Protecting the Survivor’s Identity
As we serve survivors of sexual exploitation and empower them to exit the life and take steps toward healing, the ability to share their stories is one of our highest honors. As we do so, protecting their identities is always at the forefront of our minds.
As soon as a survivor calls our 24/7 Rescue hotline, we have the privilege of stepping into their story.
We learn where they’re coming from, where they’re at, and where they hope to get to. We get to walk with them as they take the first steps to new life and see hope for their futures.
That first step they take to call may be one of the scariest decisions they’ve made, as they have chosen to be vulnerable with us. They’re calling from a place of darkness, but they see the light of hope.
Their call is an act of trust for us to take their hand and help them journey forward.
After they’ve exited the life of sexual exploitation, have found safety, and begun a program to heal and restore, we get the privilege of sharing their story, spreading the hope of redemption and holding in the highest regard the courage they’ve portrayed through it all.
Their stories inspire, have a lasting impact, encourage those who give, and move others to join the fight. But above all, the most important part of sharing a survivor’s story is honoring who they are.
They aren’t defined by what happened to them, and their identity should never be labeled solely as “sex trafficking survivor.” We’re not going to share all of the details of what they’ve gone through. Though the details are powerful, they are real and raw. They hold a piece of the trauma these survivors are walking out of, and those things deserve to be held delicately, for the survivor herself to decide when to share.
While they are survivors, they are also so much more, and they should not be remembered for the darkness they’ve gone through;
rather, they should be regarded for the strength they’ve shown and the light they have chosen to walk into.
Survivors are strong women and men who have taken brave steps to overcome and pursue hope, a new life, and freedom from exploitation. They are our neighbors, our peers, or someone’s brother or sister. They are real people with faces and names, living in communities all across the country––people you may see every day––waiting for the bus, eating at the booth next to you, or sitting on a bench downtown.
For this reason, we make it a priority to cultivate felt safety both while we serve survivors and as we share their stories afterward. When telling their stories, we change their names, omit their locations, and use representative images. As we work with them, we never ask more than what we need to know in order to best serve them; we honor their trust and are committed to protecting who they are.
You can honor a survivor’s story by sharing it. Educate others that sex trafficking is happening all around us, but there is HOPE on the other side, and their support can play a part in extending that to survivors all across the country. We pray as you share their stories, more and more people will be inspired to join the fight so more stories of freedom can be made possible––until freedom reigns for all.
If you or someone you know have been sexually exploited and want out of the life, please call Rescue America’s 24/7 Rescue hotline number at 833.599.FREE.
To report a trafficking tip, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888.373.7888.
Save these numbers on your phone for later reference!
