Like many minor victims of sex trafficking, Sofia* felt isolated and unsure, but adding to her anxiety was her inability to speak English; she simply couldn’t understand the help offered by the Department of Child and Family Services.  This is when the department reached out to Saving Innocence, a survivor assistance program supported in part by Shared Hope.  Fortunately, our support in 2016 enabled them to hire their first bi-lingual case manager, Jasmine.  Jasmine’s language and professional skills working with survivors were just what Sofia needed.

Sofia took the phone and Jasmine began talking with her, speaking in Spanish.  She began to feel at ease as Jasmine explained the medical care that the DCFS social worker could offer.  Jasmine encouraged her to get the medical check and Sofia finally agreed.  Even though this interaction was brief, Sofia felt cared for because she was understood.

These moments of care happen each time case managers at Saving Innocence come to the aid of survivors of trafficking.  Because of your financial support to Shared Hope you are a part of the care being offered. To see what that means to survivors of trafficking check out the video below:  A Day in the Life of a Case Manager.  It illustrates their work, and the role you play too as you support the efforts of our partner organizations.

This December your impact on the lives of survivors will be doubled through a generous matching grant.  All gifts, up to $150,000 will be doubled if given before December 31^st.  Help us support survivors of trafficking by giving at this link.

Our passion to see child sex trafficking survivors restored and empowered is a central theme of our work.  Not only do we help provide services through our partners; we work to affect the systems that serve trafficked youth at every level.  Your support enables us to strengthen laws through our Protected Innocence Challenge so victims have avenues to comprehensive services, your support helps us research and promote best practices for serving trafficking survivors through our JuST Response Council, and you help us offer training to professionals interacting with trafficking survivors.

With a gift of financial support this Christmas season you can join us in making sure that every survivor of trafficking receives comprehensive services from caring professionals.

*Name changed to protect confidentiality.

Shared Hope International is pleased to announce Michelle Guymon and Margie Quin as the 2016 Pathbreaker Award Honorees.

About the Award

In 2000, the U.S. Department of State enlisted Shared Hope International to host Pathbreaking Strategies conferences in six countries to energize the conversation about trafficking and share innovative approaches to combat the problem. During this process, we created the Pathbreaker Award to recognize the pioneering efforts of those who broke the trend of inaction and initiated proactive responses to prevent sex trafficking.

This year, Shared Hope International is proud to honor these individuals who have developed innovative strategies to combat demand, expose trafficking, and seek justice.

Michelle Guymon, MSW – Director of the Child Trafficking Unit Los Angeles County Probation Department

Michelle Guymon is Director of the Child Trafficking Unit with Los Angeles County Probation Department, the nation’s first probation department with a unit specifically devoted to addressing the physical, mental and emotional needs of commercially sexually exploited youth. Michelle has been instrumental in the creation and implementation of the Los Angeles County’s Law Enforcement First Responder Protocol for Commercially Sexually Exploited Children for which she serves as the project manager. This nationally recognized protocol which was launched in August 2014 places a priority on treating trafficked children as victims rather than criminals. She is a frequent presenter and trainer, has received numerous awards for her work in the area of child sex trafficking, and has been featured in the media as a subject matter expert on the topic, specifically within the juvenile justice system. Michelle is currently the lead on the Los Angeles County CSEC Action Team working with various county/community agencies to create a multi-system response model for CSEC in Los Angeles County. Michelle prioritizes survivor leadership in her work, and has led the development of an innovative yearly conference created by young survivors for young survivors. She provides field expertise to Shared Hope through her ongoing work as a member of our JuST Response Council. She is an advocate for youth and is very passionate about her work within the Probation Department.

Margie Quin – Assistant Special Agent in Charge Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

Margie’s twenty-three years of law enforcement experience include patrol, criminal investigations, high-tech surveillance, drug interdiction, supervision and leadership. Margie received her M.S. in Public Service Management from Cumberland University, a B.S. in Criminology from Auburn University and graduated from the 241^st session of the F.B.I. National Academy. During her nineteen years with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, her assignments included the Middle Tennessee Drug Division, Technical Services Unit and she was promoted in April of 2007 to Assistant Special Agent in Charge in the Criminal Intelligence Unit, housed within the Tennessee Fusion Center. In 2010, ASAC Quin led a T.B.I./Vanderbilt team to research and publish the groundbreaking and award winning study, “Tennessee Human Sex Trafficking and its Impact on Children and Youth.” This study has paved the way for passage of 43 pieces of legislation in the state of Tennessee since 2011. ASAC Quin supervises the first-ever statewide Human Trafficking Unit. The newly formed unit has conducted six major undercover operations across the state since 2015. These demand reduction operations, code named, “Someone Like Me,” have resulted in the arrest of over 120 men and identified over 30 women, who were provided services at the time of encounter. ASAC Quin’s career awards include: 2000 T.B.I. Agent of the Year, 2009 AMBER Alert Coordinator of the Year for the United States and 2014 Tennessee Victim Advocate of the Year.

About This Year’s Awards

This year’s Pathbreaker awards are original works by Kristen Tebow, a survivor of sex trafficking and leader in the anti-trafficking movement. After 8 years of sobriety and two bachelor’s degrees, she is currently pursuing her Masters in Social Work and engaged full time as a trainer, presenter, and advocate in the Lawrence, KS community where she was trafficked. Kristen uses the wisdom gained through her trauma in her work with youth and adult survivors of commercial sexual exploitation. Besides being a wife and “mother” of two Jack Russell Terriers, she is an accomplished painter. Here is her description of the motivation behind the works she created for the Pathbreaker Awards:

Learning to Swim—“I have learned that life will always have storms and frightening waves. You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to swim through them. It’s how you handle them that really counts.”

Lifeline —“Wonderful people in my life have led me to my current state of peace. I didn’t get there by myself; the many people who have cheered me on continue to be the lifeline that pulls me forward.”