Justice Hope Freedom Podcast

Rod Davis with TEARS Ministries which stands for True Evangelism Always Requires Sacrifice, was founded by Rod and Twila Davis and is a faith-based not for profit based in La Vega, Dominican Republic. They see first had how girls and boys in their community in the Dominican Republic are groomed and recruited into sex slavery. What they provide as an organization, helps to prevent it. TEARS provides free elementary and high school education to children who would not otherwise have the educational opportunity, operates a water treatment plant, a Health and Wellness Center, Aquaponics Fish Farming, business training and grants, support services for parents, a soccer mentorship program, plants churches, and operates other support programs for the community. Connect with TEARS  Website: https://tears.org/  Facebook: https://facebook.com/tearsdr1 Instagram: @tears_ministries Twitter: @tearsministries   Connect with Justice Hope Freedom https://justicehopefreedom.com/  IG: @jhfministry FB: @justicehopefreedom   To sponsor a podcast, email me at a.livingston@worldventure.com or to donate click here. 

Kristen A. Jenson is the founder of Defend Young Minds and is the author of the Good Pictures Bad Pictures series of read-aloud books. She is also the executive producer of the Brain DefenseTM: Digital Safety curriculum—a powerful and engaging video-based course for families and educators. Kristen shares about major ways pornogarphy sets kids up for sex trafficking and provides resources to help parents, guardians, family members and educators to protect their kids. Connect with Defend Young Minds Website/Books: www.defendyoungminds.com/books Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DefendYM/ Instagram: @defendyoungminds Twitter: @defendYM   Connect with Justice Hope Freedom https://justicehopefreedom.com/  IG: @jhfministry FB: @justicehopefreedom   To sponsor a podcast, email me at a.livingston@worldventure.com or to donate click here. 

Dignity Coconuts was born in 2010 and is a social enterprise with a mission to stop modern-day slavery for coconut farming communities. Years of nonprofit work fighting trafficking revealed many of the women were trafficked from poor rural farming areas. The coconut industry uses predatory loans and corrupt buying practices to enslave farmers, leaving them vulnerable to trafficking. Erik Olson, USA President of Dignity Coconuts, highlights what they are doing to help fight modern day slavery. Connect with Diginity Coconuts! https://dignitycoconuts.com/  You Tube: @Dignitycoconuts FB: @DignityCoconuts IG: @dignity.coconuts   Connect with Justice Hope Freedom! https://justicehopefreedom.com/  IG: @jhfministry FB: @justicehopefreedom   To sponsor a podcast, email me at a.livingston@worldventure.com or to donate click here.     

Jay Benke is an abduction and child sex trafficking survivor located in Oregon. As a person whose disabilities and LGBTQ2IA+ identity intersect with her survivorship, she brings a unique perspective as she serves the community. She specializes in advocacy for the disabled, trafficked children and youth, victims of intimate partner violence, people experiencing houselessness, and victims who have been incarcerated. The focus of her work ranges from criminal justice reform to demand reduction to survivor equity and inclusion to harm reduction and trauma-informed care. When I asked her to come on my show, I asked what she wanted to cover and Jay responded, "to talk about trauma from buyers for both prostituted people and for their partners and children, and how by not holding buyers accountable, we make it harder for the abused partners of buyers to leave." Listen in on a robust conversation! To stay in contact with Jay, her social media handles are: Tiktok: @jaybenke FB: @jellenbenke IG: @jellenbenke   Justice Hope Freedom social media handles are: IG: @jhfministry FB: @justicehopefreedom   To sponsor a podcast, email me at a.livingston@worldventure.com or to donate click here.  Go to https://justicehopefreedom.com/ to learn more about fighting and preventing sex trafficking.

Vanessa Russell, Founder of Love Never Fails in California. Love Never Fails formed in December 2011 after the Founder's teenage dance student experienced human trafficking in the SF Bay Area. They are committed to the well-being of all youth and driven to restore, educate and protect them from sex trafficking. Their approach addresses a survivor's needs on their journey to safety and wholeness. On a call Vanessa and I were both on with World Without Exploitation, I learned through hearing her share that there is a push to legalize sex work in San Francisco, California and to have red light districts. Learn more about Love Never Fails at https://www.loveneverfailsus.com/  To sponsor a podcast, email me at a.livingston@worldventure.com or to donate click here.  Go to https://justicehopefreedom.com/ to learn more about fighting and preventing sex trafficking.

