Microaggression of a male DMST survivor

The name of my piece is called: Microaggression of a male DMST survivor

Artist: Eric Harris, B.S.W., HTFC (Human Trafficking Field Consultant) 

“The piece is an optical illusion to represent that we can’t always see what a person is going through until we get closer to understanding someone pain, resiliency, and we are not defined by our past. The top layer represents my trafficker, my mother, and teachers and the words probation said to me growing up after my exploitation. The middle layer illustrates my accomplishments since leaving the life. The bottom represents my goals for the future.” Eric Harris, B.S.W., HTFC (Human Trafficking Field Consultant) 

“The piece is an optical illusion to represent that we can’t always see what a person is going through until we get closer to understanding someone pain, resiliency, and we are not defined by our past. The top layer represents my trafficker, my mother, and teachers and the words probation said to me growing up after my exploitation. The middle layer illustrates my accomplishments since leaving the life. The bottom represents my goals for the future.” by Eric Harris, B.S.W., HTFC (Human Trafficking Field Consultant) 

Description of the art:

Hey friends this is a description of the painting. The piece is called micro aggression of a DMST male survivor. The reason why I made the piece the way I made it is underneath [the paint] there is writing. On the first top half is everything that my traffickers, my mother, teachers, probation and everything that I was involved with after my trafficking situation—it is all the words they tell me—what I couldn’t do, or a path that I was headed on. Some of the words are triggering so I will not give a verbatim of the words that are written.

The middle part is all the accomplishments I have made after exiting the life. Becoming a social worker, father, grandfather, consultant, all the accomplishments I have always wanted to have and that I do have in life. The bottom part is the future. Displaying my hopes for the future. Hopefully becoming a great grandparent, a licensed clinical social worker and all the other things I wish for in my future.

The reason why it’s made with writing underneath is because from a far it looks like a piece of modern art. But also it represents how we see people from a far and the closer you get to the painting you can see the verbiage that I’ve laid down. Also representing the fact that we need to look at people closer before we judge.

Not only that but it shows from afar that we really don’t know what’s going on with a person but when we get up close, we can definitely see someone’s issues. We don’t always know where a person is coming from and that’s why I made the piece like that. Thank you.

Eric Harris, B.S.W., HTFC (Human Trafficking Field Consultant)
Eric Harris, B.S.W., HTFC (Human Trafficking Field Consultant)

Biography: Eric Harris is a consultant and field expert with many years of service in human trafficking education and advocacy. Eric earned a bachelor’s in social work and is an alum from Anderson University Indiana and is a member of National Association of Social Workers (N.A.S.W.) Mr. Harris served as a Human Trafficking field consultant for the state of Indiana and was the co-chair and founder of Lived Experiences Experts Working (L.E.E.W.G) for the IPATH taskforce when it was active. Mr. Harris is a graduate of the Human Trafficking Leadership Academy through National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Center (N.H.T.T.A.C.) and the Heal Trafficking MGH institute train the trainer academy 2020. Eric has a great passion for advocating for survivor’s rights and working to remove the stigma surrounding survivors of violence and human trafficking. Read more about Eric’s accomplishments here.

Interested in consulting with Eric? Eric specializes in working with males, educating on human trafficking, policy inclusion, program inclusion with having survivors as staff, implicit bias training, and mental health. Email Eric at eaharris1904@gmail.com to make an appointment. Rates are contingent on stakeholder needs. 

Survivor Artist: From the Mud

Survivor Artist: From the Mud

The process of painting From the Mud
From the Mud
Painting. Textured background that is very rough to the touch, but you can see the grooves. The bottom left of the painting starts dark black and slowly transitions to dark purple and ombre effects into light colors at the top right corner. There is one lotus flower in the center, one to the left, and two to the left in the colors of pink and white. There are abstract blue and green lily pads to complete the aesthetic.

Painting Description: Textured background that is very rough to the touch, but you can see the grooves. The bottom left of the painting starts dark black and slowly transitions to dark purple and hombre effects into light colors at the top right corner. There is one lotus flower in the center, one to the left, and two to the left in the colors of pink and white. There are abstract blue and green lily pads to complete the aesthetic.

Lotus flowers, much like survivors of complex trauma, have learned to thrive in the most adverse of circumstances. These gorgeous specimens have reclaimed the concept of beauty and what it means to grow something lovely from filth, one that has become a beacon of light for my own healing journey. 15 years ago, I found myself caught in my own murky water and found my own way out 2 years later. Much like a lotus flower, I learned to thrive in the unkind world that helped to create the circumstances leading to my exploitation. One of the hardest lessons I ever had to learn during my 13 year recovery journey was to know when it is time to stop reliving the pain and to let myself heal and enjoy life. The voices of all my abusers past have faded as the years passed, and I slowly learned that I am worthy of love, acceptance, and happiness. They were so loud for so many years that even after I broke free from them, I still could not rid myself of their influence. You’re ugly. You are worthless. You will never find anyone else because no one wants to put up with you. You’ll never find a husband. God hates you. Everyone hates you. No one will help you. You don’t deserve to live. I think I was just afraid that if I let my pain go, I wouldn’t know where I came from or the kind of person I would become. I guess I was afraid that I would lose touch with my reality and forget that it even happened. But then it happened after several YEARS re-programming, re-defining, and re-learning what it means to thrive. I let my beautiful petals grow brighter and lovelier through each season of growth so that I could still have a life full of everything I thought I had lost. I decided I was worthy. Like a lotus, I fought through the murk and the mud to get to the light. And then I became my own light.

