Welcome to Mindshift Power podcast, a show for teenagers and the adults who work with them, where we have raw and honest conversations. I'm your host, Fatima Bey, the mind shifter. And welcome, everyone. Today, we have with us Amanda Blackwood. She is from Colorado.
She is a human trafficking and abuse survivor. She's an author and an advocate, and I cannot wait to talk to her. Let me tell you, I just wanna tell you guys this. Ever since I started this podcast, this is the episode I have been waiting to do with all of my heart, and I finally found the exact right guest to do it with. So thank you, Amanda, for coming on today.
How are you doing? I'm doing fantastic. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so glad I get to hang out with you today. I'm glad to.
So let's just I like to dive right into to the topic. So explain to the audience. We see this title all the time, but I think 90% of the people are extremely ignorant. What is human trafficking? It is not what we think it is.
So I always tell people that to get the best definition of human trafficking, don't go to Google. Don't go to Wikipedia. These are fallible resources that are run by people who don't necessarily have training or education in these areas. Mhmm. I go to the department of homeland security for my definition.
It doesn't change. And the department of homeland security defines human trafficking as the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain commercial sex acts or labor from another person. However, if that person is under the age of 18, force, fraud, or coercion doesn't matter. If you remove the force, fraud, and coercion and somebody is under the age of 18, if you are obtaining commercial sex, sex, or labor from this person, it does not matter. That is considered human trafficking.
So a lot of people, the first thing they think of right off the bat is it's trafficking if it's an underage kid. Right. Or it only happens to underage kids, and that's not the case at all. You know, this is a huge misconception. When people think that it only happens to people under the age of 18, it's actually putting all of human trafficking in such a tiny, tiny little bubble Mhmm.
That it negates a lot of other survivors or victims of trafficking. So when I do talk about myself and my own history, I always shock people by telling them that, number one, I was trafficked three times. The average number is seven because just like with domestic violence, when somebody leaves, they end up getting sucked back into that world. It's familiar. Yeah.
Yeah. And number two, when I was trafficked, the first time I was 18, the second time I was 19, the third time I was trafficked, I was 31 years old. Really? Yeah. Only, like, one quarter of all victims worldwide are under the 18.
Most of us are over the age of 18. The oldest person in recent years to be pulled out of trafficking here in Colorado was actually in her seventies. Nobody's immune to this. Wow. Can you say that again?
Which part? The age thing because I think one of the reasons we're doing this episode, I think people don't know some of the I didn't I didn't know some well, some of the numbers that you just said, and I I just repeat them again. So one quarter of all victims are 18. Most are 18. That older person yeah.
Yeah. That one is always shocking. That is shocking. I know that it happens to people 18, but I didn't know the those numbers. And that that wow.
Alright. And, continue. I'm sorry for that. I that I just had to absorb that. So another one of the biggest misconceptions when it comes to this kind of stuff is when people are thinking that it only happens to kids.
They're thinking it's kids that are snatched off the streets by greasy weirdos and windowless fans. Right. That makes up about one percent of all trafficking cases. Yep. Most people like me are trafficked by people they already know and trust and love and people who have a sense of authority over their lives.
You know, a lot of the underage kids are being trafficked by their own parents, stepparents, uncles, aunts, grandparents, siblings. This is far more common than the kidnapping scenario. Yes. And I think it's important that people understand that it's disgusting, but that is what's reality. So let's break it down.
You do a very good job at at breaking it down. So what are the different kinds of trafficking? The two most prevalent, that we talk about are, of course, sex trafficking and labor trafficking. Mhmm. But the reason that we talk about sex trafficking so much is because, as the old adage says, sex sells.
Right. Labor trafficking takes up more of the trafficking space than in any other type of trafficking on the planet. Sex trafficking is only about fourteen percent of all trafficking cases worldwide. Then we go into smaller portions of trafficking like organ trafficking, but that's getting really rare. But when you look at the the overall encompassing umbrella of labor trafficking.
It's not just migrant workers. We're also talking about child soldiers in Africa. We're talking about child brides. Talking about all of these people who have been absolutely disadvantaged and taken into this world where they don't wanna be and forced to do things that they don't wanna do. And let's get real with it.
If it's not commercial sex and you're being forced to just have sex, that is still labor trafficking, period. Makes you change your way of thinking about it For the labor trafficking piece, is that something that just happens overseas, or does it actually happen here in The US? Not only does it happen here in The US, but it happens right here in my own backyard. Here in Colorado, there are sheep farms where people are, trying to bring in workers from wherever. It doesn't matter if they're locals or if they're migrant workers.