This episode we are going to talk about the work I do to prevent sex trafficking and domestic violence. I, Adrienne Livingston, am a co-developer of the Girl Empowerment Curriculum along with Michele Lathrop. We created this curriculum to serve as a resource for churches, Christian schools and nonprofits to use to educate and address the underlying issues that impact girls today and make them vulnerable to the lures of traffickers and pimps. The curriculum includes discussing our image in God, our identity, personal boundaries, intuition, red flags, using our voice, healthy and unhealthy relationship characteristics, safety planning, basic physical self-defense, and more! We've been invited to share this curriculum resource with secular communities as well. Prevention is a public health approach that complements a criminal justice approach to preventing and ending human trafficking [1]. Tania Redeau, WorldVenture Girl Empowerment Coordinator joins me on this episode to ask me questions about this program. She is newly joining my team!    Learn more at https://www.justicehopefreedom.com/resources.  To sponsor a podcast, email me at a.livingston@worldventure.com or to donate click here.  Go to https://justicehopefreedom.com/ to learn more about fighting and preventing sex trafficking. [1] National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center https://nhttac.acf.hhs.gov/soar/eguide/guiding-principles/applying-public-health-approach-to-human-trafficking  

I have the pleasure of welcoming to the show Traci Rossi, Executive Director of Friends of the Children, Portland Chapter. Traci has over 20 years of nonprofit leadership experience with an emphasis in education, community outreach, and service to girls, women, children, and families. Traci was recently named a 2020 Woman of Influence by the Portland Business Journal. Friends of the Children's mission is to “Impact generational change by empowering youth who are facing the greatest obstacles through relationships with professional mentors for 12+ years. No matter what.” This literally changes lives and generations. Learn more at https://friendspdx.org/.  To sponsor a podcast, email me at a.livingston@worldventure.com or to donate click here.  Go to https://justicehopefreedom.com/ to learn more about fighting and preventing sex trafficking.

Claire Barrera an artist, activist and educator based in Portland, Oregon. They have worked in the anti-violence movement for over 20 years. Currently they work as the Sex Trafficking Senior Strategist with Multnomah County and organize with Brown Girl Rise.  In 2009, Multnomah County established the Multnomah County Sex Trafficking Collaborative which is a network of government, not-for-profit agencies, and community members that collaborate to create a coordinated system to prevent and respond to sex trafficking. The goal of the Sex Trafficking Collaborative is to create a survivor-centered, trauma-informed, and sustainable system wide response to address sex trafficking of youth and young adults in Multnomah County. To learn more about what is happening in Multnomah County and the city of Portland regarding sex trafficking, please visit the Multnomah County Sex Trafficking Collaborative's website. To sponsor a podcast, email me at a.livingston@worldventure.com or to donate click here.  Go to https://justicehopefreedom.com/ to learn more about fighting and preventing sex trafficking.

Katelynn Spencer is a survivor-leader in the fight against image-based sexual abuse.  Her personal fight for justice began upon finding out that a friend, who groomed her into making a sex video with him, uploaded it and another one she was unaware that he had recorded, onto Pornhub, a global pornography platform, without her consent. The videos had been downloaded, favorited, and commented on – all without her knowledge. One charge was eventually filed against her friend – “Distribution of Obscene Material” – but the case was dismissed, in part because Massachusetts has no law against uploading non-consensual, pornographic material. (Massachusetts is one of only two states that have yet to enact laws against image-based sexual abuse.) We discuss the PROTECT Act, which would require age and consent verification of those depicted in sexually explicit or intimate materials online, as an imperative step forward in human rights. Learn more about The Protect Act here https://endsexualexploitation.org/articles/protect-act-will-aid-victims-of-image-based-sexual-abuse-against-big-porn/  https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjQPnkFAIrV/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link  To sponsor a podcast, email me at a.livingston@worldventure.com or to donate click here.  Go to https://justicehopefreedom.com/ to learn more about fighting and preventing sex trafficking.

Yasmin Vafa, Executive Director with Rights4Girls shares about their work to advocate for the dignity and rights of young women and girls so that every girl can be safe and live a life free of violence and exploitation.  Yasmin has testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the need for legislative reform for girls in the legal system.  Learn more about Rights4Girls and sign-up for their newsletter at https://rights4girls.org/. Follow them on Instagram and Facebook. Read about the Sex Abuse to Prison Pipeline  To sponsor a podcast, email me at a.livingston@worldventure.com or to donate click here.  Go to https://justicehopefreedom.com/ to learn more about fighting and preventing sex trafficking.

