Voices Against Trafficking: Courage Is Contagious - Real Stories Fighting Human Slavery

What happens when survivors, advocates, investigators, counselors, and human rights leaders come together to expose the reality of human trafficking? In this powerful episode of 'Conversations That Make a Difference,' Teresa Velardi joins international advocate Andi Buerger and contributors to the groundbreaking book Voices Against Trafficking: Courage Is Contagious: Uniting Voices and Nations in the War Against Human Slavery.

This conversation shines a light on the hidden realities of human trafficking, labor exploitation, PTSD, survivor recovery, border concerns, child safety, and the urgent need for awareness and prevention. Through real-life stories and firsthand experiences, the guests reveal how ordinary people can make an extraordinary difference by speaking up and taking action.
You’ll hear from survivors, former law enforcement officials, advocates, healthcare leaders, and human rights champions who are working worldwide to combat modern-day slavery and protect vulnerable children and adults.
This episode is not just about awareness; it’s about courage, hope, healing, and action.

Topics discussed include:

• Human trafficking warning signs
• Familial trafficking and survivor trauma
• Labor trafficking and exploitation
• PTSD and long-term health effects
• Border security and trafficking prevention
• Why safe housing and services matter for survivors
• How parents and communities can help protect children
• The importance of education and awareness
   
  If this conversation moves you, please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE this episode to help spread awareness and protect lives.
  
  Buy the Book: 'Voices Against Trafficking: Courage is Contagious: Uniting Voices and Nations in the War Against Human Slavery' on Amazon
  Learn more about Voices Against Trafficking: https://voicesagainsttrafficking.com/
  International Network of Hearts (Alma Tucker): https://inhearts.org/
  We Will Survive Cancer (Gayela Bynum): https://www.wewillsurvivecancer.org/
  
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Transcript

Conversations That Make A Difference with Teresa Velardi

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Welcome to Conversations That Make a Difference. With your host, Teresa Vellardi. We believe that authentic, meaningful, and diverse conversations are the glue that binds us together. Our discussions remind us we have the power to uplift, challenge, stretch, and invite dynamic growth. Are you like me? Feeling like your mind about the speed of your hands to light. Join us for conversations filled with gratitude, values, abundance, authenticity, and faith. Here's the host of our show, Teresa Villar.

Andi Buerger - The Mission Behind Voices Against Trafficking

SPEAKER_06 0:53

Well, good morning everyone. Welcome to our live book launch for Voices Against Trafficking. Our book, Voices Against Trafficking, Courages Contagious, is the highlight, the star of this show this morning. We have some amazing guests and uh my lovely co-host, Teresa Villardi, with us, uh, and Busy D in the background. So, uh, Teresa, you

Teresa Velardi - Voices Against Trafficking: Courage is Contagious: Uniting Voices and Nations in the War Against Human Slavery book

SPEAKER_06 1:16

want to say good morning?

SPEAKER_04 1:17

Good morning, everyone, and welcome. I'm so excited to be here with you, Andy. I just want to say that this book, Voice Against Trafficking, will give you so much information and awareness about what's going on in the world behind the scenes that people just don't talk about. We're here to bring awareness and voice to those who are suffering as a result of trafficking.

SPEAKER_06 1:39

Absolutely. And speaking of voices, we have some uh special voices here today. Eric, can you tell us about your chapter briefly and why you wrote it?

Eric Caron - Labor Trafficking on US Soil

SPEAKER_01 1:48

Hey, Andy, what an honor to be on with you, and thank you for having me. You know, um, thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my my story uh of the wicked raid and voices uh against trafficking. And and basically it highlights the the fact that that we have large companies and even governments behind human trafficking um and and in way of um exploiting people for labor. And every year we're looking at what 40 plus 50 million people are trafficked. Um, and again, it's it's by governments, i.e. Russia, uh, for soldiers in uh in the current battle in um in Ukraine, uh, where they're trafficking uh Africans. Um and uh we have of course China uh for labor purposes uh uh exploiting um Africans uh in Africa uh for uh mining of gold and other precious minerals. Um and in my case, you know, I highlighted the the case uh where we had a U.S. defense contractor exploiting people for for labor, not in a far-off distance land, but right here in America. Um and um we um prosecuted successfully the owner of a defense contractor, and we um administratively processed uh uh about nearly 400 uh citizens from foreign countries working at a U.S. defense contractor that were here illegally. Um so that kind of highlights the case.

SPEAKER_06 3:27

Uh well thanks, Eric, and thank you for that insightful uh chapter. Uh it's it's a it's an amazing story, and you're gonna want to get that in your your ebook today. Um, and another guest we have who contributed, uh Miss Kim Viles, she is here today as well. Kim, just give us a really elevator-tight summary of your chapter and why you wanted to be part of that book.

