manirakiza, has over 10 years of experience in the field of anti-human trafficking. As the Executive Director of Partnership to End Human Trafficking, she brings her experience working in various roles throughout the Northeast. Prior to joining PEHT, Jamie, held several key roles with The Salvation Army. Her longest position was in Greater Philadelphia as Director of Anti Trafficking for the New Day to Stop Trafficking Program. Most notably, Jamie helped to start a drop-in center for women victimized by the commercial sex industry in 2010, incorporating models of harm reduction, motivational interviewing, and the Sanctuary Model ® for trauma-informed care. Jamie was also part of the founding team to open up a residential program for survivors of sex or labor trafficking in the Greater Philadelphia region. In 2018, Jamie transitioned to work as the Territorial Anti Human Trafficking Program Coordinator for The Salvation Army Eastern Territorial Headquarters in New York. As Territor

Sandie Morgan is joined by Derek Marsh, Associate Director of the Global Center for Women and Justice. They discuss Derek's BJA Fellowship on human trafficking and how law enforcement and task forces can be more proactive in investigating and assisting labor trafficking. Derek Marsh, MA, MPA Derek Marsh retired from the Westminster PD, CA, after more than 26 years of service. In 2004, Marsh helped start the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force (OCHTTF). He served as the co-chair of the OCHFFT from 2004-12. During that time, he developed and taught courses in human trafficking across the state of California, provided oversight to human trafficking investigations, assisted in creating HT DVDs, wrote multiple grants, and provided Congressional testimony twice as a HT expert witness. He has presented anti-HT trainings across California and the United States, Saipan, Italy, and Argentina. He taught HT as an undergraduate course at Vanguard University, CA, from 2009 to present. He develops and teaches cri

Dr. Sandie Morgan is joined by survivor, author, and advocate, Keeya Vawar. Together they discuss partnership between allies and survivors, survivors redesigning their life, and much more! Keeya Vawar Keeya Vawar advocates for victims of sex trafficking globally. She is a lived experience survivor expert, mentor, speaker and author of “One Thousand Elsewhere: A True Survivor Story.” A powerful voice of hope in a growing ecosystem of despair, her motivation and passion for youth and women of all ages is inextricably linked to her own story of hardship and survival against insurmountable odds. info@keeyavawar.com  |  Instagram: @keeyasays  |  Facebook Page: Keep Encouraging Everyone Young At Heart Key Points Healing is a lifelong journey that requires lifelong assistance. Inadequate services and unrealistic expectations can lead victims back into the life. Survivor mentors and non-survivor mentors both play a significant role in the healing process as allies to survivors. Redesigning your life Reso

Sandie and Dave reflect on how far the movement has come since the Trafficking Victims Protection Act passed in October 2000, and was soon followed by the United Nations Palermo Protocol in December 2000. In 2023, we are positioned to move beyond awareness. Ending human trafficking requires everyone--educators, business leaders, social workers, attorney, nonprofits, and the church--to do more! Key Points Alert your community that January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Awareness Month and bring visibility to the issue. Listen to Survivors on the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. Consume consciously and use the Sweat & Toil app to have age-appropriate conversations with your child. Join the Ending Human Trafficking: Strategies for the Church Today book challenge: Read the book in 31 days for the month of January. Send the book to three people--a great Christmas gift!! (at ivpress.com use EHTlearn for 30% off + free shipping) Start a book club to read and discuss together using our lea

Samantha Miller Samantha Miller is the founder of Voices Heard LLC, and serves as a consultant on child safety and restorative justice. She conducts training and inquiries into allegations of current and historic child abuse, primarily within the Christian missionary context. Samantha is trained as a child forensic interviewer and spent years as a federal investigator in the United States. Samantha has a master's degree in Intercultural Studies from Wheaton College in Illinois, where she focused her thesis on restorative justice and human trafficking. She currently volunteers as a facilitator for her city’s restorative justice program and previously volunteered as a member of Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA) in Denver, Colorado, where she joined a circle of other volunteers to provide pro-social support and accountability to persons convicted of sex offenses after they were released from prison. Samantha is passionate about keeping the demand side of the human trafficking issue at the forefront of

