Growth: Case by Case, From Where We Started to Where We are Today

How it started

How I got to here:  a TV show, a need for bodyguards, security advisers and more. 

I was working to help victims of trafficking. In the beginning it seemed that with such a horrific crime things would just work as they should as soon as victims were identified. It's almost comical now to think of such an idealistic situation.

One of my first cases was a beautiful victim from Central America, Ana (her name is changed ). She was so sweet, scared and innocent. Ana had been the victim of forced labor and sex trafficking by a brutal organization that was operating freely and openly doing many crimes including smuggling and trafficking. She had endured years of torment, servitude, and violence. By a miracle, she was able to escape at a local grocery store while the traffickers were distracted. As so many of the amazing victims we see, she, against all odds, freed herself along with a trusting and willing stranger in the store. It was a tale that movies are made of, that one in a chance miracle combined with the compassion of a stranger, and it worked.

She was seeking to report what happened and the person who saved her was asking if there was protection because the bad guys were still looking for her and they lived in the same neighborhood. They were referred to me for help. Which, of course, I gave my promise to do!

I had just returned from the first ever conference on Human Trafficking in Tampa, Florida in the summer of 2004. The conference was attended by President Bush, Attorney General Ashcroft and several other of our nation’s leaders who had chosen 500 key people to address this most heinous of crimes. The participants consisted of US Attorneys, FBI agents, ICE agents, non- profit service providers and others who would be key to protecting victims and prosecuting bad guys. We were given the tools, networking connections and information necessary to carry out the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA). We were repeatedly told that this was a crime that was the fastest growing in the world and second in scope only to the sale in illegal drugs.

So when this victim came to us for help I knew we could delivered all the services and protections offered under the TVPA.

WRONG!

What happened or didn’t happen

I started with the very people who attended the conference with me. They told me there were no victims in Houston. Then, I went down the food chain from there. I was met with comments like, "I want to help you but my boss would have my head.  This is a sanctuary city and we cannot speak to any immigrants about anything." Phone calls and emails not returned or replies with messages encouraging me to go away. In my efforts to locate someone to investigate, police officers began leading me to more victims and cases, each time saying, ... "we know there are thousands of victims here but we cannot do anything about it. "

I went to the Mayor of the city and numerous times he referred me to the Chief of Police who repeated that it was a sanctuary city. In the time all this was going on the victim was still being sought out, stalked and threatened by the bad guys, they were even at her church, because, of course, they went to church every Sunday.

Being a person of my word, I continued. When I promised her I could help I truly thought I could, now I realized in my current capacity I cannot. I received a very quick and clear education about the difference between the way things are and the way things should be.  I went to the local newspaper. This action finally got attention and action on her case. I took a lot of praise, criticism, even outright attacks, but the only comments I cared about were hers. She was granted a t-visa and it helped her to become a bit more secure within our society. She married and had a beautiful child. She was so thankful.

I wish I could say that her case was just an early one where a new issue was not fully understood. However, many years later the lessons learned from helping her still apply today. The same attacks, barriers, apathy and gaps in the TVPA.

More Problems for victims

As the years proceeded, and many more cases came to me, I learned that in order to actually keep a promise to do your best to help a trafficked victim you must: 

Investigate the case before sending to law enforcement. So many agencies are overwhelmed,  understaffed or over loaded with bureaucracy that the idea of someone making this case their everyday priority is as outdated as my favorite TV series from the 70’s-80’s, Columbo. There are not dedicated detectives disrupting and irritating the criminals like he so wonderfully did. 

It's most effective to have cases packaged, written up and delivered to the appropriate place, on a silver platter preferred, bow optional.  Our experiences have been that we must give them more reasons to be able say yes than no. It's a huge burden on an officer to open a case, and much more attractive to not open, or even better, close a case. Human trafficking cases are like spider webs and go on and on and on and are the definition of "never ending.'

Understand, while not being pursued by law enforcement, traffickers are bullies. That means they want and expect the victim to be scared and with few social ties. I often say it is quite a bit more difficult to pick on me than a scared 17-year-old girl who is in pain. As one victim so beautifully described how she felt when our team was serving her, she said, "... it was like there was a big see through wall and we were between her and all the people wanting to hurt her." She felt protected. That is what we do. 

I have found that even though the victims escape society is a very dangerous place for them. Sometimes
when they do attempt to report (especially sex trafficked victims) and police/attorneys may use the Reid method of rapid fire questions in an interrogative mode. While this works to unbalance known criminals, it is absolute disaster for victims of long term trauma, and extremely painful for them. I also find that they carry an aura of the sex trafficking with them as they are healing for quite some time. I had one such victim live with me and she was approached by all types of perverted individuals, mostly men and even one woman, who would try to seduce her right in front of me. I was exhausted from removing them and I can only imagine how much more exhausting and hurtful it was for her. They would be introduced as trusted people such as counselors, mental health professionals, pastors, colleagues at work, etc. Without someone to filter and witness these events the victims fall prey to more predators or even worse become labeled as wanting this attention or asking for it. I can assure you these are just wolves that sensed a wounded soul and they are everywhere.

