Rising Worldwide, a local group working to help survivors of human trafficking, has seen an increase in calls for help and services since the start of the Trump presidency. Most of the calls are from immigrants who were once trafficked and from members of the trans and broader 2SLGBTQIA+ community. In this piece, local anti-trafficking survivor leader Jess Torres, who serves as Rising’s director of programs, writes about the uptick in calls the organization is getting and highlights a Friday fundraising event that will showcase and explore survivor stories and offer a chance for the community to unite to help them.
Jess Torres
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Remembering Deborah Pembrook, Santa Cruz’s anti-trafficking matriarch
Santa Cruz — and the world — lost a “matriarch” of the anti-human-trafficking movement when Deborah Pembrook died suddenly in April. Pembrook, a survivor of child sex trafficking, escaped years of continuous exploitation by heading west and settling in Santa Cruz in 1989. She made a life out of helping survivors — including those in Santa Cruz — and devoted her time to pushing the nation to rethink how trafficking is approached. Jess Torres, a survivor who considers Pembrook a mentor, writes about her legacy and the work still to do.