This report is about sharing topics that draw from the author’s personal and professional experiences that they, as a Council, believe are important to effectively address human trafficking today. This report reflects the passion of those with lived experience in the hope that it will prompt PITF agencies to critically explore these topics from the vantage point of those who have experienced human trafficking. The authors hope PITF agencies will use this information to guide the development of programs and policies that empower those who have been bought and sold, and seek to adopt new prevention strategies, particularly for underserved and under-resourced populations. The authors hope PITF agencies will assess how their current programs and policies can uplift survivors and empower survivors through increased prevention, prosecution, and protection efforts. The authors also hope that sharing their perspectives will deepen partnerships between agencies and survivors to promote engagement that is mutually beneficial and supportive and does not re-exploit survivors or the attributes their traffickers took advantage of, such as loyalty and resourcefulness.

Human trafficking has been interwoven into our history for too long. But we cannot allow complacency to take root. To honor those before us, survivors must be meaningfully engaged in this fight, as we are still only at the beginning of our efforts to truly address it at its root.