Human trafficking survivor reveals how she escaped abuse

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Friday, November 29, 2024

NEW YORK — Moments after human trafficking survivor Chereese Smith started telling her story inside a convention room on the Omni Berkshire Place Resort in Midtown, Manhattan, on Monday morning, the viewers hushed.

It was the primary time that the 32-year-old, who now works for international anti-human trafficking group A21, would reveal her actual title to the general public.

“As a survivor, my story isn’t simple or easy to tell,” Smith started. “When I first shared my story, I went by a different name. At that time, I wasn’t ready to fully reveal my identity. I was still fresh out of being trafficked. I was dealing with trauma and uncertainty of what it meant to reclaim my life. But today, I stand before you using my real name, ready to embrace my journey and the strength that comes with it.”

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At this level in her journey, Smith is totally revealing her id to assist enhance the launch of A21’s “Can You See Me?” nationwide consciousness marketing campaign to assist most people acknowledge indicators of human trafficking, and report suspected situations forward of the height vacation journey season.

The marketing campaign options vivid commercials on Occasions Sq. billboards, transportation hubs and digital platforms, urging residents to take motion by nationwide hotlines.

Human trafficking or trafficking in individuals, in keeping with federal authorities, “is a crime in which traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to compel individuals to provide labor or services, including commercial sex.”

To assist get their message out about their marketing campaign in opposition to the crime nationally, A21 is collaborating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Safety Investigations New York, the Nationwide Heart for Lacking & Exploited Youngsters, promoting corporations LAMAR and Outfront Media, Amtrak, and Omni Inns.

The group is amplifying voices like Smith’s to drive their message residence.

“I endured years of trauma, abuse, and manipulation, but today, I’m not here to focus on just the darkness. I want to share with you what it took to get out of and why is it so important that we all work together to stop this from happening to anyone else,” mentioned Smith.

“It is all about responsibility to raise awareness, overcome misconception and ensure people can recognize the signs of human trafficking.”

Smith says she was lured into trafficking by a household good friend who provided her “a chance to hang out” when she was simply a teen.

“Little did I know that choice would change my life. While I was spending the time with him, one day, I met another girl who was already involved in [that] life, also known as sex trafficking. She pulled me inside and asked me if I wanted to party and make some money. At that moment, I was unaware of the dangerous path I was about to step onto, thinking it would be an exciting opportunity instead of a descending into a nightmarish reality,” she recalled.

“I was quickly taken to the track in the Bronx and, days later, taken to New Jersey,” she mentioned.

Quickly, she would discover herself with no cash and no option to return residence. She would meet one other lady who instructed her she might assist however solely put her within the clutches of a brand new trafficker who bodily abused her.

“After lunch one day, I woke up to one of the girls …. engaged in a conversation with our trafficker that lasted about 20 minutes. Later, I heard a knock on the door. When I looked through the peephole, I saw it was my trafficker and his cousin. When I opened the door, I was brutally beaten, and the result was that my jaw was broken in multiple places,” she revealed.

“I was beaten because my trafficker’s cousin deceived him, claiming that I had expressed feelings for him, that I had shown interest. In reality, I had been sexually assaulted but hadn’t informed my trafficker. Instead of telling the truth, the cousin lied about what had happened after things got even worse,” Smith defined. “I was exploited and mistreated, consistently told that I had to earn thousands of dollars before I could leave.”

It wasn’t earlier than one other yr of “violence, isolation and manipulation” that Smith mentioned she was in a position to persuade her trafficker to attend a “follow-up appointment” alone and she or he went residence to her mom. The escape, nonetheless, did not final lengthy.

“I was terrified that they would come to our house and harm my family as they had my personal information, including my state ID, social security card and birth certificate. To protect my family, I returned to the streets, hoping that by putting myself in danger, I could keep them safe from potential threats,” Smith admitted.

She quickly grew to become a sufferer to a 3rd trafficker who she mentioned managed each side of her life.

“They didn’t just take my body; they took my mind. They controlled everywhere I went, who I talked to, what I had to say and how I felt about myself. They took away my dignity and made me believe that I had nothing else to offer except what they were forcing me to do,” she mentioned.

Smith mentioned she lastly had sufficient one evening after she was drugged after which bodily and sexually abused. She reached out to a feminine detective for assist who she had met after she escaped from her first trafficker.

“While my trafficker was asleep, I sent Detective Rose a picture, a piece of mail that I had my address on it. The police organized a raid, and that was when I began reclaiming my life,” she mentioned.

It has been a troublesome journey for Smith, who says her emotional and psychological wounds took years to heal.

“While the physical trauma was undeniable. It was the emotional manipulation and the persistent feeling of being trapped that haunted me the most. Today, I stand here as a survivor, but many others are still trapped in a horrific cycle, often without realizing they are victims too,” Smith defined.

“Human trafficking is not an abstract problem. It happens in our cities, and it affects people you might know. It’s crucial to understand that trafficking is a crime of exploitation and control, and it’s about manipulation. Victims often face judgment as prostitutes, but most did not choose this life,” she mentioned.

“They were deceived and forced. We must acknowledge their humanity and support their recovery.”

As a result of trafficking tends to occur domestically in acquainted settings, Smith says it’s straightforward for individuals to overlook the indicators that somebody is being trafficked.

“I’ve experienced the system firsthand and witness how easy people can overlook the signs. Law enforcement, for an example, can glance at a situation as merely a domestic dispute, but often, it runs much deeper than that. When I was in the streets, I remember how some officers walked right past me and my trafficker mistakenly believing it was a personal issue,” she mentioned.

“They didn’t understand that I was being trafficked and that I wasn’t there by choice. If law enforcement will take the time to listen and dig deeper, that’s when they can uncover the truth.”

Others, like transportation staff, healthcare professionals, lodge workers and even on a regular basis commuters, will help forestall human trafficking by educating themselves in regards to the scourge.

“The ripple effect of awareness is huge. The more people know about human trafficking, the more people who can identify it, the more we can gather data, change policies and save lives. And that’s what it’s all about, changing lives, helping people rebuild and keeping others from falling into this trap,” Smith, who celebrated a birthday on Monday, mentioned.

“Don’t wait until there’s somebody you know. Stand up, get involved and be part of the change.”