Rebecca Bender and Dr. Sandie Morgan discuss the mindset victims experience while being trafficked. They consider the reasons as to why it can be so difficult for victims to leave their situation. They also look at how media representation of human trafficking affects victims and our ability to recover them.
Rebecca Bender

Relentless in her mission to help others find their purpose, Rebecca Bender is the Founder/CEO of Elevate Academy, the largest online school for survivors of trafficking. An author and speaker she brings insight, expertise, and lived experience to her highly sought after trainings and consultations, and serves the U.S. National Advisory Council, Dept of Justice Advisory Council, and advises to a variety of nonprofits.
Key Points


When victims are exploited together, they often form familial bonds with one other causing them to fell a sense of obligation to stay in their position for the other person.

Human Trafficking is very similar to a cult mentality, this can make it. very difficult for victims to leave.

It's important to listen to those who have survived Human Trafficking and value their knowledge and expertise on the subject.

When human trafficking is inaccurately illustrated in the media and in awareness campaigns, there is a detrimental effect on the ability to recover victims and on the perception of those being trafficked.

Resources

In Pursuit of Love by Rebecca Bender
https://rebeccabender.org
Rebekah Charleston: "Tragedy to Triumph" Ted Talk
GEMS: Girls Educational & Mentoring Services
Elevate Academy

Are you enjoying the show?
If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe or rate the podcast on iTunes by clicking here. Click here for FAQs about podcasts and how to subscribe.

Haven’t been receiving our newsletter? Visit our homepage to join today.

Contact us with questions, comments, or suggestions at feedback@endinghumantrafficking.org.
Transcript
Dave [00:00:00] You're listening to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. This is episode number 234, Relentless Advocate Rebecca Bender.

 

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 [00:00:36] And my name is Sandie Morgan, and this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in ending human trafficking.

 

Dave [00:00:46] Today, we're so glad to welcome Rebecca Bender to the show. She is relentless in her mission to help others find their purpose. Rebecca is the founder and CEO of Elevate Academy, the largest online school for survivors of trafficking. She is an author and speaker that brings insight, expertise, and lived experience to her highly sought-after trainings and consultations. She also serves the U.S. National Advisory Council, Department of Justice Advisory Council, and advises a number of nonprofits. Rebecca, we're so glad to welcome you to the show.

 

Rebecca [00:01:20] Thank you so much for having me.

 

Sandie [00:01:22] I'm really excited to have this personal conversation with you. Rebecca, I've been following you for a while. Your book, In Pursuit of Love, is on Amazon and it has over two hundred five-star reviews. So, anybody who wants to read. It's a very, very readable story with a lot of lessons embedded in it. So welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast.

 

Rebecca [00:01:52] Thank you so much. I didn't know it had that many reviews yet. I'm really honored people would listen and read it.

 

Sandie [00:01:59] Isn't that great? That's great. So, can you give us like a 30-second overview? You know, I want to talk about the past so much, but just so people understand where you were a survivor and how long you've been out.

 

Rebecca [00:02:16] Yeah, I was trafficked.