Sex trafficking survivor shares message of hope as Minneapolis launches new campaign

A human trafficking victim is sharing a message of hope as the City of Minneapolis gets ready to launch a new public awareness campaign.

The Minneapolis Departments of Health and Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging are using the Sex Trafficking Thrives in Silence campaign to raise awareness and provide resources to those in “The Life” and those who are at risk.

“I’m hopeful that victims/survivors will see me and see there is a way out,” said Joy Friedman, a survivor from Minneapolis, who is helping amplify the message of the initiative.

The 61-year-old has used the last couple of decades to redefine her life. She launched a consulting business called the Missing PEACE and wrote a memoir about her experience.

Friedman was caught in a cycle of sex trafficking and exploitation that started when she was a teenager. She explained her siblings watched her while her single mother worked.

“I ended up hanging around the wrong people and they saw my vulnerabilities,” said Friedman.

Friedman said she was raped, beaten and held captive for 24 hours, just a block and a half from her mother’s home when she was 15 years old. For the next 22 years, she was in and out of the life.

“I didn’t see a way out,” she said.

Friedman received help for substance use disorder more than a dozen times but it wasn’t until she was in her 30’s that she was introduced to a program specifically for sexually exploited individuals.

“Would it have made a difference at the beginning? Yes,” she said. “I never saw what I was in as trafficking, I never knew. I thought I was a willing participant because there were no chains on my hands. Why didn’t I leave? Why didn’t I go to the police? There’s a lot of reasons, fear for one.”

According to the Minnesota Department of Health, about 1,500 people received services related to sex trafficking state-wide between April 2021 to March 2023.

“That’s just a small number,” said Shunu Shrestha, a senior advisor for the City of Minneapolis. “There are many people who are not within the Safe Harbor system who are receiving services from other organizations.”

Shrestha explained the words and art being used in the new campaign were created in collaboration with survivors to ensure it reaches individuals who need it the most. It focuses on sexual exploitation and the role substance use disorder plays.

“Traffickers often exploit individuals by using drugs, something to control and manipulate them,” she said. “We’re trying to shine the light on these two intersecting topics. Making people aware that people are so vulnerable and really remove that stigma from people so they are more open to accessing services.”

Posters will go up next week in bathroom stalls at 30 locations city-wide. The campaign will also feature billboards and advertising on bus shelters, inside buses and on light rail platforms.

“Especially to victims, we want to get this message to victims that there are services available, there are resources available and we’re here to help,” said Shrestha.

It also highlights signs of trafficking, including missing school or work regularly, telling inconsistent or rehearsed stories and unexplained gifts or new possessions.

Friedman, who left the life when she was 37 years old, hopes those who are being trafficked know healing is possible.

“We’re people’s daughters, sons, we’re people’s moms,” she said. “I want the victims to know we can get out and we can have a wonderful life and there is a way out, all you have to do is reach out.”

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