Hearing the stories of sex trafficking survivors provides an invaluable glimpse into the horrors of modern day slavery. In this interview, I speak with Molly, a young woman who had been sold for sex starting at just 16-years-old. Now, she has worked hard to overcome her past situation and is the owner of her own Etsy jewelry shop.
To start the interview, I wanted to give you the opportunity to explain your experience as a survivor of sex trafficking before diving into my questions. What is your story?
Hi! My name is Molly and I grew up in Reno, Nevada. I grew up in an abusive home with absent parents. CPS and the police were heavily involved in my life, sometimes being called up to 3 times a week. By the time I was 12 years old I was sleeping in parks or the ditch by my school bus stops because I did not want to go home when the abuse had escalated. I had some older friends that worked at the strip clubs who were able to get me a job there when I was just 16. After being in the strip clubs about 6 months I was invited to a house with a girl I had danced with, but when I arrived I walked into a house of men waiting for me. She had recruited me for her pimp. After they let me go, I had a broken eye socket, 4 broken ribs, cigarette burns up and down my body. I agreed to work for them out of fear. I ended up stuck in this lifestyle for 6 years.
Is this a difficult topic for you to talk about? What inspired you to share your story with those around you?
I have been in weekly therapy for about 4 years now so I have done a lot of processing and trauma work. Although it can still be hard to open up about the most vulnerable and traumatic parts of my life, I feel I have a duty to share my story in hopes of being able to help the girls and women who are still being trafficked.
What coercion tactics did your trafficker use to keep you from escaping or seeking outside help?
I had 3 different traffickers in the span of 6 years. They all used fear and threats to keep me stuck. It was such a head game. One minute they would tell me they loved me and would talk about our future and the next I was being beaten and sold.
Were there any signs that people around you ignored? How could they have helped?
This is such a hard question for me because there were so many people around me who failed me. The police, CPS, and educators who saw the signs of abuse growing up and in turn did nothing, The people who watched me get beaten on the side of the road in plain sight and did not call the police or speak up, The taxi drivers who drove me to the strip club or to meet johns every night but said nothing, The bystanders who assumed I was drunk when I ran screaming for help through a casino and did nothing. There were so many opportunities for someone to intervene and did not and that’s why I feel so passionately about being able to share my story with the hope of someone being able to intervene for the next girl.
What keeps you motivated in life despite all that you have been put through?
I am a mother of two kids now and they are the reason I have continued the hard work in therapy and keep me motivated to keep going on my hard days. They motivate me to be the best I can be for them and their futures.
What was your relationship with your family like at the time? Did they suspect anything was wrong?
My relationship with my family has always been strained and we still rarely communicate to this day. Some of my family suspected something was wrong but did not communicate with me enough to know (or care to ask). The foster family I was living with at the time definitely noticed and said they were scared for me but I refused to open up to them to let them know what was going on and I eventually moved out.
How did you ultimately escape trafficking?
I was introduced to an organization called Awaken through another survivor. They were able to help me escape my trafficker by getting me a plane ticket to North Carolina where I was able to get away and go to the hospital in a safe place and heal from injuries I had gotten and to be able to be out of the city that was harming me. Awaken helped provide me with free therapy that I still use now 4 years later. They provided me with community, a place to live while I healed, and the plane ticket that saved my life. I don’t think I would be here without them. I am so thankful for their resources and the life-long friendships I’ve gained through them.
Shifting gears to your current life, let’s talk about your jewelry business Made For More NV, Why did you decide to create and sell jewelry and be so open about your experience as a survivor of trafficking?
After escaping I did not feel safe sleeping at night for over a year. I would stay up all night to avoid the nightmares and make beautiful jewelry or paint. It was so therapeutic to be able to be surrounded by such beauty after escaping such darkness. I learned to find my voice again through meaningful jewelry and loved being able to tell me story through just a few words stamped on a gold bar. It has been very healing for me.
What was it like to transition from sex trafficking to owning your own business?
It has been a journey to say the least! I feel so blessed to be on this side of my healing and to be able to provide for my family with a business I believe in. This year I have been able to teach jewelry classes with other survivors and watch as the joy is sparked in them. It has been the most rewarding part so far.
What message do you hope your customers take away from your products?
When someone puts on Made For More NV Jewelry, They speak up for women like me as we work to find our own voices again and take my story into the world. My hope is that whenever you wear Made For More NV jewelry you are reminded to speak up for freedom from exploitation.
I think all of your necklaces are absolutely gorgeous! Which necklaces do you love most?
Thank you so much! My personal favorite is our custom bar with the words Speak Up. It holds so much meaning and a reminder for me about why I chose, and keeping choosing to speak up and I hope it inspires others to speak up as well.
What are you most looking forward to in life?
Living it! Being able to live freely with the two kids, going on adventures I could have never imagined, and giving and receiving love I never thought I’d have.
In your opinion, how can we best advocate against sex trafficking? What can the average person do to help eliminate the exploitation of other human beings?
Speaking up against something consistently makes it impossible for someone to put it into the back of their minds and able to spot and speak up for the next victim they come into contact with. It seems so small but it makes such a huge difference to those still in the life. Get educated on the signs of human trafficking and go with your gut, if something doesn’t seem right, It’s probably not. Speak up!
Thank you so much to Molly for sharing her story. You can support her jewelry business here.
