The 2024 JuST Conference, www.justconference.org, the nation’s premier training conference, presented by Shared Hope International on October 22-24 in Phoenix, Arizona is shaping up to be a game-changing event in the fight against juvenile sex trafficking. With an unrivaled educational agenda featuring presentations, workshops, survivor experiences, and cross-discipline collaboration, attendees can look forward to a […]
The Dark Side of Emoji’s
The use of emojis in sex trafficking is a disturbing trend that highlights the dark side of online communication. Emojis, originally intended to add emotional nuance to digital conversations, are now being misused by traffickers to facilitate the exploitation of victims. The seemingly innocent symbols can be used to convey coded messages, arrange illicit transactions, […]
My 6-Year-Old Daughter Introduced Me to Sex Trafficking
By: Gunnar Simonsen When my daughter was little she received $30 for her birthday that she could spend on whatever she wanted. Of course, we thought she would want to spend it on a stuffed animal or toy. But we were wrong. Very wrong. When her mom asked her what she wanted to spend it […]
Unavoidable Destiny | The Abnormal Return Home
As a native of Jamaica, my anticipations of returning home are always filled with excitement and joy. I think of visiting family members, activities and events and the food. While this trip is filled with excitement and joy it is also filled with a bit of nervousness and fear. For the very first time, I […]
Unavoidable Destiny | First Semester Back in College
Education is a very important part of restoration for survivors of human trafficking. However, it can be very challenging at first, especially after a nine year break from school. In my last blog, I spoke about how nervous I was to return to school but that nervousness was quickly drowned by feelings of discouragement once […]