They bring these sheep farmers in and tell them, we will give you free room and board. You stay here on the on the property, and we will pay you x number of dollars per hour to come and stay here and and take care of the sheep. Mhmm. These guys are coming in and going to these facilities because we can't call them homes. We can't call them, living quarters.
They are basically living in the barns with the animals, and they are paid pennies on the dollar to the point where they are so reliant on this position. They cannot afford to leave. They cannot save up money. They're not fed enough to really not have to go out and buy more food for themselves. These people are trying to support entire families.
They're right here in Colorado. There are some people that are in this position less than 10 miles from my home right now. And is that legal? Heck no. Anytime you've got an issue with somebody being paid less than minimum wage, this is called wage theft, and wage theft is a form of human trafficking.
I agree. And I think people don't think about it that way. You know, this this is called mind shift power podcast, and this is one of those mind shifting episodes. I want people to shift their thinking when it comes to trafficking and realize, you know, some of the things that we fight for, we're like, this is an injustice. We need to broaden what we think of when it comes to injustices because sometimes there are greater injustices that we're ignoring when we're paying attention to the little ones.
Tell us about some other myths. You mentioned some already, but what are some other myths when it comes to human trafficking that people that we should just break right now? One of the biggest ones that I've come across personally is when people find out that I'm a trafficking traffic survivor, they ask me, oh, who rescued you? Very few of us get rescued. We hate that word.
In general, survivors of trafficking absolutely hate the word rescued. I was not rescued. Nobody came for me. Nobody cared. I got out on my own because I was determined to survive.
I was not rescued. I was guided by God. So here they are. We should not assume when we're talking to someone that's been trafficked that they were, quote, unquote, rescued. Although rescuing does happen.
But even if you go to rescue someone, they have to be willing to grab your hand and come with you. So there is a matter of if someone is a survivor, 100% of the time, it took their will to get there, whether they got help or not. Right. Another big one that I've come across, especially for myself again, is the myth that sex trafficking means prostitution. This one was really painful for me.
It took me a long time to come to terms with trying to understand what this meant and how this correlated to my life in particular, because I was never a prostitute. Does that mean that I wasn't trafficked? Who am I? Is it am I am I an imposter? Am I lying to people by saying that I'm a survivor of trafficking?
In reality, most, not all, most victim most people are in prostitution or in sex work are victims of human trafficking. However, that is such a small portion of what sex trafficking looks like. So anytime somebody asked me if I was a prostitute for a long time, I would shut down. Now I say, oh, no. Let me let me tell you.
I'd love to share my story with you, at least a little bit of it so you can get a better understanding of what that meant. I knew a man, and I had gotten to know him over a period of seven long years. We were engaged to be married. He asked me to move to be with him, and I did. It took him seven years to get me there.
It took him seven days to start trafficking me. And by trafficking me, I don't mean he was putting me out on the streets and, you know, making me turn tricks out on the on the sidewalk. That's not what it was. He basically turned his home into a revolving door. People would come in, pay him money, do what they were gonna do to me, and then leave, and then the next person would come in.
I was never out there soliciting myself ever, and that is a big part of prostitution. I was absolutely taken advantage of. This is a % human trafficking, force, fraud, or coercion to obtain commercial sex acts. Yeah. I was a textbook definition of trafficking, and yet I felt like an imposter because people were asking me if I was a prostitute.
Most of us aren't and have never been prostitutes, but most prostitutes are victims of trafficking. Say that phrase again. Most sex trafficking survivors have never been prostitutes, but most prostitutes have been victims of sex trafficking. And that's the piece that people don't recognize. And that's why when people glamorize prostitution, it really pisses me off because I understand that.
And I understand we're looking at victims. It's not cute. It's not funny. It's you it's just what you just said is a % true. Yeah.
And and, again, you said most. You didn't say all because it's true that it's not all, but it but it's definitely true that it's most. Yeah. It's definitely true that it's most. So I have another big one for you.
Okay. Let me get ready for this one. People think it only happens to women. Oh, yes. Let's talk about that.
There was a recent study done that just came out where the numbers are so skewed. They believe it is 49% men and boys. I believe that. You know why? Men don't pipe up about it as much Right.
In our society. And I honestly, I think those numbers are I don't care what the numbers say. They're all wrong because you can only get the numbers from the people who speak up, not the ones who don't. Right. And when it comes to young boys and men, there's such a big stigma with them.
