EP 17 | Our Only Weapon is Our Courage: Fighting Human Trafficking in Latin America

On this episode of Until All Are Free, Preston sits down with Drew and James, two volunteer investigators with The Exodus Road. The two recount their recent travels to Pakistan, where they assisted a separate nonprofit organization in securing the release of a family from debt bondage in Pakistan's brick-making industry. Debt bondage is inherently complex, like many of the topics discussed in Until All Are Free. Many individuals ensnared in Pakistan's debt-bondage schemes are suffering from generational enslavement where the possibility of freedom from debt is unrealistic. In the landscape of human rights organizations addressing debt bondage worldwide, conversations often arise about the best tactics for intervention efforts to dismantle systems of exploitation that prop up this mechanism of trafficking. This episode is intended as an educational source about the nature of human trafficking in this region of the world. As an organization, The Exodus Road does not participate in transactional exchanges with traffickers to secure the freedom of a survivor of human trafficking.

Joining Preston on this episode of Until All Are Free is Daniel*, the Asia Regional Director at The Exodus Road. Daniel has investigated more than 1,000 locations in Asia for human trafficking. He'll share with us about what that's like and about the immense sacrifices law enforcement and our national staff make to do this work. Before transitioning to the international space, Daniel worked as a lawyer in Colorado where he focused on child abuse and neglect cases in Jefferson County. Today, Daniel oversees The Exodus Road's international programs in India, the Philippines, and Thailand. *Pseudonym used to ensure safety.

Oftentimes, the stories that we share focus on one single individual. One story. One Case. Episode 27 is a little different in that regard. We're bringing you a glimpse into the exploitation of the Rohingya Muslim people group of present-day Myanmar. In 2015, The Exodus Road had a unique opportunity to assist in a case that garnered international attention, thrusting the Rohingya's plight into the spotlight again.  Responding to the request of law enforcement and another nonprofit organization in Thailand, The Exodus Road was able to provide cyber-forensic technology developed by Cellebrite that would eventually work to crack open a case resulting in the arrest of more than 100 and the successful rescue of hundreds more from a large trafficking ring in SE Asia. Joining us to recount the story on this episode is The Exodus Road Co-founder, Matt Parker. Episode Sources Digital data helped take down a Thai General in the country’s largest human trafficking case The Survivors of the Rohingya Genocide Thailand: Mass Graves of Rohingya Found in Trafficking Camp Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity and Ethnic Cleansing of Rohingya in Burma Documentation of Atrocities in Northern Rakhine State Muslims of the Land of Arakan - A Rohingya Song

In this episode of Until All Are Free, Preston is joined by Joel Karum of Ezekiel Rain. Joel is the co-founder of the Thai nonprofit Ezekiel Rain, and he’s also on the board of The Exodus Road Thailand. Through over a decade of working with Ezekiel Rain, Joel Karum has become a leading expert in building resilient communities to prevent exploitation in Thailand. The organization emphasizes models that center around building strong families, including combating pornography’s role in perpetuating cultural and individual harm. Joel has also been a friend of The Exodus Road since its inception, and the podcast proved to be inspiring and enlightening!

In this episode of Until All Are Free, Preston is joined by Amber Van Schooneveld to discuss what ethical storytelling looks like for nonprofits. Amber Van Schooneveld is the Senior Marketing Director at The Exodus Road. She has an extensive background in nonprofit marketing and storytelling, having worked as Managing Editor (among other roles) with Compassion International for nearly 13 years. Amber leads the Marketing Department in the process of identifying stories from our countries of operation in order to share updates and celebrations with our community. Preston and Amber chat about what it means to commit to ethical storytelling at The Exodus Road and why we have chosen to not use real imagery of survivors from raids in our communications. They also discuss a few specific cases and the opportunities that they presented to our team at our U.S. office. All of this and more!

UPDATE EPISODE : In EP 11 of Until All Are Free, we introduced you to the story of Maria, a young Kenyan woman who was exploited in a labor trafficking scheme that saw her separated from her family and living in Saudi Arabia. The big news is that Maria is now back home with her family in Kenya and employed as an elementary school teacher as a result of The Exodus Road's Survivor Fund! This episode features more exclusive audio from Maria and also looks back on the circumstances of her story as told in EP 11. 

"Making trafficking dangerous." It's a phrase that we often use to describe our work at The Exodus Road, and it refers to the way that the process of investigation, intervention, arrest, and prosecution discourages traffickers by making the crime riskier. The guests on this episode of Until All Are Free are doing just that. Preston had the honor of hearing from Gabriela Aquino, Chief of Investigation of Organized Crime with the Brazilian Federal Police, as well as Cintia Meirelles de Azevedo, the Brazilian Liaison for The Exodus Road. Gabriela is a lead presenter in TraffickWatch Academy, a training platform developed by The Exodus Road and deployed amongst law enforcement in Brazil. The curriculum of TraffickWatch Academy is actively helping to train law enforcement to see and respond to the crime of human trafficking throughout the country and is already having tangible effects as several successful rescue operations have occurred as a result of the training. Learn more about TraffickWatch Academy by visiting: theexodusroad.com/traffickwatch

EP 22 in two acts: First, Preston introduces you to Karn, Country Director of The Exodus Road's operations in Thailand. Karn shares stories from his teams' experience in the fight against human trafficking on social media in 2021 –– including investigations that have begun on Twitter and Facebook and led to successful rescue and arrest operations. Then we bring the conversation back to the United States and talk with The Exodus Road CEO and Founder, Laura Parker, to hear about one practical step that everyone can take to help protect those vulnerable to human trafficking in our families, neighborhood, community, and world.

On this episode of Until All Are Free we are thrilled to welcome Devisara Hannah Badi and Sarah Davison-Tracy, the authors of No Longer Untouchable: A Story of Human Trafficking, Heroism, and Hope. No Longer Untouchable brings you into the appalling reality of modern-day slavery in Nepal as Devisara Hannah Badi and her sisters tell their stories. They have each overcome unimaginable odds to survive, and today they are bravely fighting to bring freedom, hope, and love into the darkest corners of the world. ______ PURCHASE THE BOOK : No Longer Untouchable: A Story of Human Trafficking, Heroism, and Hope is available for purchase on Amazon.com. ______ Sarah Davison-Tracy is an impassioned human rights advocate, author, speaker, and founder of Seeds of Exchange (SeedsofExchange.org) and Rooted and Beloved (RootedandBeloved.org). Connect with Sarah on her website, SarahDavisonTracy.com. Devisara Hannah Badi is CEO of Himalayan Entrepreneur Resources (HER), an empowerment initiative in Nepal that provides health, safety, and autonomy to marginalized women so they can live free from sexual exploitation and abuse.

Recorded on-site with heroes of the anti-human trafficking movement, this episode of Until All Are Free features first-person interviews with survivors of human trafficking as well as the founder of Fundación Renacer, Luz Stela Cardenas Ovalle. Fundación Renacer contributes to the eradication of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Boys, Girls and Adolescents (ESCNNA), through support programs and comprehensive care for victims, prevention, research, training, and advice to organizations and communities, from the perspective of protection, defense, and restitution of children's rights.