Dr. Sandie Morgan and Dave Stachowiak talk about restoration with Beth Grant, co-founder & executive director of Project Rescue. Together they discuss the challenges with aftercare for victims of human trafficking and how to best support healing in this community through genuine collaboration.
Key Points

The physical rescue of a victim is typically the easiest part of the restoration, the long journey of holistic care is more difficult.
If our priority is the restoration of these victims, a collaboration of people with different professional skills, initiatives, organizations, and faiths is not only possible but necessary.
We cannot allow this space to feel competitive, but rather collaborative and allow for us to celebrate what other organizations are doing well.

Resources

Project Rescue
Meet KK Devaraj
Hands that Heal
114 – From Awareness to Engagement – The Role of Education

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Transcript
Dave [00:00:00] You're listening to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. This is episode number 215 - Dr. Beth Grant and the Long Path to Restoration.

Production Credits [00:00:09] Produced by Innovate Learning, Maximizing Human Potential.

Dave [00:00:30] Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. My name is Dave Stachowiak.

Sandie [00:00:35] And my name is Sandie Morgan.

Dave [00:00:38] And this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in Ending Human Trafficking. Sandie, today we have with us a long friend and supporter of the Global Center for Women and Justice. And I'm so excited for our conversation today.

Sandie [00:00:54] Well, I'm excited to introduce my very good friend, and colleague, mentor. I learned a lot from Dr. Beth Grant in the early days of my work in anti-trafficking, but she's been a part of my life for a very long time, and I appreciate her willingness to be on our podcast. So, this is Dr. Beth Grant, co-founder and executive director of Project Rescue. Welcome to the show, Beth.

Beth [00:01:23] Thanks so much, and it's a pleasure.

Sandie [00:01:26] Well, I remember in the early days having conversations about a lot of the challenges with aftercare for victims of human trafficking, and you've been a leader for decades in this. When was Project Rescue founded?

Beth [00:01:43] In 1997.

Sandie [00:01:45] That's before we even had the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. And I loved the story of how it was so driven from the field. And I just want our listeners to know how we can be in the moment and do something when we get started, but maybe then later we're going to have to add some structure. But will you tell the story of how KK Devaraj called David?

Beth [00:02:14] Yes, KK Devaraj had been our colleague in southern Asia, for a number of years. And working with teens on the street in his major city, huge city. And one evening, he felt with his team to go into a very infamous, huge red-light district in his city, where he had never been before. He took his team there and was stunned and in tears by what he witnessed. Many times, we assume women and children in prostitution are there by choice. And in this case, they are exposed to an area of a city of up to 100,000 people where women and children had been sold into prostitution. That was in 1997, that night when he met some of these women. He just threw out an invitation. I'm up for trying to help in any way they could. What they said to him was, "we cannot leave this place, we're slaves, but could you take our daughter to a place of safety because they're growing up under our cots as we servic...