You know, when it comes to women being abused, we're far more accepting than if a boy says I was abused, I was I was raped, I was molested, whatever the case, whatever the case may be, whether you're talking about trafficking or molestation or any of that, any kind of abuse, if a if a boy pipes up, we are so much less sympathetic. And that is wrong. That is our own ignorance and a misconception. So I, and I know that you're what you're saying is absolutely true because I've done some studying on it because that's a topic I care about. So I've done some studying on it and I'm like, oh my God, these, these numbers aren't even right.
They can't get proper numbers because they have to speak up for them to get proper numbers. They, and I know some guys around me that have had stuff happened to you and I mean, happened to them and they just try to brave it, but it messes them up and they just don't recognize how it's messing them up. Yeah. I've actually had some of them become beatings themselves. I'm sorry.
Yeah. I've actually had some of them come to me and say, Hey, I've had something happen to me and I've never told anybody. Can I tell you? Yeah. Yeah.
And that's why what you do is so important because if if if they're opening up to you, that's a start. Yeah. You know, where they may have just bottled it up and it eats away at the inside of you. You know? Yeah.
Why are you such an advocate for trafficking awareness besides the obvious? I was sitting in the front row of a conference in 2018. It was an anti trafficking conference, and I was all excited because here I was, one of those people that was bought into all of these myths and everything. And I was all about, let's save the children. And I sat there, and I listened to other survivors speak, and I listened to experts on the panel talking about the investigations and FBI statistics and, people who ran these anti trafficking organizations.
And when they opened up the questions, I raised my hand and they brought the microphone over to me. And my question was going to be, how long does it take for somebody who's been through something like this to have a normal life afterward? Because honestly, I was still struggling. Yeah. Yeah.
And then what came out of my mouth instead was I'm a survivor, and I need help. It was the first time in my life that I had ever, number one, realized that I was a survivor of trafficking because of all the myths, because of all the misconceptions. Yeah. And number two, it was the first time I'd ever asked for help. Wow.
Because I was always told if I couldn't do it on my own, I wasn't worth it. Wow. Well, then an advocate because there's a lot of other people out there just like me that, number one, don't know that they've been trafficked, and number two, don't know how to ask for help. Yes. There are.
There are, and that's why we're doing this. God, there are. You know? I'm so glad you're doing what you're doing because it's honestly kinda rare to find someone like you, which is why it took me this long to to do this episode. And more people need to take the time to listen to what you have to say, really, and and learn the realities, not just the quick concepts were sold in media very often.
Yeah. Let me ask you. For those who don't they've never been trafficked, they don't have anybody in their family that's been trafficked that they know of. Why should they care? This is such a good question, and it's always so difficult to answer.
Why should we care? Yeah. Every time I stand in front of an audience and I talk about all of this stuff on stage, When I get down, there's always somebody there that says, oh, wow. I've never met a survivor of human trafficking before. And I say, that you know of.
Exactly. Less than two percent of us survive. Yep. Of that two percent that survive, even fewer of us are willing to tell you about it. The fact that you don't know if you've ever met somebody like this means you probably have.
Right. They just didn't tell you. We need to care because those people are already in our lives. They've already had this happen. They don't know that it's called trafficking.
They don't know how to access the resources that they need to make their own lives better, to heal, to get better so that they can come back to a reality where it doesn't feel like every single person on the planet is out to get them and hurt them. This is somebody that you love. This is somebody that you care about. This is your best friend. This is your sister.
This is your brother. This is your neighbor. You do know these people. You just don't realize it. Well, said Amanda, and you're absolutely right.
And those people affect the people around them, and that's why we should care. They're already affecting your life even if you don't know it. That person who's, like, squeamish and won't date and they're mean, they probably meant there's some trauma. There's a reason for that. You know?
And and they they do things around them that are not right, and they just don't realize why they're doing them sometimes. There's just so many different snowball effects that come from someone who's been through that and hasn't healed. Yeah. And it's very difficult to heal. It's a very long haul to heal.
And I, you know, and I know you know this, Amanda. It's a very long haul to to heal, and I don't think people understand that either. You don't just talk about it and get over it. Right. You know, it takes a long time, and you have to dig deep.
And and there's layers and layers and layers of stuff emotionally, spiritually, and physically that you have to deal with. Right? Absolutely. I mean, you have to be able to give it a name. I I mean, do you remember watching the movie The NeverEnding Story when you were a kid?
Oh my god. Yes. The nothing that ate everything? The big the big white fluffy dog thing? Right.
It needed a name. The princess needed a name. The nothing needed a name. Without a name, how do you fight it? True.
