Compelled: Fighting the Injustice of Human Trafficking

In our Season 4 finale, Jacob speaks with Patrick McKenna about the complicated and nuanced argument for & against decriminalization, criminalization, and legalization of sex work. 

Freedom 4/24 is a nonpartisan 501(c)3 non profit. We believe every human life deserves to be free from exploitation and trafficking.

40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ (Polaris Project). Traffickers look for youth with vulnerabilities they can meet: housing, acceptance, love, etc.

On this week's episode, Emily sat down with Linda Ellis-Williams, Senior Managing Director of Victim Services of the YWCA of Central Virginia. The YWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. 

Linda speaks about why the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) community is statistically trafficked more and how race creates vulnerabilities in an individual's life that can lead into trafficking. 

Freedom 4/24 is a nonpartisan 501(c)3 non profit. We believe every human life deserves to be free from exploitation and trafficking.

In this episode, Jacob and Emily had a conversation with Maria Rolf, the Mission Advancement Officer at Impact Living Services. Impact Living Services is dedicated to dynamically altering outcomes for at risk children and their families by delivering services designed to increase resiliency and strengthen relationships.

Maria shares about the increased risks and vulnerabilities that children in the foster care system face and how we can support them. 

Freedom 4/24 is a nonpartisan 501(c)3 non profit. We believe every human life deserves to be free from exploitation and trafficking.

Local college student, Dae Thomas, shares her experience working with victims and survivors of exploitation in Uganda and how she uses her passions to advocate for freedom and justice on her university's campus. 

If you are interested in starting a Freedom 4/24 Club at your school, email us at info@freedom424.org.

Hanna Flippo is a wife, mother, and educator living in Orlando, Florida. She shares her experience of exploitation within the school system and how teachers, educators, and parents can protect our youth from this injustice. 

If you are interested in learning more about Freedom 4/24's Awareness & Education Initiative and the tools and resources we provide, please visit www.freedom424.org/educate.

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Guest host, Joy Cover, speaks with President and CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), John Clark. John shares about the magnitude of online child exploitation and what each of us can do to end this injustice.

Since 1984, NCMEC’s mission has been to help find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation and prevent child victimization. The organization has helped law enforcement recover more than 327,000 missing kids, distributed billions of missing posters, operated a 24/7 missing children hotline, offered comfort to countless families and trained and provided free resources to law enforcement and other professionals across the country.

John has served as NCMEC’s leader for four years. He has extensive law enforcement background, including 28 years with the United States Marshals Service. Before joining NCMEC, John was director of security at Lockheed Martin Corp., the nation’s largest defense contractor.

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Guest host, Rachael Smith, speaks with attorney Patrick McKenna about criminal record relief laws and the impact they can have on a survivor's healing process. Rachael and Patrick also discuss how we can join the legal fight against trafficking. 

Patrick McKenna is a co-founder of the Virginia Coalition Against Human Trafficking, an alliance of service providers, attorneys, survivor-advocates, and community members on a mission to remove barriers preventing survivors from achieving a full and healthy life through public awareness campaigns, policy reform and enacting survivor-centered human trafficking legislation.

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Annie Lobert is a survivor of more than a decade of sex trafficking -- working as an exotic dancer and a high-class escort prostituted in Hawaii, Minneapolis, and Las Vegas. She is an internationally recognized expert and advocate of ministry to men and women in the commercial sex industry from her personal experience. Annie is the president and founder of Hookers for Jesus, a survivor-led outreach and safe house for women looking for an escape from the sex industry.

Annie shares her story of abuse and exploitation and how she was set free. Annie also shares how she is using her freedom and redemption to help other men and women caught in the commercial sex industry.

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The impact of sex trafficking is felt by victims all around the world. Today, our President, Joy Cover, and Freedom 4/24 staff members, Emily Worsham and Rachael Smith, discuss the global issue of sexual exploitation and their experiences visiting our partners in India, Thailand, and Uganda. We also look into the  problems that lead to exploitation.

Joy joined Freedom 4/24 in 2015 as National Race Director, a role that enabled her advocate for those with no voice. She now serves the organization as President of Freedom 4/24.

Emily is Freedom 4/24’s Office Manager and has been on staff since 2014. Emily has had the privilege of leading teams to each of our three international partner organizations over the last four years.

Rachael serves as Freedom 4/24’s Program Manager. She has travelled to India 8 times working with victims and survivors of human trafficking and had the honor of serving women in the right light districts of Kolkata for a six month internship.

Freedom 4/24’s newest domestic partner organization, Zera House, provides a safe home for women who have been trafficked and sexually exploited where they can come and heal while experiencing the love, hope, and grace of Jesus Christ. Ariel Wagner, co-founder of Zera House, shares her story of overcoming sexual trauma and how she is using her experience to bring freedom to exploited women in West Virginia. We also learn about what trafficking and exploitation looks like in West Virginia and many other parts of the United States.

Ariel is the Co-founder and CEO of Zera House. Human Trafficking was introduced to Ariel over a decade ago and ignited a flame inside her to do something. After walking through her own healing from abuse, she was moved to start a house for women who have been sex trafficked and exploited.

The effects of human trafficking are more than physical—they are also emotional and mental. Today, Dr. Kevin Conner shares with us the lasting trauma that human trafficking leaves its victims with. We also learn about the risk factors and indicators of those who may be more likely to become victims of human trafficking.

