Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Byrd.
Stephanie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Years ago, I attended a conference at Gordon College on William Wilberforce as part of the research for my master’s thesis. Wilberforce was a member of Parliament who spent his entire 47-year political career fighting tirelessly to end the British slave trade and abolish slavery.
At the conference, I learned about organizations such as International Justice Mission that were working to end modern-day slavery – known in legal terms as labor and sex trafficking. At the time, my impression was that human trafficking was a problem in other countries. I had heard, for example, about sex trafficking in southeast Asia. When I discovered that it was happening right here at home, I knew I had to join the fight to end human trafficking in America.
UnBound opened an office in Fort Worth, and I began volunteering as a community liaison. A few years into that, the work had become almost full-time for me, and I was asked to step into the role of director for UnBound Fort Worth.
My law degree has been helpful in navigating the legal aspects of identifying and advocating for victims, and the studies on Wilberforce have served as needed inspiration. Abolitionists in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century fought hard for many years at great personal sacrifice to see the end of the Atlantic slave trade. There is no reason to think it will be any different today. Anytime economic forces are at play – at root human trafficking is a matter of supply and demand – there is much to overcome.
Globally, human trafficking has been estimated to be a $150 billion industry. It is highly profitable, and hides in plain sight, making it relatively low-risk compared to other forms of criminal activity. However, as public awareness and pressure mount, momentum will eventually swing in favor of justice for modern-day slaves. It’s just a matter of time before we wake up as a society, recognize what is happening to the vulnerable among us, and say no more.
As director for UnBound Fort Worth, I oversee our prevention & awareness outreaches, professional trainings, and survivor advocacy. Our advocacy program for minors rescued from sex trafficking has been endorsed by the Governor’s Child Sex Trafficking Team and works closely with local law enforcement to provide 24-7 crisis response and ongoing case management, advocacy, and emotional support for survivors and their families. We are blessed to be part of survivors’ journeys to healing and restoration.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Effecting change always presents a challenge. However, we are fortunate to work with law enforcement and other first responders who are trauma-informed and victim-centered. That makes all the difference.
Collaboration is the other key piece in the fight against human trafficking. We are blessed to work in a community that cares about vulnerable people and comes together to prevent exploitation and address it when it occurs.
Working together with healthcare professionals, school faculty and staff, local faith communities, businesses, and other nonprofits is essential. No one organization can end human trafficking alone. It will take all of us working together to end trafficking and support survivors.
Please tell us about UnBound Fort Worth.
UnBound’s mission is to activate our community to fight human trafficking through prevention & awareness, professional training, and survivor advocacy.
Prevention & Awareness:
UnBound’s Youth Prevention Program provides school trainings and facilitates multi-week prevention groups for middle and high school students to empower them to stay safe from exploitation and trafficking. We train school staff to prevent and identify trafficking and equip parents to protect their children. UnBound also provides community awareness presentations.
Professional Training:
This past year we have responded to a growing number of requests from hospitals, emergency departments, and pregnancy centers for trainings specifically for frontline healthcare providers. Studies show that most trafficking victims encounter a healthcare professional while they are being trafficked, but hardly ever are they identified as victims.
Since it is essential that healthcare providers have the information and tools they need to identify victims and provide assistance, we offer certified training with continuing nursing education credit for medical professionals.
Survivor Advocacy:
UnBound Fort Worth has been endorsed by the Governor’s Child Sex Trafficking Team to provide 24/7, individualized, crisis response and ongoing trust-based advocacy to local child survivors of sex trafficking. We respond to requests from law enforcement to help meet the immediate needs of victims when they are rescued. UnBound assists during undercover sting operations and offers emotional support for victims and assistance connecting with emergency housing and long-term services and aftercare.
UnBound is a voice of hope for survivors and for a community that wants to be free from exploitation and trafficking.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would not have waited so long to get started! It is difficult to hear the stories of now-adult survivors who as young teens were being sexually exploited and had no one to turn to. As a society, we didn’t understand commercial sexual exploitation of children – now known as sex trafficking.
We weren’t looking for it, and we all too often wrote these kids off as rebellious teens. As the field of neuroscience has developed, and we better understand the impact of trauma on behavior, we are in a much better position to identify survivors and provide needed support and services.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5049 Trail Lake Dr., Suite 105,
Fort Worth, TX 76133 - Website: unboundnow.org
- Phone: 817-668-6462
- Email: fortworth@unboundnow.org
- Instagram: @UnBoundFortWorth
- Facebook: @UnBoundFortWorth
Image Credit:
Main photo: Rachel DeLira with StyleFW Pictures
Other photos: Photography by Gittings
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