Good point. Movie was so much more than just a fantasy story. That was telling kids, this is how you fight back against all of that crap that's happened to you. Start off by giving it a name. Once you give it a name, you can fight it.
Very good point, Amanda. Very, very good point. Now for those who are listening right now, I know that, you know, some people might be thinking, well, I care. I don't necessarily understand trafficking, and I I just learned something new because I never stood all this stuff. We can't do everything, but we can each do something.
What can the average person listening right now do? Get involved and learn more. Probably one of the best ways to get involved and learn, find an organization like Skull Games. Skull Games is out there doing what they can to help train regular people and law enforcement on how to better handle situations like this. They have an actual police officer who's going out retired police officer who's going out there and training other people on how to detect these issues, how to manage these issues, how to not victimize people further.
But this organization is also taking regular people like you and me and giving us a lot more training on how to recognize things, what to do in this instance, how to get more involved with law enforcement, how to get more involved with local anti trafficking organizations. Another big thing that I always tell people is that if you're wanting to get involved with a a nonprofit anti anti trafficking organization, and they're actually going out there and they say that they're helping the victims or the survivors, ask them what physical needs they have. Do they need toothbrushes? Do they need toothpaste? Do they need shampoo, clothing, pillows, socks?
If they don't need these physical items, they don't need your money either. Oh, that's a good point. It's a good way to look at it. You just mind shifted us. But, yes, we can all do something.
We we can all do something. And and I agree. It starts with educating yourselves. Because from that education, you can figure out what you can best do. And sometimes it is giving money to that organization that gives the counsel that they need.
That's where your money can be helpful if you give to an organization that is actually doing the help. Because maybe you're not a counselor. You don't know how to talk to them, and you're awkward, and you don't know what to do. Okay. That's fine.
Give to those who are doing the job. You know? That's where your money can come in handy. But just learning more about people around you instead of making assumptions, that could go a long way. That can go a long way.
Absolutely. Now, you do a lot, Amanda. So tell us about the services you offer and how people can find you. So I am a trauma recovery mentor. I love doing it where I work one on one with people who are trying to figure out what their trauma reactions are.
Through me, I'm able to help people pinpoint what they are, where they come from, how to fight back against them, and retrain their brains. A lot of people don't realize that they can fight back against these long term trauma reactions, and I have compiled a list of over 60. Wow. I also have a podcast where I teach about these different trauma reactions each week. I have a different podcast where I highlight other people who have written their own stories of overcoming these incredible odds and have told the story about how they overcame rather than staying in this place of pain and anguish.
I just wanna uplift people. I mean, there's a lot of other stuff that I do too, but these are the main focus that I do now. I am also a published author and a public speaker, and I do these things also. But my main focus is on other people, not on me, not on what I'm capable of, but what I what they're capable of. And that's why we get along.
We we have that same heart when it comes to helping, doing what we can from where we are, you know, to to help others. So what are your website? What is your website? It's growthfromdarkness.com because that's what we do. We grow even from the darkness.
Yes. And I love that. I like that title, by the way. Her inform Amanda's information will be, in the show notes or the the podcast description so that you can find her everywhere. I'm gonna put one link where you can find her book.
You could find her social media. You could find all her services, everything that she does. And this will not be the last time that you hear from her. We have a couple other episodes we're going to do on, different but related topics, and I cannot wait to do them. This woman is freaking amazing.
And I do strongly advise that you go and get her book. I I like to talk to people who are coming from a place of experience and not just from a place of an education. I don't care what you know. I care that you understand what you know. There's a difference.
And this is a woman that actually understands what she knows. Well, thank you again, Amanda, for coming on, and I look forward to talking to you again. Thank you so much. Me too. I look forward to hanging out.
And now for a mind shifting moment. Today's mind shifting moment is going to happen when you go back and listen to this episode again. I want you to go back and repeat this episode, but listen with different ears. I want you to begin to pick apart the immense amount of information that was given in this episode and say, how can I begin to recognize what's around me? Once you do that, I then want you to dive a little deeper and say, what can I do about what I recognize around me?
It doesn't have to be huge. It doesn't have to be off putting. But what little thing can I do to make a difference? Because, see, if we all do that, we all can make a huge difference by each making a little difference. You can make a difference.
Thank you for listening to mind shift power podcast. Please like and subscribe to my YouTube channel at the mind shifter. If you have any comments, topic suggestions, or would like to be a guest on the show, please visit fatimabay.com/podcast. Remember, there's power in shifting your thinking. Tune in for next week.
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