Multnomah County Commissioner, Susheela Jayapal; Claire Barrera Program Manager at El Programa Hispano’s UNICA and Joyclyn Bell a survivor and activist join me for this important conversation about Oregon Senate Bill  274. Introduction: Charging children with prostitution is counter to our values as a community. Given that children cannot, by law, consent to sex, it is inherently contradictory to criminalize them for prostitution. They are experiencing a crime, and should not be treated as committing one. Experiencing arrest, prosecution, and/or custody by law enforcement is deeply traumatizing, especially for sex trafficking survivors of color who have already faced trauma, systemic racism, and trafficking. SB 274 Priorities: prevention, decriminalization, reducing barriers. SB 274 focuses on decriminalizing prostitution for minors -- including removing the ability to arrest and/or charge minors who are experiencing sex trafficking with prostitution. Sex trafficking disportionality impacts Black and Brown minors, so making this adjustment would directly support reducing the unnecessary criminalization of these populations. Senate Bill 274 would reduce further systemic trauma and protect minor sex trafficking survivors from incurring legal consequences and penalties for being trafficked. It would also address reports of child abuse involving survivors of sex trafficking.

The ​Human Trafficking Awareness Day​ ​event hosted by the Junior League of Portland, on January 11, 2021 at 6pm PST, will include a keynote presentation about human trafficking, specifically addressing the issue of how black girls and women & Native American girls and women have been historically, currently and repeatedly targeted and harmed and how our systems are a part of the problem. This is a free event to attend. Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/human-trafficking-awareness-day-virtual-event-tickets-131646517277 Keynote speakers include: Sarah Nedeau, Director of Community-based Programs at New Avenues for Youth Susheela Jayapal, Multnomah Co. Commissioner, District 2 Adrienne Livingston, Director of Anti-Sex Trafficking Initiatives at WorldVenture

Christen Price serves as Legal Counsel for the National Center on Sexual Exploitation Law Center.  She joins me to talk about the case, Charleston v. State of Nevada, where they will argue that Nevada’s pro-prostitution law conflicts with federal laws that ban sex trafficking and violates the Thirteenth Amendment’s ban on any form of involuntary servitude. endsexualexploitation.org NotSafeForWomen.org  

This episode is The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) Webinar addressing the case:  Charleston vs. state of Nevada. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) Law Center will be arguing that Nevada’s pro-prostitution law conflicts with federal laws that ban sex trafficking and violates the Thirteenth Amendment’s ban on any form of involuntary servitude. More details about the plaintiffs’ stories, and the legal briefs can be found at NotSafeForWomen.com. https://endsexualexploitation.org/  Panelists: Rebekah Charleston, Survivor of Nevada’s Legal Brothels, Plaintiff in this case. Christen Price, Legal Counsel, National Center on Sexual Exploitation; Co-counsel in this case. Jason Guinasso, Attorney; Lead attorney in this case. Melissa Holland, Founder, Awaken; Provides direct services to women in prostitution in Nevada & leads local efforts to overturn NV’s prostitution laws. Angela Delgado-Williams, Survivor of Sex Trafficking in Nevada.

Aashima Samuel heads the Children at Risk project with Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFIC@R) as the National Director. Her desire is to see that the churches and communities arise and come together to eradicate Human trafficking.

Caitlin Roper is an activist, writer and PhD candidate at RMIT university in Melbourne, Australia where she is researching female-bodied sex dolls and robots. Caitlin is the Campaigns Manager at Collective Shout (collectiveshout.org) which is a nonprofit that works toward a world free of sexploitation, a grassroots campaigns movement challenging the objectification of women and the sexualization of girls in media, advertising and popular culture. Caitlin is a Founding Member and Chair of Adopt Nordic Western Australia to fight sex trafficking and a Huffington Post blogger.  Her Twitter handle is @caitlin_roper.  Checkout campaignagainstsexrobots.org.

Laura is the Founder of The Liberty Project and in Pemba Mozambique which was started in 2016.  Their work is to see the chains of sexual exploitation, abuse, trauma and severe cultural oppression broken! Working with Mozambican women to see them healed, confident and whole, through the redeeming love of Jesus, education, and practical empowering skills!

Justin Euteneier is the Program Director of The EPIK Project (Everyman Protecting Innocent Kids) which is a nonprofit which serves to mobilize male allies to disrupt the commercial sex market, equipping them to combat the roots of exploitation and encouraging them to collaborate effectively with the wider anti-trafficking movement.

Rachel Nelson is the Executive Director of the Freedom Businesses Alliance.  They exist to employ survivors of human trafficking and those at risk of being trafficked, investing in their personal and professional development. From hand crafted goods to coffee shops to technology and everything in between, these businesses are united by the common vision of preserving freedom for the most vulnerable.

