236 – Strategic, Collaborative, and Resourced: A Conversation with Christa Foster Crawford

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. ---Dr. Sandie Morgan and Christa Foster Crawford discuss the different avenues in which human trafficking can be combatted; analyzing the approaches they adopt and how they vary. Dr. Morgan interviews Christa on her many books and how she founded Freedom Resource International. They discuss the four pillars of this organization and how they are implemented. Christa Foster Crawford Christa spends her days, and sometimes nights, empowering the anti-trafficking movement for greater effectiveness. She wears a lot of hats including teaching, training, writing, and speaking. A Harvard-trained lawyer, she helps direct the Payap Human Rights Law Center in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where she has lived for the past 20 years, and she is the founder of Freedom Resource International, an international consultancy. Key points Trafficking in Thailand is different then it is in the USA In Thailand those who are most vulnerable to trafficking normally lack citizenship or basic human rights; such as, being able to travel freely, having access to education, and being able to get work. A person does not truly have a choice unless there is more than one option. If we can build communities of wholeness, peace, and opportunity and address the underlying human rights deficiencies then we can hopefully reduce the demand for human trafficking. We can’t only focus on saving victims, we must also do our part to help lift them up and restore them. Resources Freedom Resource International Payap Human Rights Law Center Stopping the Traffick Finding Our Way through the Traffick So You Want to Rescue Child Sex Slaves… What You Need to Know BEFORE You Begin Freedom Collaborative Are you enjoying the show? Give us some feedback! Leave a comment and tell us what thought. If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe or rate the podcast on iTunes by clicking here. Click here for FAQs about podcasts and how to subscribe. Haven’t been receiving our newsletter? Visit our homepage to join today. Contact us with questions, comments, or suggestions at [email protected]. Transcript Dave [00:00:00] You’re listening to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast, this is episode 236, Strategic, Collaborative, and Resourced: a conversation with Christa Foster Crawford.   Production Credits [00:00:12] Produced by Innovate Learning, Maximizing Human Potential.   Dave [00:00:32] Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. My name is Dave Stachowiak.   Sandie [00:00:38] And my name is Sandie Morgan.   Dave [00:00:41] And this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in ending human trafficking. You’ve heard so many times on the show about the importance of partners. And today we’re so glad to welcome another one of our partners who has been working so diligently to support all of us in our efforts. I’m so glad to welcome today Christa Foster Crawford. She is the founder of Freedom Resource International and the associate director of the Payap Center for Human Rights Law. Christa spends her days and sometimes nights like she has today, empowering the anti-trafficking movement for greater effectiveness. She wears a lot of hats, including teaching, training, writing, and speaking. A Harvard-trained lawyer, she helps direct the Payap Human Rights Law Center in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where she has lived for the past 20 years. And she is the founder of Freedom Resource International and international consultancy. Christa, we’re so glad to welcome you to the show.   Christa [00:01:39] Thanks. It’s so great to be with you both.   Sandie [00:01:41] Well, Christa and I have known each other for a long time. I think we’ve only had a couple of in-person encounters. And I wish I’d known you when I did some studies in Chiang Mai back in like 2009. So, you’ve lived there for 20 years, and I’m really interested in understanding how that context shapes your approach to combating human trafficking.   Christa [00:02:10] I think context is everything. I think all of us came to this issue with a vision, a vision of wholeness and a better future, a vision of what we thought the problem was, and how we thought we would solve it. And it’s not until our feet hit the ground and our eyes are open and our minds are engaged to see what the real problem is, not just on the surface, but what’s in the background. What are the driving forces? What are some of the macro factors that are affecting individuals, harm? And so, I’ve seen both my paradigm and my understanding of what the problem and the solutions are. Change over time. And then I’ve also seen the problem itself change over the decades as well.   Sandie [00:02:53] So that brings up a really intriguing conversation that I’ve been having with some of my colleagues lately. If you knew then what you know now, what’s the biggest thing you would do differently?   Christa [00:03:08] Run,   Sandie [00:03:09] Run. OK.   Christa [00:03:13] No, I’m just kidding. It’s a hard fight. It’s a really difficult journey. I think anybody who’s been doing it as long as we have, knows that for every small success, we’ve had a lot of big failures. For every individual life changed, we’ve seen entire communities who still struggle to try to find true freedom and true resiliency and true change. And so, I don’t think we have to run. But I also think we should tread carefully and not run ahead of ourselves. And so, yeah, being prepared, being aware, being a constant learner and constantly questioning and evaluating and striving to do better, I think is really how we ought to be running this race. And not just the mad blind, you know, slapstick or whatever unfocused attempt to put out all the fires, but to really see, OK, what is the area in which we are both gifted and s...