19 – Runaway Girl

This episode is brought to you by Vanguard University and the Global Center for Women and Justice, who offer an incredible anti-human trafficking certificate. Whether you're a frontline responder, a social worker, in the ministry, a healthcare provider, or simply a community member who wants to help, this program is built for you. Head over to gcwj.org/ahtc to take the next step and apply today. ---Survivors provide an important perspective on how we can work to end human trafficking. Sandie and Dave are joined by Carissa Phelps and Mariana Smirnova to discuss survivor empowerment and state and national legislation to address human trafficking. Speakers Carissa Phelps Carissa Phelps, Runaway Girl, Inc.’s founder and CEO, strives for social impact. She is a licensed attorney, author, trainer, consultant and small business owner. Carissa’s fearless leadership in the survivor community has led to an increased level of awareness among communities, as well as improved legislation and responses to human trafficking victims, especially children. In 2012, Carissa, founded Runaway Girl, Inc., a training company that offers survivor-led experiential trainings to individuals and communities. Runaway Girl, Inc. has offered hope to survivors through opportunities to lead in their own communities. As a social purpose corporation, the company has a charitable purpose to improve outcomes and create opportunities for runaway and homeless youth. Carissa’s inspiring memoir Runaway Girl: Escaping Life on the Streets, One Helping Hand at a Time, has been instrumental in changing countless hearts and minds. In 2008, she co-produced the award winning short documentary that took her back to the streets where she was trafficked at 12 years old. Her memoir and film are used as tools to train and teach by organizations worldwide. In 2007, Carissa earned both a Juris Doctorate and MBA from UCLA. In 2010, she was named one of the top 100 inspirational graduates by UCLA Anderson School of Management. She holds a BA in mathematics summa cum laude from Fresno State, and in 2013 she was celebrated as a Top Dog by the university. Carissa lives on the Central Coast of California, where she creates and contributes to positive impact businesses as a social entrepreneur. Mariana Smirnova Mariana has nine years of experience in human rights and compliance issues in supply chains, including human trafficking, conflict minerals, and raw materials traceability. Her expertise includes leading global collaborative projects, program management, policy analysis, standards and audit tool development, training, capacity-building, and research. Previously Marianna managed the raw materials and extractives auditing and advisory services program at UL’s Responsible Sourcing group. Marianna has a Master’s in International Public Affairs from the University of Wisconsin. Key Points Exploited people can become the exploiter, carrying on and normalizing what has been done to them. Carissa’s book, Runaway Girl, is honest and open to the struggle of trying to figure out the world. It’s important to understand the circumstances that survivors faces, which lead to their exploitation, and to not blame or shame them. A state policy trend is vacating and expunging criminal records for survivors so they can move on with their lives and decrease the barriers they face. Survivors need to be at the table and need to be part of the conversation to understand how to end human trafficking. Many victims not only face not having a family, but once victimized, also losing their community. Resources Runaway Girl: Escaping Life on the Streets, One Helping Hand at a Time by Carissa Phelps California Transparency in Supply Chains Act Ep. 17 – California Transparency in Supply Chains Act Love the show? Consider supporting us on Patreon! Become a Patron Transcript Dave [00:00:00] You’re listening to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. This is episode 19, recorded in January 2012. Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. My name is Dave Stachowiak. Sandie [00:00:28] And I am Sandie Morgan. Dave [00:00:29] And this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in ending human trafficking. Sandie, we are back for our very first episode of 2012 and our continued conversation on how to support the conversation on ending human trafficking. And it’s great to be back with you for our ongoing efforts to bring more light to this issue. Sandie [00:00:58] I’m really excited to be back. The Global Center for Women and Justice is off to a big start in 2012. One of the new features is we have a direct dial number that you can call and leave your questions and engage with us. That number is 714-966-6361. And of course, if you want to use email, you can always go to [email protected]. Dave [00:01:27] With the new year comes all kinds of new resources. And Sandie, before we jump in and welcome our guests today, because we do have a couple of guests that are joining. Sandie [00:01:36] I am very excited about that. Dave [00:01:36] Me, too. I know you wanted to mention something about the conference, which is coming up in just a couple of sh...