Free-Them Blog

Survivor, Robin Zee survived the sex trade, but continues to battle navigating the supports needed to battle the scars. Zee shares on trauma, triggers, and PTSD while also highlighting the difficulties surrounding gaining and keeping support in a cracked and long broken mental health system.

Although the official day and month for celebrating women has passed, it can be said that women should be celebrated every day of every month of every year, as we continue the fight for women’s rights. Highlighted are some of the organizations and women who have dedicated their lives’ work to fight and bring an end to human trafficking.

The night of April 14, 2014, was a terrifying one for 276 mostly female Christian students who were kidnapped from a secondary school located in the quiet town of Chibok in the northeastern state of Borno, Nigeria. Some of the girls managed to jump off the truck during transport, while others remained captive. Only 57 girls were able to escape in the first few months following the kidnapping.

Survivor, Robin Zee escaped the sex trade over 25 years ago, but the trauma associated with nearly three decades in the trade have left her in a constant battle with inner demons. Robin shares her struggles and addresses the lack of resources available to human trafficking survivors.

The United States observes the month of January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month and January 11th as its National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Although two of Canada’s provinces recognize February 22nd as its official day, nationally, Canada has yet to officially establish one.

As the pandemic swept across the globe in 2020 not everyone was granted equal support. Third world countries, already lacking in essential support and resources, have been fighting daily for their basic survival needs. Putting those already vulnerable and at-risk communities in a further state of desperation, let alone, in a spotlight for human traffickers.

A year in review with a year and forecast ahead. Learn more about how Free-Them continued to combat human trafficking in 2020 and what the nonprofit organization plans to accomplish in the year ahead.

From victim to survivor, Robin Zee was given the gift of two lives. Trafficked for over 30 years, Zee was finally granted a small window of opportunity to escape. Since then, her healing journey has continued alongside one of her greatest gifts.

Nevertheless she persisted. Human trafficking survivor, Robin Zee shares her raw truth surrounding life in and out of the sex trade. After 25 years, Zee finds a journal entry called, Listen which depicts Zee only several years after escaping the trade.

Excerpt from Robin Zee’s tell-all memoir, Borderline Me: Beyond the Edge: Blame the victim. It never occured to anyone to look beyond the surface. My acting out and suicide attempts never seemed to cause anyone much concern. I was a source of aggravation.

A simple and effective way to support survivors and those who are at risk, is to shop right from the comfort of your own home. By being intentional about where and how we shop, we can easily provide an equitable source of work for survivors while also continuing the fight against modern-day slavery. Shopping with intention allows us to take control by making a positive impact on the lives of others.

In Part 1 of Shirley Temple’s film role discussion, I concluded by bringing to light the heightened vulnerability of a child after having lost his or her parents. Miss Temple’s roles often portrayed her as an orphan. Due to a child’s delicate emotional state and lack of parental guidance once orphaned, they are more likely to fall into the traps of abusers.

Excerpt from Robin Zee’s tell-all memoir, Borderline Me: Beyond the Edge: My teen years were hell but then again so was my stolen childhood. There was nothing innocent about those years.

Excerpt from Robin Zee’s tell-all memoir, Borderline Me: Beyond the Edge: I had so many journals while I was lost, out in the world. Sadly life on the streets steals many things, journals being one of them. All those pages-lost into the place where all thrown away things go. I lost everything.

The new initiative set in motion by The Honourable Bill Blair and the Honourable Maryam Monsef in July 2020, specifically speaks to two opportunities to receive a portion of the $19M allocated to Women and Gender Equality and Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.

It seems that sex has been taking over the entertainment industry on a greater scale year after year. We have all heard the term “sex sells”. How has this term become so commonplace and even accepted? How has society become so desensitized to the point that many believe that the concept of using sex as a way to pull in audiences is acceptable, stretching age boundaries more and more? Has it always been this way? This post will perhaps open your eyes to certain nuances in film that may not have crossed your mind previously.

It would seem that #SaveTheChildren would be a welcome hashtag that everyone across the globe should use on the daily. However, the #SaveTheChildren hashtag itself has been associated with a variety of conspiracy theories, pedophilia sex rings as well as potentially triggering images of children being sexually exploited and/or abused.

Close your eyes and envision yourself on December 31, 2019. Did you ever in your life expect to see what 2020 had coming for us? I surely didn’t. It definitely brings new meaning to the phrase, “Hindsight 2020” doesn’t it? With so many unprecedented events taking place across the globe this year it’s hard to keep up to be honest.

Ontario rolled out an Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy in 4 parts. Premier Doug Ford, Associate Minister of Children and Women’s Issues, Jill Dunlop, and Solicitor General Sylvia Jones are responsible for the updated legislation which covers these four areas. We will now finish the series by examining Part 3 and 4 which includes: Part 3 - Protecting Victims and Part 4 - Supporting Survivors.

We do not only feed ourselves with food, but also with what we read, watch, the activities we participate in, the social circles we gather in and how we channel our interests and energy. These aspects play a huge role in forming our identity and perception whether we are conscious of their effects or not. Based on the choices we make for ourselves and how we guide our children, we all become a certain way. Media and popular entertainment influence our daily lives and upbringing as well as certain decisions we make and have been entangled in our habits and choices for numerous decades.