Equality and Justice: Taina Bien-Aimé on Ending Human Trafficking

In a world where many, particularly women and girls, face the horrors of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, efforts to combat these injustices must go beyond addressing individual acts of violence to dismantle the systemic structures that perpetuate inequality and harm. We’re all in this together, and each of us has a role to play in creating a future where every woman and girl can live without fear, oppression, or prejudice, thereby upholding the inherent dignity of all humanity. Everyone has the right to live a life free of violence and discrimination. In this episode, we discuss Taina Bien-Aimé’s journey, human trafficking at national and global levels, its deeper roots and struggles, and the hope for change. Taina, with three decades of experience defending the rights of women and girls, is the executive director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW). CATW is a leading international organization dedicated to ending trafficking and commercial sex exploitation as forms of gender-based violence and discrimination.  Before CATW, Taina was involved with Equality Now for 20 years, serving as a founding board member and later as executive director. She has also worked at HBO and practiced international corporate law at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. Taina holds a Juris Doctorate from NYU School of Law and a political science degree from the University of Geneva. Her work has earned her numerous awards, including being named one of the 2021 inaugural "Under 50 Women Who Have Made Social Impact."  Note: This conversation touches on sexual violence, and while it’s never our goal to sensationalize the trauma of this topic, we strive to speak truthfully about the damage being done.  Tune in! Resources Mentioned in the Episode Correlation Against Trafficking in Women (CATW): https://catwinternational.org/ THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS: https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights  Key Highlights From The Show: [00:01] Intro and a quick bio of the guest, Taina Bien-Aimé [04:53] Taina's background and how she got into this work   [12:45] The three key areas of CATW's work against trafficking women [17:23] A pivotal moment in Taina's career when she faced limitations [23:08] Why commercial sex exploitation is a harmful cultural practice [27:23] Exploitation of women and girls in the US Vs. other countries [32:52] Sexual exploitation in the US Vs. EU countries [35:29] Men that Tiana counts as strong partners in her work [40:25] Men’s responsibility towards the norms that perpetuate sexual exploitation [41:56] Tiana's perspective on the root of sexual exploitation and sex buying [35:34] The real road to end sexual exploitation, what needs to start and stop [48:30] The shoulders that Tiana stands on in the work that she does    [53:10] What keeps Tiana grounded and gives her life and energy [55:22] Tiana’s parting words to all men on equality [57:42] Wrap up and end of the show Standout Quotes: “From the time they are in grade school, girls are taught to be submissive sexually and boys are taught to dominate through the images and statements on social media and elsewhere creating cognitive dissonance.” - [21:09] “If you discriminate against a group of human beings for whatever reason, you are dehumanizing them and anything can be done to that group of people because you justify it.”- [23:54] “We profit from the sex trade so much because we don’t ask ourselves who is being bought, who is doing the buying, and who is getting harmed, it’s almost a form of femecide because we’re not interested in quantifying the harm.”- [31:08] “It’s not just the men who buy into the benign nature or inevitability of prostitution, we’re all in this together.”- [41:04] “Change can happen and does happen.”- [54:22] “We can never ever reach equality if sex buying is allowed, tolerated, and celebrated.”- [56:49] Let’s Connect   www.epikproject.org @epikproject Taina Bien-Aimé LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taina-bien-aim%C3%A9-2133238