Kim Byles - Lack of Safe Housing for Survivors

SPEAKER_08 3:51

Yes, I am just so honored and thrilled to be here. And my chapter is called Healing Requires Safety, because I think a lot of people probably don't realize that um a few years ago when I wrote this chapter, there were over 10,000 cases reported of human trafficking with over 6,000 um individuals uh involved as survivors of those cases. But we in the United States we only had at that time about 2,100 beds available for specifically for survivors of human trafficking. And unfortunately, I did a little research, and that number has not changed as far as the number of beds and um services available. I happen to live in Roanoke, Virginia, or near Roanoke, Virginia, and we have one of the few facilities that is specifically designed for survivors of human trafficking. And in my chapter, I talk about why that is so important. And let me just highlight one thing that so often, these um when people are rescued, sometimes they're put in a hotel because they don't have somewhere to put them. Well, often these people have been trafficked out of a hotel, so you're putting someone back into an environment that um is very difficult for them and there are no services for them. And survivors of human trafficking have particular needs that only um organizations and services designed for them can meet.

SPEAKER_06 5:27

Absolutely. Well, we appreciated you uh contributing that chapter to the book. And again, if you've just joined us, we have some very special guests to talk about voices against trafficking. Courage is contagious, the international best-selling bonus. And we're gonna move on to another guest, another friend of Voices Against Trafficking,

Hon. Blanquita Cullum aka BQ - “Right Versus Wrong” Speaking Up Against Exploitation

SPEAKER_06 5:46

who just popped in. And the honorable Blanquita Cullum is co-founder and president of Voices Against Trafficking. She has an amazing quote in the book, and uh her friends call her BQ. So, BQ, tell us why that quote is so important.

SPEAKER_07 6:01

Because this issue is not political, it's human rights. And the quote is it's not about right versus left, it's right versus wrong. And uh, you know, the interesting thing is as we we read back in the books of history and we read about the brave people that were in the underground railroad. And I was reading an article this morning about a young African American woman who had to dress up as a boy uh to be able to sneak out so that she could be saved and join her family in Canada. Well, think about this. We have as many human trafficking victims as probably people faced with slavery. And the fact of the matter is the human rights issue, I mean, you're looking at a group of people here that I absolutely adore Gala, Alma, Teresa, Andy, the hero because he's a survivor, Eric, and now Kim, and more, who are the human rights champions that are fearless despite political pressure to keep their mouths shut. This is not the time to keep your mouth shut. This book talks about how to be able to deal with it, how to be able to spot it, how to be able to fight it, how to be able to counsel, how to be able to advise people about being courageous at a time when it's a cancel culture that says, Stay in your home, keep your mouth shut, don't take a risk, and don't help anybody, save yourself. No, more than ever, this is the time to be observant, to know, and to figure out a way to make a difference.

SPEAKER_06 7:40

Absolutely. Thank you so much for that, because it's true. It starts with being human. That's it. There's no socioeconomic background, there's no gender issue. It is about being a human being and not letting others exploit you for profit, for labor, for any other reason against your will. And so, uh, as a survivor myself, uh, after 17 years of child sex trafficking by family members, which is called familial trafficking, uh, there are a lot of things that can come out of even one act of sexual assault, sexual abuse, uh, one instance of being trafficked. And we have a guest today, uh, one of our charter members, Ms. Gayla Bynum. And she is uh going to be working with us to expose or to educate others on how different diseases, different illnesses uh can happen when someone has been victimized and how serious it is. So, Gala, uh, introduce yourself. Gayla, go out and reboot and come back in. Yep. We're gonna be here. We're gonna we're gonna talk about a few other things. So uh we'll we'll see you in just a few moments. That'll go. Um, as uh B said, we have uh we are uh have people on the border in Mexico. We're gonna talk to Alma for just a moment, and we also have an outreach. We are in Canada, we are in Uganda, we are on the Ivory Coast, uh, we're in a lot of different Pakistan, we're in a lot of different countries. Our little mustard seed grew just in the last few years with multiple books, magazines, CDs. All 19 chapters have a nugget for you. It's either something that will give you a tool to recognize potential human trafficking while you're at the airport or traveling, or perhaps it's an aha moment, or as Eric said, an actual case. This is what really happens here in the US, and it could be some other insights on PTSD. So this book is chalk full. So if you have a friend, a colleague, a social worker, daycare person, grandparent, foster parent, make sure they get a copy today. Life save someone else from suffering the way I had to. So please go to the link in the comments, go on amazon.com and invest in somebody's safety

Alma Tucker - International Network of Hearts - Helping Child Survivors

SPEAKER_06 9:58

today. All right, Miss Alma Tecker, let's talk to you for a moment. Um, we welcome you, International Network of Hearts. She has been working with her team on uh the border between Mexico and the US, and we are so grateful for the work she's been doing without any bells and whistles. Alma, go ahead and take a moment, tell us just uh a brief about what you do, and then uh let's have a special message for our bilingual audience.