Dr. Conner is a psychology professor at Liberty University, and specializes in human trafficking. He has led numerous groups of students on class trips to countries to help fight against human trafficking.

Faith Towles is the prevention education manager. Her desire is to empower parents with the tools and knowledge to start conversations about human trafficking and exploitation, to help prevent it from happening to them. She also shares with us the story of her family housing a human trafficking survivor, and the journey that was for her and her family.

The connection between Pornography and Human Trafficking is sobering. Marshall Shank of Proven Men reminds us that human trafficking and porn can go hand in hand. How many of the women and men in porn are actually victims of human trafficking. Marshall also shares with us how pornography effects your brain, relationships, and life.

To start season 2 we discuss the myths & misconceptions surrounding human trafficking in the United States. Emily Worsham helps us understand how trafficking and exploitation can happen in virtually any city or any town.

Emily Worsham is Freedom 4/24’s office manager. She has served with Freedom for more than 5 years. Emily has been on each international trip and has witnessed the injustice of human trafficking in the red light districts.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a situation of trafficking or exploitation, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP to 233733. You can also call the Department of Homeland Security Tipline (1-866-DHS-2-ICE) or your local police department non-emergency line.

As more attention has been put on human trafficking and child exploitation in social media, we are grateful for the increased in awareness; however, with growing conspiracies, we want to avoid what may distract us from the reason we do this in the first place, the boys and girls, men and women, who are victims to an injustice every day. Today, we are talking about some recent conspiracies that have come up such as Wayfair, COVID Masks affecting child exploitation, etc. and how you can filter through them while continuing to make an impact.

Christine started Freedom 4/24 her junior year of college after witnessing sexual exploitation first hand on a summer trip to Southeast Asia. She quickly learned of the worldwide pervasiveness of human trafficking and sexual slavery and was led to do something to stand against it.

Christine continues to be in awe of how God is moving through Freedom 4/24 to accomplish the mission He gave us of bringing freedom and justice (Micah 6:8). She currently lives in Indianapolis with her husband Michael and their two girls, Harper and Ellie, and one son, Zeke.

Today we will be speaking with Claire Edwards, a former Freedom 4/24 Intern. She tells us about her time as an intern, what she learned, and how she grew in her profession through this internship.

Claire has recently graduated from Liberty University with a degree in Strategic Communication. She will complete a 9 month fellows program in Charlotte, North Carolina beginning in August. Claire still has a heart for non-profit organization which combines her passion for creativity and marketing to raise awareness about current issues.

In this episode, former intern and trip member, Heather Lowe, shares her experience of working with victims and survivors of trafficking and exploitation on Freedom 4/24 lead trips to India and Thailand.

Heather is a wife and mother of twins currently residing in North Carolina. She first learned about sex trafficking as a freshman in college at the Passion Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. This compelled her to intern with Freedom 4/24 in 2015 and later join Freedom 4/24’s outreach trips to India and Thailand in 2016. Her experiences working in the anti-trafficking field have given her a deeper understanding of the hope we have in Christ.

Join us as we have a conversation with Jaclyn Blackford, Freedom 4/24 Director of Communications and Marketing, and Ryan & Kasi Smith, Freedom 4/24 Allies. Our work of bringing freedom and justice is not possible without the support from faithful donors and individuals just like you.

Jaclyn grew up in Florida and first became aware of human trafficking at 15 years old and felt a strong call to help victims however she could. She interned with Freedom 4/24 in her junior year of college and went to Uganda to witness the injustice first hand. As Director of Communications and Marketing, she believes there are stories to be told and awareness still to be raised in hopes that people will be compelled to act and play a part in bringing freedom for victims all over the world.

Ryan & Kasi Smith have been dedicated to Freedom 4/24 for years. We talk about their roles as Freedom 4/24 Allies and how they advocate for freedom at home.

In this episode we hear from Joy Cover, president of Freedom 4/24. She discusses her journey with nonprofits and anti-trafficking work, her passion for freedom and justice, and how she has seen lives changed by the work of Freedom 4/24.

Joy joined Freedom 4/24 in 2015 as National Race Director, a role that enabled her to combine her passions of advocating for those with no voice, training individuals and teams for the purpose of excellent event facilitation, and implementing practical, community-based programming, all toward the end goal of eliminating human trafficking. In 2017, her role expanded beyond facilitating and managing Freedom 4/24’s Run 4 Their Lives race series to encompass any project and program designed to raise funds and awareness toward ending human trafficking. She now serves the organization as President of Freedom 4/24.

Aside from advocating for justice and having fun with her co-workers, Joy enjoys good music, strong coffee, hot sunshine, and most of all, hanging out with her husband, Michael.

Introducing the first Freedom 424 podcast with Office Manager, Emily Worsham. Emily was born and raised in Lynchburg, VA. In 2014, she graduated from Moody Bible Institute with a degree in Biblical Studies. In her free time, Emily enjoys all things outdoors, traveling, pottery, and learning about new cultures and languages.

In this episode, Emily walks us through the beginnings of Freedom 4/24 to what the organization is doing now and who they have partnered with. We also learn more about human trafficking, and how you can join us in the fight to bring an end to this injustice.