Exit Wound: The Journey of Exploitation and Beyond

So much of the conversation around trafficking and sexual exploitation involves women - women make up the majority of the victims and they also make up the majority of advocates and gender-based violence experts. Men, though they play a central role in these systems of exploitation, often don't seem interested in changing this toxic status quo. In this special edition of Exit Wound, Melanie invites three male allies - Cristian Eduardo, Alex Delgado, and Ali Bien-Aimé - to join her in exploring why men often take a backseat in these discussions and what we can all do to change this dynamic.

It’s the last episode of Exit Wound! And what better way to close out the season than to reflect on our then and our now? Melanie and survivor leaders Gabrielle Prieto, Shamere McKenzie, and Sunny Palmer sit down to reflect on their younger selves in “the life” - what they wish they had known about themselves and about the world. This emotional episode also celebrates how far each woman has come in her own journey as survivors and as leaders. This is the end of Exit Wound, but not the end of the story.Follow our work at the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women:https://catwinternational.org/ X (Twitter): @CATWIntlInstagram: catwintl Facebook: Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW)

Community outreach, grassroots organizing, starting your own nonprofit, legislative advocacy - these are all sectors where many survivors thrive after their traumatic experiences. But activism involves more than just being able to relate to a problem- it takes practice, research, dedication, and thick skin. In the penultimate episode of Exit Wound, Melanie and legendary feminist activist Ninotchka Rosca discuss the risks and rewards of being an activist, at any age or stage of life.

One of the things all sex trade survivors have in common is the need for exit services and aftercare. It’s also one of the things lacking in the great big city of New York. All survivors all need the same foundational trio - housing, money, and medical care. Melanie, survivor leader Nicole Potes Alvarado, and advocate Jayne Bigelsen dive deep into the various programs and organizations in the Big Apple and discuss what’s available - and what’s not - for sex trade survivors.The resources mentioned in the episode:The EMPOWER Center - https://bit.ly/3WRjPO6GEMS - https://www.gems-girls.org/Department of Youth and Community Development - https://bit.ly/3wAmqBtThe Door - https://www.door.org/Covenant House - https://www.covenanthouse.org/Safe Horizons https://www.safehorizon.org/streetwork/Restore - https://restorenyc.org/Mentari - https://www.mentariusa.org/Sanctuary for Families - https://sanctuaryforfamilies.org/Family Justice Centers - https://bit.ly/3QTQC13

Surviving sexual exploitation is a skill in and of itself, but turning that pain into a public speaking career that could include lobbying, legislative advocacy, panel discussions, training and workshops, council meetings – without having an emotional breakdown – is an art. Anyone can share their personal story, but sharing your personal story with the masses takes practice and patience with yourself. Melanie and survivor leader Katrina Massey discuss how to go from a survivor who shares their story amongst friends to a survivor who gives their own Ted Talks.

In this episode, Melanie and her guests, survivor leaders Abigail and Gina Cavallo, discuss a huge part of survivorhood: when and how to tell your story. You’ve found your voice, but what comes next? Now that you've told one person your story, everyone wants to ask you about it. When does it become too much? How do you separate the personal from the professional, when the professional is your personal? How do you tell your boss that you feel re-exploited every time they ask you to share your personal story? How do you answer the media's invasive questions? What do you do when it begins to feel like everyone is taking advantage of you? How do you find a survivor network and allies you can trust? Melanie, Abigail, and Gina break down how to maintain your personal boundaries in the professional survivor movement.

For survivors of sex trafficking and prostitution, the workplace can be a minefield of complicated emotions and interactions: You’ve got a job you worked so hard to get, but it’s not what you thought it would be. You feel like you don’t fit in. Your coworkers don’t understand what you’re feeling and judge you, your boss only calls on you to tell your story. You suffer with C-PTSD symptoms in the middle of the day and feel like you’re all alone. You’re stressed with deadlines, you can’t keep up, and you feel like running back to the streets because that’s the only place you feel “safe.” In this episode, Melanie and survivor leader Gina Cavallo unpack all these feelings and more, including the importance of finding a survivor community and genuine allies.

Many - if not all - sex trade survivors struggle with money insecurity at some point after exiting “the life.” It is extremely difficult for survivors to find their financial footing once they transition to being on their own, trying to live “square.” In this episode, Melanie and survivor leader Chantal La-Fon discuss everything regarding money insecurity, budgeting, and switching from a fast cash environment to a 9-5 lifestyle.

Survivors of sex trafficking and prostitution often struggle with their transition to an “average” lifestyle after leaving “the life”. They may miss their trafficker or miss their old friends. They may struggle to trust people or build healthy new relationships – and they often relapse back into the sex trade. In this episode, Melanie and survivor leaders Gabrielle Prieto & Chantal La-Fon cover all things related to this transitional period – relapse, emotional backsliding, vulnerabilities, and building new (or repairing old) relationships.

Not all sex trade survivors exit “the life” with a clean slate. Unfortunately, many survivors get caught up with the (in)justice system, often because of something their trafficker made them do. So what happens then? Is there a way to fight the system and defend yourself? How can you get a job if you have a record? In this episode, Melanie and survivor leader Shamere McKenzie discuss the realities of getting charged and/or labeled as "co-conspirators" with a trafficker, the complications that come with having a criminal record, the importance of trauma-informed legal aid, and how to rebuild your life when your slate isn’t legally clean.

This episode touches on all things relating to when an individual first exits the sex trade. Melanie and two survivor leaders (Doraina Rochford and Laura Mullen) get into the details, asking each other Remember when you first left “the life”? Can you remember how you felt? The first person you spoke to? The first place you went? They dive into the feelings of loneliness, isolation and other emotions, while navigating law enforcement, jail and juvenile detention centers, engaging with the hospital/medical systems, trying to find immediate services and much more.

In this episode, Melanie and her guests, Shandra Woworuntu and Laura Mullen, expand on what they’re seeing on the streets of New York City. They talk about the consequences of NYC’s current de facto decriminalization policy, the increase in street prostitution in East New York, the brothels in Jackson Heights, the illicit massage parlors (IMPs), their sting operations, and much more. Learn what’s actually happening on the streets – it’s not what they show in the movies.

This introductory episode lays the foundation of the entire podcast. Melanie and her guest Katrina Massey discuss all the myths and misconceptions our culture spews out about prostitution, trafficking and trafficking survivors: everything from Sound of Freedom, Taken, and Pretty Woman to the Wayfair, napkin, and zip tie conspiracy theories to the notion that “sex work” is empowering and much more. In this episode, Melanie and Katrina get into what makes survivors’ eyes roll, and the truths that they think the world should know.

Host Melanie Thompson introduces Exit Wound: The Journey of Exploitation and Beyond. Why this podcast? Why now?