Know that the fallout from these disappointing and hurtful encounters brings back all the fear, and the victims relive the traumas they escaped. Our brains are such that what might seem a small incident to a stable, non-victimized person, can be perceived as an instant reliving of a thousand rapes for the victim. I get so angered when I see this happen because all the months of work, reassurance, progress and healing is often undone instantly. The most hurtful part for me is that the victims often blame themselves for this.

They need to be viewed from the perspective that they are trying to appear normal while being in a very crazy situation. They are frequently perceived as crazy, but often are very strong emotionally just due to the fact they survived.

Preparing them for after they make it through the gauntlet of the first months of rescue. 

They will want to begin to go to school or work, this is something that they all dream of no matter what country they are from or what age. However, many times they may not be ready or experienced for the next phase of moving towards self-sufficiency. They begin to make progress against many barriers and they truly begin to see their future. This is so fun to watch and inspiring to be near. However, no matter how hard we try to prepare them as they enter group situations like work or school they often have not learned some of the social skills required to survive in a group. 

This becomes sometimes even beautiful to witness, like when one victim on her first day as a waitress, twirled around the restaurant singing, "I love my job.” which, however, did not make friends with the other workers who hated their jobs. It's so difficult to watch them struggle and learn how to exist in society. It's like watching a young child learn to walk yet knowing they are going to fall probably many times. Again, the bullies usually surface pretty quickly, and while not as bad as the traffickers, and to the victims of trafficking it is destructive. 

Blessing and curse

As the victims begin to seek friends and romance this becomes even more contentious than for most people. As, we all know, good friends and romances are full of highs and lows even if no previous trauma is involved. For the victims this becomes quite a roller coaster ride. It's also just as volatile for the brave new loved ones who enter the victims’ lives.

I do so often see love triumph over the evil experiences the victims survived. In fact, I think that love is finally what heals them, feeling the love of God or Jesus, Buddha or any other higher power, of themselves, the children born to them which are true miracles, their rescuers, family and/ or a new husband /boyfriend that accepts them no matter what. I see them and hear from them as they navigate these new waters of unconditional love. Sometimes, in the beginning, it is actually painful because it is so foreign. This is where the husbands and boyfriends are often put to extreme tests and often hurt in the process. However, once it levels out, the results are so amazing and beautiful.

Just recently I spoke to a victim who said, “We are better now.” That simple statement made all the hard days, frustrations, barriers, bullies and other problems melt away and made me so thankful for the work my team does. I will be smiling for some time now and energized for months. 

Our needs of today

As our team grows we are including things like security advisers, bodyguards, privacy expert, a strategist and more.

I am so thankful for all the amazing minds that help us become better at providing layers of safety and comfort for the victims. They are now getting us into a need for steady streams of money, travel and other expenses that are now bigger than our team can cover with individual donations or just out of our pocket as we have done for many years. With this growth, we have become better, stronger, more efficient, and have produced increased positive results. We have gotten many victims protected and some traffickers prosecuted.

All this started 10 years ago when I thought that as soon as people know about the TVPA that all the systems would fall into place to help and protect the victims. Now, we can fill the gaps, make the systems work or be the system, should a working system not be available.

Our new TV pilot, titled Project Red Light is almost finished being edited. First reports are that it is amazing! We will know soon when it will be shown. This will be a use of one of the most important tools that has helped me, which is media.  Compassion is contagious, and nowhere can we see compassion spread like wildfire more effectively than the media and social networks.

When our show hits we will again grow in our needs, team, and even enemies. Our team is asking that we now focus on growing our donations in every category from micro finance, groups/corporate sponsors, to major funders. We are fighting organized criminals who often bring in as much as $200,000 a week at just one location. We have been working with less than $10,000 a year. We are truly up against forces stronger than we are, yet we do prevail. It is truly a modern version of the old story of David and Goliath. I love it every time.

How can you help?  Please spread our story, send us notes of support, and recommend us to known philanthropists, social groups, churches and others in your area or contact list.

We can make a huge difference with your donations. Please donate, share, fundraise, blog or give us ideas on how to procure funding.

To help our team reach it's potential to help more victims to safety and restoration, send donations to: 

http://bernardokohler.org/programs/save-one-soul/

Designate "Human Trafficking" or "SOS" in the comments section and your donation can Save One Soul and make them “better now.”