There are many conversations circulating about human trafficking and child sexual exploitation. It is time. It is time for the world to wake up to the atrocities of modern day slavery. But I also have a few concerns. What happens when a child is delivered from unimaginable evils? What happens to the women and men who get out of a life of bondage, mind control, and exploitation? Who will be there to wrap around and support them as they heal? Who will sustain the rejection, vicarious trauma, and struggles that come in seeing a survivor of human trafficking thrive?

A first step is to recognize the myths about human trafficking. There are many wonderful survivors who are leading conversations around the myths of human trafficking. I encourage you to check out Rebecca Bender, Harmony founder of Treasures, and Our Rescue for insight on what human trafficking looks like.

Where do we go from there? Trafficking survivors are breaking out of addiction, addictions that allowed them to survive the life they were forced to live every day. Survivors work through grief, through mental battles about their personal worth. They grapple with the betrayal and abuse from their past and are rebuilding a foundation of trust and health. One of the myths is that they are still victims and we often perpetuate that mentality through our well intentioned efforts to help. Sometimes we try to meet a need that is not a priority. Sometimes we get caught up in the rescuer mentality. We need to look at the language that we use in our efforts to not only raise awareness but to care for individuals who have been trafficked. Exchange victim and replace it with survivor or thriver. Notice the resilience and potential that each survivor carries. Value their perspective. Support deep soul transformation rather than judging their struggles. This is ongoing work. It takes commitment.

Survivors need real family. They need authentic community. They need a place where they can fall but also where they will be lifted up and empowered to run. It is less about what we do and more about seeing what the survivor carries inside. It is about valuing their resilience, dreams, courage, and insight. What survivors often have left is a web of intricate unhealthy relationships. People who used and abused them out of their own wounds and hurt. One thing that happens in the anti-trafficking movement is that we are often quick to jump at the opportunity to get involved, to mentor, to volunteer, to open a home. Then when things get hard, when conflict arises, when a survivor leaves the program, when the finances don’t come in, when people loose interest, the ones who were once so passionate about the movement disappear, and the survivor is left, impacted again by an unhealthy system. This has to stop.

We need a better model.

If we are going to see survivors of human trafficking truly set free, then we need to focus on restoration. A huge part of restoration is the restoration of the soul. The key to soul restoration is inner healing. We may have a fantastic program, a house, a great fundraiser, but if we do not value inner healing, then many survivors will continue in a cycle of self harm, exploitation and trauma. In 2018, Courageous and Free - Journey to Inner Healing was released. It is a trauma informed and spiritual guide to breakthrough. It is for anyone who may feel stuck and know they need some steps to help reach mental and emotional health. Courageous and Free may be used as a mentoring tool, for personal growth, or in a recovery home program.

In all our efforts to combat the evil and atrocities of human trafficking that are very prevalent in our world, let us not forget that what this movement really needs is people who are dedicated to restoration. May we do our own soul as we seek to see our neighbors, friends, and children set free, protected, and restored from a life of exploitation and trafficking. Shelter and Rain is committed to coming alongside survivors in their restorative journey. We invite you to join us and make an impact.