Supporting Survivor Advocates

Human trafficking is an enormous problem. It plagues every nation in the world, traffickers fly under the radar, and it causes trauma that lasts a lifetime. Looking at all of these factors, it's easy to become overwhelmed. Often, people will become convinced that individuals don’t have anything to offer to work against this problem. Thankfully, this simply isn't true! Everyone has something to offer and every helping hand counts. To help all of our individual advocates, we have started a series with some practical tips on how to join the work against trafficking!

Today's tip for the individual advocate: Identify and Support Survivor Advocates.

All over the world, there are survivors of human trafficking creating their own movements to end the evil that they endured. Whether they create a 501(c)(3) nonprofit or work as an individual, survivor advocates are everywhere. One very important way that individuals can help to end human trafficking is by joining or supporting movements started by survivor advocates. After all, survivors are the experts on their own experiences and their voices should be the ones pushed to the front of this movement. One example of a survivor advocate-started non-profit is Eyes Open International. Eyes Open International was started by Harold D'Souza, a member of our Strategic Advisory Team and a survivor of labor trafficking. Check out his organization, or search for others! There are plenty out there. The key thing to remember is this: survivor advocates are the ones to follow!