They are SURVIVORS!

   President Obama recently spoke about human trafficking and is attempting to make some changes as to how victims of trafficking are viewed and treated in society as a result of a petition that International Justice Mission drafted and I signed.

   In his speech as said, "We'll treat victims as victims - not as criminals." Wow. I honestly think this is one of the greatest quotes I've ever heard. 

   Can you just imagine what would happen if we didn't arrest girls for commercial sex and put them in jail because we understood that they are being forced to do so? Can you imagine what would happen if survivors of trafficking knew that they could confide in and trust the police, the people who are supposed to keep them safe but so often hurt them further? Can you imagine what would happen if we viewed them as people who need help and a way out rather than as a threat to our society? 

   I can.

   I believe these survivors would come forward and speak out against their traffickers and what has been done to them. I believe they would realize that there are people in the world who long to help them and not all people want to hurt them as they may have been lead to think. I believe they would begin to view themselves as survivors rather than someone who deserves what has been done to them. 

   If we treated them as victims, better yet as SURVIVORS, I believe we could end sex trafficking and the commercial sex industry.

one word
one word to describe her:
strong.
though it seems she's victim to her own circumstances,
she's a survivor.