Ep:#83 the power of human assets to prevent child trafficking

When someone has lived around the world as a young person, what sort of job do they go into as an adult? And what happens when someone sees something that then impacts them on a visceral level? Today I speak with Lucy McCray, CEO at the Freedom Story. The Freedom Story is an organization that works to prevent child trafficking in Northern Thailand. As a child growing up, Lucy became very aware of inequality, the raw reality for people experiencing poverty, and how where someone is born can dictate one’s life path. These realisations started to shape her life’s purpose. She talks about her move to Thailand, where she started to understand what statelessness means, and the implications of someone not having citizenship in any country in the world. We hear about the real reason for people being trafficked, what prevents trafficking from happening and how to prevent abuse and exploitation from taking place. Lucy talks about pity-based marketing versus stories that are more dignified for everyone. And then we move to the shocking truth of well-known brands who have been caught having child trafficking in their supply chains. Lucy tells us about a brand-new form of trafficking, which when you hear it, will realise you are exposed to it almost daily. And then how creating unlikely partnerships is providing a powerful anti-trafficking solution. It’s fascinating. This conversation proves that together we are stronger. And by thinking out of the box and giving people agency, you can scale impact. This is a podcast rooted in hope. Showing the power of purpose. And that when you tap into human assets, anything is possible. So grab that favourite beverage or throw on those running shoes, and here is Lucy. Please don’t forget to let us know what you think of this episode, leave a review and subscribe. If you would like to be reminded of future podcasts and other inspiring stories from TIE, join our newsletter here. If you would like to pre-order Return on Humanity: Leadership lessons from all corners of the earth, you can do that here.