SPEAKER_03 10:26

Thank you, thank you, and it's an honor to be here with all of you guys. Uh, we are here in the VCS border, San Diego, Mexico, and uh we create awareness and also we offer direct services for girls, boys, young adults, survivors of human trafficking. Then with my work more than 30 years, one of the blessings is to join Voices Against Trafficking, and today, today is the day to get this amazing book that not only uh will educate us, will open our eyes, our hearts to this uh epidemic around the world. Gracias, thank you, Andy, so much for inviting me.

SPEAKER_06 11:10

Mega, that sounded so great. I'm like, well, we'll just stop there. But you know, it is a world issue. We are a global family, and families should protect each other, families should be involved with each other, and it doesn't just happen somewhere else, right, folks? We know that it happens in every single neighborhood, every single village. And our goal is to make sure we get as much information out to as many communities worldwide as possible. Just in the US, uh, Eric and I were talking about this not too long ago. I mean, it we we have a child under 18 every 30 to 40 seconds being abducted or lured into something that they think is safe. Imagine thinking, oh, hey, you know, it's time for my my uh teenage girl to babysit. Great, okay, but do you know who's in the house while she's babysitting? You know, maybe a young boy wants to go do pizza deliveries, things like that. We have to be very, very diligent in where we send our children, who is around our children. And as they get older into college age, we know a lot of national headlines where things have gone terribly wrong because we weren't diligent enough to ensure their safety. So the great thing is uh this book has so many different perspectives that no matter who you are, what you do, and and what group you're involved in, you will find something that will help you be more prepared. Uh, our book also has a list of helplines and hotlines, just like our website, voicesagainstrafficking.com. Voicesagainstrafficking.com. You can find all kinds of information. Meet some of our members, you know, virtually, uh, our charter members, charter media members, especially liaisons. We're very proud of the integrity and the amazing talents that each of our members has. Uh, we also offer training in my life. By God's grace, I was able to live forward, create a new normal, but I couldn't have done that without intercession, whether it was counseling, whether it was help from other people, creating that safe tribe in my life. People that uh were trustworthy and that wanted uh as much for me as I wanted for them. So let's see if we can go back to Gala. Uh Gala,

Gayela Bynum - Long-Term Health Effects of Human Trafficking Trauma

SPEAKER_06 13:29

are we ready to try that again?

SPEAKER_05 13:31

Hopefully.

SPEAKER_06 13:33

There we go. That sounds good.

SPEAKER_05 13:34

Okay. Okay, great. So, yes, I'm the chair of We Will Survive Cancer, and uh we're a 17-year-old organization. A few years ago, I in my work, I worked with uh human trafficking uh with the government, and so I was at a seminar at uh Johns Hopkins a few years ago, and one of the speakers was from the CDC in Atlanta, and he brought up the subject of uh the correlation between human trafficking and cancer. And to me, that you know, that that was a very impactful way to coordinate what I was doing with We Will Survive Cancer with human trafficking. So as I've spoken with you in BQ, uh, you know, uh now that I'm no longer with the government, I'm really interested in pursuing this and creating some kind of uh symposium with your help. And I'm so thrilled to be here with you and this stellar group of people. And I don't have the book, but I've just ordered it and I look forward to reading it. And thank you so much for including me today.

SPEAKER_06 14:47

Thank you, Gayla, so much. Well, and you know, a lot of people they go to the doctor, you know, people that have been hurt in the way that we're talking about, the the doctors aren't necessarily trained to identify that, and most victims aren't going to talk uh speak about it, they're not gonna bring that up, and so it's very difficult. You know, I have said no to breast cancer five times. This past year was the fifth time, and no to liver cancer. And so uh, you know, who knows? It just a lot of things can happen, but also autoimmune issues, and there are all kinds of up to 73 different kinds of diseases that are connected to just one sexual assault, one act of human trafficking for a victim. Imagine fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, thyroid issues, all kinds of things because of that trauma. And then we have the PTSD part of it. So in our book uh that we are talking about today, there is a chapter on PTSD. There's a chapter on how 90 seconds changed a life, there are chapters on uh some of the more uh uh logistical things, there are chapters on actual how trafficking can happen while I'm traveling, you know, things like that. So every chapter has something to bring. If you're interested in modeling, there's a chapter on to model or not to model, things you're gonna want to read about before you embark on that journey. So please get this book, please help somebody else learn what we're speaking about. Encourage you to join us in this movement to put an end to human slavery, to put an end to saying it's okay to exploit a human being, because as BQ said, it is right versus wrong, plain and simple, no matter where you're at. So um, Teresa, uh as a publisher and and as a people person, why is this so important to you being our one of our newest uh charter media members?