Charlie’s art is available for purchase at this link.

From the Mud

Charlie Quinn Tebow, LMSW, survivor, artist

Image of Charlie Tebow, the artist featured on this page.

Image description: Caucasian non-binary individual with a big smile in front of a brick building wearing my favorite tie-dye shirt. Wild styled short pixie cut blonde hair

Creator Bio: An alumnus of Washburn University with a clinical Masters of Social Work degree, Charlie dedicates their life to serving others like them, CPTSD (chronic post traumatic stress disorder) survivors. Their day job as a social worker and Missing Youth Specialist on the Kansas Special Response Team for Missing and Exploited Youth provides them with opportunities to empower and engage runaway and exploited youth in foster care to overcome complex and compounded trauma, and find the path to who they want to be. Charlie is a dedicated advocate with specializations for persons who have experienced human sex trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation, childhood trauma, interpersonal violence, and other complex or compounded traumas. Charlie is part of the LGBTQ community as a nonbinary person (they/them), and a staunch leader and participant in social justice activism. They are an ally for all trans and/or persons of color, as well as dedicated activist for Black Lives Matter and Trans Lives Matter movements. Charlie is a member of the National Human Trafficking Survivor Network and Survivor Leaders Institute, and has delivered keynote and training sessions to professionals from around the country. Charlie is also an accomplished artist and expert in the healing arts for survivors of complex trauma. Featuring bright colors and textures, their art has been featured in 35 states and sold to patrons from around the globe.

Using Art to Bring Awareness to Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence

Using Art to Bring Awareness to Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence

Three roses in front of a bigger flower that is difficult to see because of the black back ground.
The black background remains, but the flowers are in full bloom. The previously hard to see bigger flower is now a brilliant blue. The word, HOPE” is written above the blue flower.

*Please Note: IDJ does not align with any one religion, faith, or belief system. Instead, we offer a platform where people with disabilities can express their diverse experiences. Content contains Gina’s story about what happened to her when she was trafficked. Please take care when you read about what happened to Gina.

About the Artist: Gina Hope

I’m a survivor of human trafficking. During that time my spinal cord was injured (leading to constant severe pain & 17 surgeries involving my cervical & thoracic spinal cord causing a whole host of obstacles) and domestic violence (leading to rods & screws in my lower back). But despite how difficult each day & sometimes each minute is God has & continues helping me see good that can come of my circumstances & He’s never allowed me to give up. Around 7yrs ago, a friend met me every week for a year encouraging me to follow my dreams – he convinced me that I was not only capable but that I could accomplish amazing feats others could not because of the insights my experiences have given me. So, I set out to begin the sea of paperwork to start a 501c3 which is Living Legacy Of Hope. I’ve wanted to be an artist my entire life; but I’ve never been able to get on canvas anything close to what I envision.

However, I sought out to learn to paint as I had the idea of painting a Hope Card Collection. God helps me overcome obstacles such as difficulty holding onto the paintbrush because much of my hand is numb. This is the first painting I’ve been able to complete that actually looks like what I envisioned.

This particular painting came out of a very dark time as I had just been viciously attacked (enter rods & screws). The front of this Hope card is the Silhouette of Hope with the Silhouette of the opening Rose while the back is in full color with the Rose & HOPE brightly shining. 

I’ve given this as a Sympathy or Inspiration card to remind the hurting there is always Hope = one of the most important things I say when speaking is that we can overcome no matter what we endure on this earth – although there might be dark times we are never without HOPE. 

https://livinglegacyhope.wixsite.com/hope

Gina Hope: A woman with long blond hair, smiling big.

I Met My Trafficker in High School

I met my trafficker in high school. He was in the grade above mine. He lured me out of high school with promises of a good life, assuring me I could just get my GED and become successful. He started advertising me online, without my knowledge, and that’s when men started coming to our apartment to rape me. I didn’t know I was being trafficked, prostituted, then.

When I ask people how they picture human trafficking happening they often compare it to the movie Taken—a young lady vacationing in Paris, being kidnapped and sold by her captors. While it can happen that way, here in America domestic trafficking looks much different. Less than 10% are kidnapped. Traffickers often lure their victims by gaining their trust, posing as a boyfriend, and offering their victims false promises.

