233 – Bella Hounakey: A Fierce Survivor Advocate

Dr. Sandie Morgan and Bella Hounakey discuss how the trauma that survivors face is often overlooked by law enforcement. They go into detail about the language that is used in court and how it has the opportunity to bring a survivor justice or to fail them. Hounakey also describes how a community has the ability to change the direction of a survivor's life when they come around them and lift them up. Bella Hounakey Bella Hounakey is a fierce advocate of anti-trafficking initiatives to combat and abolish human trafficking. As a survivor herself, she understands the adverse impact of trafficking. This empathy has guided her career and interests to support policies that contribute to supporting victims as they navigate life after victimization. Bella currently serves on two Human Trafficking Council- she’s a member of the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking and Framework -training and technical assistance project aimed at building capacity to address labor trafficking in the United States.  As part of the Council, Bella worked with the Trump Administration on an Executive Order on Combating Human Trafficking and Online Child Exploitation. Her goals remain steadfast: raise awareness, reduce the risk of victimization, educate members of the judicial system and general public, and advocate for victim protection and treatment. Bella received a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and Spanish; and a Master’s degree from Western Michigan University. Key Points It is important to educate others on the toll trafficking takes on a victim's mind. It can be very difficult mentally/physically for a survivor to testify in court against. their captor. In court, the words used to present victims have to ability to be very detrimental. When a community comes around a survivor they have the ability to give them an opportunity to live a normal life. Resources The U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking 2020 Report Bella Hounakey's Speech At Summit On Human Trafficking Are you enjoying the show? 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 number 233, Bella Hounakey, a fierce survivor advocate.   Production Credits [00:00:09] Produced by Innervate Learning, Maximizing Human Potential.   Dave [00:00:30] Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. My name is Dave Stachowiak.   Sandie [00:00:35] And my name is Sandie Morgan.   Dave [00:00:38] And this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in ending human trafficking. Today, we are honored to bring a story from a survivor here to the podcast. I'm so glad to welcome Bella Hounakey to the show today. She is a fierce advocate of anti-trafficking initiatives to combat and abolish human trafficking. As a survivor herself, she understands the adverse impact of trafficking. This empathy has guided her career and interests to support policies that continue supporting victims as they navigate through life after victimization. Bella currently serves on two human trafficking councils. She's a member of the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking, and Framework, a training and technical assistance project aimed at building capacity to address labor trafficking in the United States. As part of the council, Bella worked with the Trump administration on an executive order on combating human trafficking, and online child exploitation. Her goals remain steadfast. Raise awareness, reduce risk of victimization, educate members of the judicial system and the general public,

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