SPEAKER_04 16:46

Um, I know a couple of people who nearly fell victim to human trafficking. And so when I learned about your mission, Andy, I was all in because, you know, I I mean I I love the movie Sound of Freedom. And in there it says, God's children are not for sale, no matter whether we're talking sexual trafficking, work trafficking, as Eric talked about, and I know Eric has something else he wants to say as well. So um the thing that the thing about this book, and the reason why I'm so passionate about it, is because it's not just it's not just stories. This is real life stuff. This is information that as individuals, parents of children, um, you know, especially, you know, young women, I know that um, Andy, you've said this before, um, a lot of trafficking happens in college on college campuses because they're perfect age. The women are perfect age. So um I'm really adamant about the fact that God's children are not for sale, and we need to get the word out in any in any way possible.

SPEAKER_06 17:53

Thank you. And we're gonna go to Eric before uh we close out. So, Eric, go ahead and uh tell us about uh Randy's chapter.

SPEAKER_01 18:01

Well, let me just say that you know I want people to understand that human trafficking is not a victimless crime, number one, that it it it usually uh involves other crimes such as drug smuggling, identity theft, um, sexual exploitation, um, and on and on. So I want people to understand that this is not a victimless crime and and the importance of border securities, national securities. Uh, and and Randy Scott, the current commissioner of customs and border protection, um, he wrote an entire chapter on the need uh of uh of a borders of border security.

Border Security, Human Rights & National Safety

SPEAKER_01 18:44

And um it's and it's an important chapter, uh, firsthand account uh as a CBP officer uh and then leader um identifying the need for border security because border security is national security. We want to stop these human traffickers from exploiting people from around the globe uh to come to America or even to go to other um nations. So um Randy Scott has an important chapter highlighting border security. He's the current CBP commissioner. Um, and I just wanted to let everybody know that uh you know it's an important chapter, and uh he's the current commissioner, if you will, head of CBP. So he knows firsthand the the the evil, if you will, that is ongoing today at our borders. So uh I encourage everybody to go to Amazon, get the book, Voices Against Trafficking. It's a riveting read.

SPEAKER_06 19:43

Well, thank you, um, Eric. And uh I was a little dyslexic. It's Rodney Scott, so I apologize if you're out there listening. Uh Rodney Scott, yes. So, and we're so grateful to him because that is a hard job. And not everyone who does try to come over the border is a criminal. I want people to know that. There are families that really think they're sending their child to a better place to have a better life. And between them wanting that and the child getting here, bad things happen. And so uh we just want people to know that this is not a simple issue. There's a lot of complexities. There are things that we can't really mention because it would terrify people that we all know that we wish we didn't know. But at the end of the day, today you can be part of the solution. You can be the hero today that gives the gift of awareness to yourself, to your families, to other people. Our voices against trafficking, courage is contagious. When we are courageous together, it's contagious. People can't help but say, hey, I've got to be on that train. I want to be in that movement. They're doing something, not just in my little neighborhood, but across the world. And

Dizzi Dee - DJs Against Trafficking

SPEAKER_06 20:49

and in the time that we've had together, we can save a lot of lives. So thank you so much for your time and attention. My amazing, beautiful, handsome guest, the intelligent folks, Dizzy D in the background who helped us produce this, uh, who is also the brains behind our July International Trafficking in Persons uh prevention month. We are going to have DJs Against Trafficking again, a two-day event with a full day of panel and discussion. And then we're gonna rock out all around the world, starting in Thailand or somewhere out there and going around the world uh with music and fun. Thank you, Disney. Uh we are out to reach the world in any way we can. So, one more time, what are we gonna do today? We're gonna give the gift of awareness.

SPEAKER_02 21:39

Hey, my name is Treminda Tanakun. I'm the CEO of CT Marketing. I work very closely with Andy Berger, uh, the author of uh Voices Against Trafficking, helping to raise awareness about human trafficking and uh reading this book made the issue feel even more real. The stories are honest and sometimes hard to read, but they open your eyes to what's actually happening in the world today. What stood out to me is uh how the book gives survivors the frontline voices and space they deserve while still leaving you with hope. It reminds you that the problem is real, but change is possible when people come together. I'm really glad to be part of this work, and I truly recommend this book to you.

SPEAKER_00 22:47

We want to sincerely thank you for tuning in and sharing your time with us today. Our greatest hope is that today's discussion inspired your personal growth, encouraged you to share your unique gift, and gave you the courage to write your own magnificent story. If this message resonated with you, let's keep the conversation going. Take a moment to like, comment, and subscribe on YouTube and follow us on our Conversations That Make a Difference Facebook page. This will ensure you never miss a moment of inspiration. We air new episodes every Tuesday at 5 p.m. Eastern time. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe. It truly helps us reach and empower more people. Until next time, keep making a difference. We look forward to welcoming you back next Tuesday to our next conversation.