Kristin Gibowicz was yoga certified in 2003 and has over 6,000 hours of teaching and training experience in many styles from power yoga to yin yoga.   As founder and lead trainer of Living Soul Institute, a yoga school in Colorado, they integrate the richness of yoga tradition with Christ-centered spirituality and they provide teacher certification and continuing education training. https://www.kristingibowiczyoga.com/  

Dr. Steve Tracy is the President and International Director of Mending the Soul Ministries whose mission is to bring restoration to people world-wide who have experienced abuse. He is the author of several books, including Mending the Soul: Understanding and Healing Abuse. His writing and ministry are focused on sexuality, abuse, and social justice. Steve and his wife Celestia spend 6-8 weeks every year ministering to trauma survivors in East Africa, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  http://mendingthesoul.org/    Published July 8, 2020

Dr. Adebimpe Adewusi is a Child Abuse Pediatrician at CARES Northwest. She has a special interest about the issue of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC), problematic sexual behaviors, and medical neglect cases.  We discuss what signs of sex trafficking and exploitation that pediatricians can look for when seeing a patient.  If you are a physician and would like to take one of her trainings, email her at aadewusi@lhs.org.   Other Resources - CARES Northwest  Call To Safety, Oregon Department of Human Services Published June 23, 2020  - This episode is sponsored by Village Church 

Stephanie Powell, Executive Director of Journey Out and is a retired Police Sergeant for 30 years and is the author of My Choice, My Body, My Rules on found on Amazon.  Journey Out is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit whose mission is to help victims of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking leave a life of abuse and violence, overcome their fears, and empower them to reach their full potential and achieve their goals.  We also discuss how this time of COVID-19 is impacting victims of sex trafficking and exploitation.  https://journeyout.org/. Published on June 3, 2020  

Jessica Muñoz is the is the Founder and President of Ho`ōla Nā Pua.  Tammy Bitanga is the Community Advocacy & Outreach Coordinator. Ho`ōla Nā Pua, meaning ‘New Life for Our Children,’ was founded to shine light into dark voids of violation, placing the health of Hawaii’s youth at the center of their mission and vision for their community. They are committed to the prevention of child sex trafficking and providing care for children who have been exploited. Ho`ōla Nā Pua (HNP) is dedicated to creating a community where children are safe and have the ability to embrace their bright futures.  HNP offers integrated programming that reaches over thousands of youth and community members and stakeholders across the state of Hawaii annually, but is considered a national partner and a rising standard in the global effort to stop sex trafficking, permanently.  https://hoolanapua.org/    24/7 Starfish Hotline 808.222.1872; National Human Trafficking Hotline 888.373.7888.   Published on May 27, 2020.

Kristen A. Jenson is the author of the best-selling Good Pictures Bad Pictures. Why should you talk with your children about pornography? Because otherwise someone else will! The Good Pictures Bad Pictures series of read-aloud books can make a difficult conversation easy! She is the founder of Protect Young Minds, an organization dedicated to helping parents empower their kids with tools to resist and reject pornography.  https://www.protectyoungminds.org/ Published May 20, 2020

Kristin Choitz, is a Ministry Developer with One Collective in Chongwe, Zambia. Her heart is for women and girls to have opportunities to grow spiritually, emotionally, and economically.  She invited our Justice Hope Freedom Ministry to Zambia to train women how to facilitate a sex trafficking curriculum with their girls. They want the girls to know the truth about sex trafficking and their worth and value in God’s eyes.  Published on June 10.

Major Rachele Lamont, is the Territorial Coordinator for Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, The Salvation Army—Canada & Bermuda Territory. She used to serve in Greece.   We explore what she experienced while working on the ground with individuals who were vulnerable to being sex trafficked and exploited in Greece. The Salvation Army- Canada and Bermuda: http://www.salvationarmy.ca/ The Salvation Army- United States of America: https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/

Sam Black is the Vice President of Business Development at Covenant Eyes (covenanteyes.com), which provides resources designed to help you and those you love live free from pornography. We discuss how viewing pornography changes your brain, the power of screen accountability, and the challenges and triggers of being physically isolated because of COVID-19.        

