In the Booth with Ruth – Tracey Helton, Writer
survivor
“I Have A Dream… If MLK could see us now” by Jes Richardson
"What would Martin Luther King Jr. think of the abolition movement today? What would he think of the movement that uses his name? If he was alive today, I believe he would call out the bitterness and hate. He would call out the injustice of the people. He would speak against the movement that silences the voices from within the sex industry..."
In the Booth with Ruth – Sherry Dooley, Artist & Survivor of Prostitution
From Prostitution to Art – Artist Sherry Dooley’s powerful and moving life story
Being gang raped by knife-point wasn’t one of the highlights of being manipulated into the lifestyle... Having the Portland Police look me straight in the eye, as I stood before them, bloodied, beaten, and with my breast exposed, and tell me that no crime had been committed because I was a prostitute was just another blow.
Founder of Once Upon An Eden and survivor of extreme child abuse, Michelle Carmela, gives her opinion on Facebook’s issue of child sex abuse images
In the Booth with Ruth – Rachel Moran, Author and Survivor of Prostitution
Chong Kim, a Survivor of Sex Trafficking, Talks About Eden, The Newly Released Film Based On Her Life
Child trafficking survivor & advocate, David Zimmerman, speaks out about child sex abuse images on Facebook
Facebook could start by including better options for reporting violations of policy and criminal activity. There could be direct links to appropriate agencies for the range of crimes committed online, from child sexual abuse images and trafficking to cyber stalking and bullying. Facebook could employ a moderator system that allows faster detection and timely responses. There could be an active law enforcement presence...
From the Madness and Hell of Life as a Heroin and Crack Addict with Countless Failed Overdoses, This is My Story on Getting My Life Back on Track
In the Booth with Ruth – Christine McDonald, Author & Prostitution Survivor
I have no writing background. I read somewhere that you should write about what you know, so I took that and ran with it. I started typing notes on my book, Cry Purple, a few years ago in college, but I recently lost my job and found myself back in the world seeking work and finding my past once again being a barrier for employment. I also had my newfound...
In the Booth with Ruth – Jacqueline S. Homan, Author
What inspired me to write in the first place is that I am a marginalized woman—from deep inter-generational poverty, and I am also an exited woman who escaped sexual exploitation as a homeless orphaned teen. Like so many other poor and marginalized exited women, my voice and real lived experiences are never heard. So I decided to do my best to change that, because words not only convey thoughts they create fact. Very few truly understand what it is to be shoved aside and erased and left for dead more than destitute exited women with nothing, no family, no avenue of legal remedy, and no support network—not even any welfare or medical care.
In the Booth with Ruth – Maria, Prostitution Survivor
When I was fifteen, I went to see my friend who’d moved in with her sister. I was thrown out of the house, and found myself in Piccadilly, Manchester where I met gypsies. The police put me in this hostel. There was about one hundred and ninety women in there. I was petrified. I didn’t know what to do. I ended up losing my virginity to a lorry driver for five...
In the Booth with Ruth – Aashika N. Damodar, Anti-Human Trafficking Activist, Advocate and Non-Profit Founder
So many events in my life have culminated to this point: a life dedicated to combating sexual violence and trafficking. When I entered university, I learned about a trafficking case that took place right across from my dormitory at UC Berkeley. Lakireddy, a Berkeley landlord and restaurant owner, came under investigation when a young woman died in one of his apartment buildings. He was convicted for both sex and labor trafficking...
In the Booth with Ruth – David Zimmerman, Child Trafficking Survivor & Advocate
My involvement began as I was receiving EMDR trauma therapy to recover from lifelong posttraumatic stress disorder. I was overwhelmed by flashbacks, night terrors, anxiety and depression that were triggered by the passing of my father, who began grooming and sexually assaulting me at the age of three, and then trafficked me on a regular basis, mostly in...