Jeni Sorensen Jeni Sorensen is a human trafficking specialist with 20 years of experience designing, managing, and evaluating programs to combat human trafficking in the U.S. and around the world. Ms. Sorensen currently serves as Director of International Poverty Action’s Human Trafficking Research Initiative, which fosters partnerships between researchers and program implementers to build and carry out rigorous research studies. Previously, Ms. Sorensen served as Director of Winrock International’s Human Trafficking and Safe Migration programs, where she oversaw a $70 million portfolio of counter-trafficking programs in Asia and Latin America. Ms. Sorensen holds a BA from the University of Texas at Austin and an MPP from Georgetown University. Key Points To measure prevention impact, a theory of change and measurement of success should be identified beforehand. To measure trainings, identify the goal of the trainings, randomize your audience, and take a pre-test and post-test. Qualitative and quantita

Dr. Sandie Morgan is joined by the Honorable Judge Joanne Motoike to discuss GRACE Court, a collaborative court designed to provide services to CSEC victims and rehabilitate them to be reintegrated back into the community. Honorable Joanne Motoike The Honorable Joanne Motoike serves as an associate justice of the 4th District Court of Appeal, Division 3. Previously, she was the Presiding Judge of the Juvenile Court in Orange County, California where she also oversaw a unique collaborative court for child victims of commercial sexual exploitation called GRACE Court. She has also served as a senior deputy public defender at the Orange County Public Defender’s Office, and as a trial attorney in the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia at the Hague. Key Points GRACE (Generating Resources to Abolish Child Exploitation) Court was developed to provide youth and families with services as they went through the legal process in their cases. Juvenile Court is don

Sandie Morgan and Ioana Bauer, with eLiberare in Romania, discuss a crisis prevention model in response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis. They discuss when to prepare for a crisis and four critical components to a safe and sustainable model to address a refugee trafficking crisis. Ioana Bauer Ioana Bauer has been active in the area of protecting human rights and dignity since 2005, and, since 2010, she has dedicated her efforts to addressing human trafficking by leading and shaping prevention activities, developing materials on the issue and conducting capacity building activities. Ioana has worked directly with survivors of human trafficking and she is passionate about fighting injustice, being a firm believer in the power of community and collective action. Ioana is an Ashoka Fellow, a 2020 Resilience Fellow with GITOC, and is recognized as one of the women leaders advancing the UN SDGs globally. Currently, Ioana is serving as president of the board of eLiberare, a leading Romanian anti-trafficking CSO, aft

Sandie is joined by Jeremy Vallerand, CEO and President of Atlas Free. Formerly Rescue Freedom International, Atlas Free is leading the charge to discover, connect, and grow the global network of anti-human trafficking organizations. Jeremy Vallerand Jeremy Vallerand is the CEO & President of Atlas Free, a global non-profit organization working in over 20 countries to prevent, combat, and end sex trafficking and exploitation. His Tedx Talk - “Using Your Passions to Fight Injustice” - encourages people to leverage their own skills and passions to improve the world around them. He has an undergraduate degree in Business from Trinity Western University in British Columbia, Canada and a graduate degree in Diplomacy from Oxford University in the UK. Jeremy lives in Seattle, WA with his wife, Maren, and their three children. Key Points Atlas Free started with the idea to vet and connect international organizations combatting human trafficking with U.S. communities and supporters, and vice versa. "Rescue" does

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons is recognized to stress the harms of human trafficking women, men, and children around the world experience. Efforts to address these crimes are strengthened through survivor leadership, research and education, and building resilient communities. In the recent release of the 2022 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report from the U.S. Department of States Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, 21 countries were upgraded a tier because of their increasing work to address human trafficking in their countries--a victory worth celebrating this World Day Against Trafficking in Persons! This year, we are highlighting the supply and demand of the market that drives labor trafficking and how businesses and corporations can combat human trafficking by analyzing their supply chains, implementing ethical labor practices, and building sustainable avenues of income and resources for employees. Highlighted Episodes: 280 – Shifting the Supply Chain Burden, with Justin Di