Open Doors USA is a community of Christians who come together to support persecuted believers in more than 60 countries.  Elizabeth Miller and I discuss the challenges of persecuted women around the world and how it can present itself for some who are sex trafficked. Open Door USA https://www.opendoorsusa.org/  Open Door Canada https://www.opendoorsca.org/

Joel Shapiro, J.D. is the Executive Director and Andrea Lampert, J. D. , is the Lead Attorney & Center Coordinator of the Trafficking Law Center in Portland, Oregon. TLC provides pro bono legal services to human trafficking victims & survivors for criminal expungements, name changes, restraining orders, limited criminal charges and family law issues, and civil cases against their trafficker(s) or institutions that facilitated their exploitation.  For special or out of state cases, they refer client survivors to their participating pro bono attorneys for immigration, complicated criminal charges, and complex family law issues. They coordinate with lawyers in their network to assist with representation in jurisdictions outside of Oregon.   Trafficking Law Center - https://www.traffickinglawcenter.org/ Victims in need of assistance should call the National Human Trafficking Hotline to obtain a referral.   (888) 373-7888 or Text: 233733

Asha Taitt is a 17-year old African American high school student on the East Coast who was disturbed that a lot of black girls were going missing, unfortunately being caught up in being sex trafficked and exploited and no one was talking about it.  She is using her photography talent and skills to highlight the issue of sex trafficking and exploitation of black girls in her photo exhibit "Lost Girls" on her Instagram page @taitttakesphotos. 

Brian and Melissa Leak are the European Liaisons on the issue of sex trafficking with WorldVenture.  They focus on equipping and mobilizing Christians across Europe to engage in the fight against sex trafficking There is a vital need for Christians to become aware of the sex trafficking issue and our responsibility to act. Their ministry is: 1) to create this awareness; 2) to equip believers to engage in anti-trafficking ministries; and 3) to connect believers to anti-trafficking ministries that are an ideal fit for their passions and skill set. Learn more at https://hopeforabolition.com  Below is the study that Brian referenced during the interview about legalization and trafficking: Cho, Seo-Young and Dreher, Axel and Neumayer, Eric, Does Legalized Prostitution Increase Human Trafficking? (January 16, 2012). World Development, 41 (1), 2013, pp. 67-82. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1986065 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1986065

Pleshette Fontenet is the Director of Membership for The Junior League of Portland.  The Junior League of Portland is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.  They work to end the cycle of violence against women and children.  https://www.jlpdx.org/ They created the documentary, Waiting For The Light (https://vimeo.com/84125940) which exposes the scope and impact of sex trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of children in Portland, Oregon.  

As a therapeutic foster care & advocacy Corporation, Youth Unlimited Inc.'s mission is to provide youth with a safe space to begin their next steps in life. YUI staff are qualified professionals with many years of experience working with youth and families in the child-welfare, behavioral health, and in juvenile justice programs.  April addresses what YUI is doing to work with youth, what challenges in the system have been and how youth in the foster care system are vulnerable to being sex trafficked and exploited. Youth Unlimited Inc. https://www.yuioregon.net/ Interviewed on April 5, 2019

International Justice Mission is a global organization with a plan to eliminate the slave trade everywhere. Richard Lee is a sought-after speaker on issues of justice and the Church, speaking at churches across the nation for the last 20 years. His passion for speaking has taken him to be on the TEDx stage, where he presented "Slavery Still Exists. Here's How to End It.”  In his role as director of church mobilization for International Justice Mission, he works with pastors and churches to deepen engagement with the biblical call of justice and the work of IJM. Through preaching on Sundays and forming partnerships with churches, he aims to keep the issue of justice as a part of discipleship in the Church. Interviewed on March 26, 2019 

The Cupcake Girls provide confidential support to those involved in the sex industry, as well as those affected by domestic sex trafficking through holistic resources, case management, and after care. They provide nonjudgmental support to empower our clients in their pursuits through respect, resources, and relationships. Interviewed on November 18, 2017

Door to Grace offers loving services and vital resources to girls who are between the ages of 14- 17, survivors of commercial sexual exploitation, and preparing to leave "the life". You can learn more at www.doortograce.org.

The Gresham Chamber of Commerce held a panel discussion on the issue of sex trafficking.  JR Ujifusa, Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney and Mike Gallagher, Officer with the Portland Police Bureau address prosecution, investigation, demand and cracking down on buyers.  This discussion was recorded by MetroEast Community Media in Gresham, Oregon and published on June 27, 2016.

An interview with Joe Bergeron about how to influence and change laws & policies.

An interview with Aashima Samuel, National Director of Evangelical Fellowship of India, about her work with Children At-Risk in India and her plight to fight this issue of sex trafficking. 

The story of Raymond Grant.  Once a gang member, pimp and prostitute, he is now giving back. He is sharing his story to deter others from that lifestyle.

Molly McDade-Hood, Multnomah County, Human Trafficking Sergeant discusses the issue and sex trafficking and domestic sex trafficking.  She talks about pimps, victims, buyers and more.