REFLECTION 2

Every class I attend as part of this course, I learn more disheartening information about the state of the world in regards to labor trafficking. I hear or read the stories about individuals who have gone through awful experiences and I become increasingly frustrated at the lack of resources and justice victims receive. At some points, I just simply lose hope that these issues will be addressed. However, EleSondra’s talk was able to provide the harsh details of abuse that exist in trafficking, while also presenting a demeanor so uplifting that I felt hopeful and inspired. Learning about what EleSondra has been able to accomplish in spite of her difficult beginnings was incredibly moving and I feel like shows the importance of research and resources regarding labor trafficking being survivor centered. I appreciated the way she shared her vulnerability with us in a way that allowed us to learn about her experience and understand the unfortunate reality of sex trafficking, and how it traps individuals.

I feel particularly one thing I thought about was how the legal system truly fails many victims of trafficking due to laws that seem to punish victims before their perpetrators. The fact that at such a young age she had been sent to prison for things that she had clearly been forced into was so frustrating. For simply doing her best to survive in a world where the adults which surrounded her posed a danger to her wellbeing, she was punished. When the system will not support you, it becomes clear why many victims of trafficking end up being re-trafficked, and why many find it difficult to trust that they will be helped.

Ultimately, I felt Ele’s passion through her talk and I believe that it is so important that when creating programs and services for survivors of labor trafficking, we listen to the voices of those who have experienced it first hand.