I’ve spent the past few days attending the International Conference Against Prostitution (ICAP) in Green Lake, Wisconsin. Seated on a cold, fog-covered lake, bundled up in coats and bustling from session to session are practitioners who work day-in-and-day-out with trafficking survivors all over the world. I’ve reconnected with several friends I haven’t seen since Covid, but overall I knew few people coming into this. Walking into a room with 200 strangers who do awe-inspiring work has been stretching. But here we are on day 3 and I’ve discovered a few people who share my passion for utilizing the arts for trauma recovery.

I started working with exploitation survivors in 2006. At that time, no matter where I went in the world, few people knew that sex trafficking existed in their hometown or even country. Whether in America or South Asia, I constantly faced looks of shock and disbelief that women and children would be sold for sex in their home city. The need for policies to change and the public to be informed and for caring people to practical ways to help was enormous. Every time I wrote or spoke about Project Rescue’s work, or about using the arts for healing, a hush would fall and each word felt like ripples across a sea of shock.

Today, 19 years later, movies have been produced and books have been written. One might read in the daily news about a police operation that rescued women from a local salon. Today we are aware and many positive changes have taken place in the response systems in many countries. But the problem is, sexual exploitation is still happening. It hasn’t diminished and it continues to mar the soul of human beings, both around the world, and in our own backyard.

Yes, until every person who loves God slows down enough to see both the exploited and the exploiter in our midst, and respond in whatever it is that each of us can do, sexual exploitation will continue to ravage portions of humanity everywhere. Our denial silences their voice.

Today I was reminded that we all want to know how to care (or better care) for trauma survivors. Even those who have been doing this for years. We all see our limits and want to do things better. We all want to know how to reach the heart of that one we felt we could never quite reach. We want to listen better. Understand better. Show kindness better.

So I know that blogs have become passe… But I also know that there may be one or two people out there who come looking for a leg-up on ways to make a difference– specifically through the arts. I know that it’s time, and there are stories I need to share.

So if you’re the one person who comes to this page hoping to glean a story, an example, or a way to offer space for pain, then you’ve come to the right place. Leave a comment about what you’d like to hear about. Tell me what you’ve been wondering about– anything to do with creativity or healing or exploitation and those who work with it. And I’ll be so honored and I’ll be sure to write a page (or 2 or 3) in response!