A couple of years ago I drove by a house here locally in Marysville, and there were obvious signs of trafficking going on. So I called 911 and said I suspected trafficking going on in the house. When the officer arrived, he said, “Yes we are investigating. This guy is on parole for trafficking girls in the Bay Area.” I wasn’t so surprised that it was happening or that the police were on to it. What frustrated me was watching all the people walking past that house who had no idea even what the signs of trafficking were.

There were people during my exploitation that could have seen signs I was being trafficked. The owner of the clothing boutique I worked in then would often ask me if I was ok. But my trafficker parked his car in front of the store and watched me, to make sure I wasn’t telling anyone, so I always said “yes.”

My trafficker separated me from my family and support system. Separating a woman/girl from her support systems is a common move for traffickers. It helps them to gain control of you. My trafficker married me. I felt stuck.

When I survived it 13 years ago I had no idea that I was a victim of human trafficking. I was headed to play college volleyball. I lived in what was said to be one of the safest communities in Southern California at the time. It wasn’t like what you see in the movies. And I was never educated on trafficking in my small, private high school.

If I had been educated, not only could it have been prevented but I would’ve been able to rescue myself sooner. I needed to know what would happen if I called 911. Was someone going to protect me? Was there a place I could go? Who would help me figure my life out at that point?

This is why I now tour around the country, speaking to and training others. I train first responders on how to identify and respond to victims. I speak on college campuses and community forums to educate others on how to identify trafficking in their community.

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 1 in 7 American kids will run away from home and 1 in 3 will become victims within 48 hours. I remember when I first started doing this work and read that statistic—the 48 hours time-frame really struck me.

If you ask most survivors of human trafficking they will say that their story is not like the movie Taken. They were not kidnapped, dragged out from under a bed, and sold on a boat for a half-million dollars. That is one story, but it is not most of our stories. It wasn’t until I started speaking, getting involved, and meeting other survivor leaders that I realized how many others there were like me.

We need to see every victim. Not just the ones that are like we imagine, but the ones like I was: an 18-year-old girl working normal jobs during the day while being sold in her apartment at night. We need to see the 7-year-old girl being sold by her mom for drug money. And the college student who is facing a dark world she doesn’t want to be in, while still getting As in her classes. When we picture it happening only one way, then we are missing all the other ways it happens.

Statistics show that a girl who is trafficked has a seven-year life span. One night in a motel I was physically beaten. I knew after that I had to get away. So I went to the doctor and moved back home. That was the last time I was sold.

I didn’t tell anyone what had happened to me. I wanted to tell someone but didn’t know what would happen to me and was still afraid of him. I planned to go my whole life living with it and tried to move forward. I married, had a son, and moved to a Marine Corps base on the other side of the country.

Six years later I went to the ER after having a breakdown. My PTSD wouldn’t allow me to stay silent any longer. After the ER I spent some time in a mental hospital where I finally told my story.

I didn’t understand what had been done to me. I knew I had been raped but why had they handed my husband money? What did that mean? I didn’t think I was a prostitute because I had never walked the streets or worked in a strip club.

In doing this work, I have realized that traffickers seem to be aware that we’re not educating our students here in rural communities. They send recruiters, often one of their victims, to befriend a girl and lure her away to a city, away from her support system, and then they traffic her there. It’s a common theme among the victims of whom I am able to help.

Some sources say the “average age a teen enters the sex trade in the US is 12 to 14 years old.” Human trafficking is said to be the world’s fastest-growing crime. There are more people in slavery today than at any other time in history. With such big statistics, to fight it every community has to be educated.

It takes everyone doing their part. We’re all in this fight together. All I want to know is that when I go into a community and when I leave, there’s an opportunity for it to be different for the next girl or boy. Somebody in the audience is going to change things in that place.

I share my story to give hope to other survivors. I started the Jenna McKaye Foundation to assist victims directly and set them up with services and resources. Helping survivors find their way is so important to me. We connect them with professionals that can help them on their journey. We show them that there are people that believe in them and support them. And we help them to dream again, to find new dreams and goals. There are all these survivors out there waiting for somebody to see them, waiting to be given the opportunity to make a new life for themselves.

During my exploitation, I always thought “What is happening to me and how do I get out of this world that I didn’t agree to?” One of the best parts of my job is to look a victim in the eyes and say, “You are my past and I am your future.” I get to be the person that I needed all those years ago.


(Picture of Jenna McKaye) Jenna Mckaye is a survivor of human trafficking with an incredible life story she now shares through advocacy groups throughout the US. McKaye’s extraordinary journey offers hope that inspires others through education and training. She continues to train hospital staff, law enforcement and other professionals how to identify victims of sex trafficking and labor trafficking and respond with victim centered care. Her personable keynote speaking engagements leave a notable impression among a variety of audience demographics including the United Nations. In 2016, Jenna started the Jenna McKaye Foundation to engage in a broader advocacy training model. Visit jennamckaye.com for upcoming news/events and details on her soon to be published book.

Post written by Jenna McKaye