January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month. This year, we wanted to use this opportunity to amplify the words of the survivors we serve—to invite them to do the educating. We offered the prompt “What I need you to know is…” and invited survivors we’re walking alongside to respond with letters to the general public.
Throughout January, we’ll be publishing these letters in a blog series called “Letters from Survivors”—they are directly from survivors in the REST community—to you.
We did a little spelling/grammar editing to ensure the clarity of the message. We did not edit phrasing or content in order to keep their real, raw words.
This letter is from a survivor who participates in the programs at our Pathways Services Center. She wrote this:
I want to tell you about my pimp.
I want to tell you how much I loved him.
I would do anything to please him.
At first I only kind of liked him and we would only see each other in passing.
It wasn’t that serious.
But my pimp was patient.
He waited in the shadows for me.
He had a special way about him.
Before I knew it I would do anything to be with him.
I chased him—rain or shine.
I loved him and would do anything he asked.
I want to tell you about my pimp.
His name was opiates.