survivor

In the Booth with Ruth – Tracey Helton, Writer

September 29, 2014 // 4 Comments

Because of the documentary Black Tar Heroin: The Dark End of the Street, I felt as if people had all sorts of ideas of who I was without asking me. I like to write my own narrative. I have been branching out lately and doing more journalistic pieces. This is a new genre for me. Very exciting stuff.

“I Have A Dream… If MLK could see us now” by Jes Richardson

January 20, 2014 // 3 Comments

"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

September 2, 2013 // 10 Comments

I paint emotion through the face of women – and mostly just the face... I suppose I’m drawn to painting women in deep reflection, because I tend to spend most of my time in my head. Always thinking, rehashing, wondering and pondering – my mind never receives a break.

From Prostitution to Art – Artist Sherry Dooley’s powerful and moving life story

August 8, 2013 // 12 Comments

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

August 2, 2013 // 19 Comments

I can understand Facebook wanting to protect freedom of speech. I can understand the company at times feels like their hands are tied. However, when children are seen being violated and exploited, it is essential Facebook remove these images. They must use common sense and seek to promote safety...

In the Booth with Ruth – Rachel Moran, Author and Survivor of Prostitution

July 23, 2013 // 11 Comments

I wanted to tell people the truth about all that I had seen. I wanted to record the degradation and the simple human suffering that’s an inevitable and intrinsic part of sexual exploitation, and I wanted, most importantly, to talk about how we can put a stop to it.

Chong Kim, a Survivor of Sex Trafficking, Talks About Eden, The Newly Released Film Based On Her Life

July 21, 2013 // 9 Comments

Eden is based on the real life story of sex trafficking survivor, Chong Kim, who was abducted at 19 years of age from Dallas, Texas. I met up with Chong in London to talk about the film and her life as a survivor and advocate.

Child trafficking survivor & advocate, David Zimmerman, speaks out about child sex abuse images on Facebook

July 13, 2013 // 10 Comments

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

May 8, 2013 // 8 Comments

Published in Tough Talk Magazine – May 2013 My interview in the second edition of Robin Barratt‘s Tough Talk Magazine is the most personal interview I have ever

In the Booth with Ruth – Christine McDonald, Author & Prostitution Survivor

April 23, 2013 // 3 Comments

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

April 17, 2013 // 6 Comments

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

April 16, 2013 // 10 Comments

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

February 26, 2013 // 2 Comments

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

January 31, 2013 // 6 Comments

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...