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Thank you for tuning in to Voices
for Freedom,
 
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an anti-human trafficking podcast.
 
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We want to acknowledge
that the content we discuss
 
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can be emotionally challenging
and may evoke strong reactions.
 
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The stories we share often delve
into tough subjects related to human
 
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trafficking, which may be difficult
for some listeners to hear.
 
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Our goal is to raise awareness and promote
 
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understanding of the complexities
surrounding human trafficking.
 
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Listener discretion is advised.
 
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Coming up
 
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on Voices for Freedom,
an anti-trafficking podcast.
 
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This is a woman that was struggling
to make ends meet, was working in a job
 
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that was very low wage,
cleaning houses, met an Uber driver,
 
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befriended her and then eventually
asked her to move in with him.
 
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But that became
a very troubling situation.
 
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He was taking money from her, so
she moved out and found a place of safety.
 
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But he found her, as often traffickers do,
 
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and tracked her down, snuck into her room
at night, and threw acid on her.
 
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Welcome to Voices for Freedom,
 
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an anti-trafficking podcast,
brought to you by OUR Rescue.
 
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I'm Matt Osborne, global ambassador
for operations and education.
 
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And we have just been so thrilled
with how this podcast has gone so far
 
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and the episodes we've been able
to put on, to cover the depth
 
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and breadth of what we're doing
in the United States and around the world.
 
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Today, we have an extra special treat
but a lot of pressure
 
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now that I'm really feeling to interview
my new boss and our CEO, Tammy Lee.
 
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Tammy, thank you
so much for joining us in studio.
 
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And, as you know,
and I don't know if this is good or bad,
 
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I've been the longest
 
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serving member of Operation
Underground Railroad, almost ten years.
 
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So I think that puts me in a good position
to know what kind of leader we need,
 
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and I cannot tell you how excited I am
to have you on board.
 
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How has it been even
just in the first few weeks?
 
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We'll start with that question.
 
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Well Matt, thank you for welcoming me
to the podcast.
 
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It's been a phenomenal start at O.U.R.
and OUR Rescue.
 
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The people here are so committed
to mission, and I've been able to see
 
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up close the amazing work that we're doing,
not only here but around the world.
 
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And I think we're going to get to talk
about some of those excellent
 
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things that we're doing for survivors
today on this episode of the podcast.
 
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Well, thank you so much.
 
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And I know you've done
a couple interviews already.
 
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There have been some press articles.
 
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But for our audience
 
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who is getting to know you
for the first time, if you wouldn't mind,
 
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talk to us a little bit
about your extensive background.
 
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Maybe first, just as CEO and even before
that, and then we can transition to why
 
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anti-human trafficking issues are so near
and dear to your heart
 
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and a great part of your previous
background, expertise, and skill set.
 
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Well, thank you.
 
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And it's so exciting to be here,
leading OUR Rescue.
 
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As I mentioned, I'm
so privileged to be working with you
 
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and with this team,
and this really is my life calling.
 
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I started out my career in TV news
and then crossed over to politics,
 
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but I've always been a very
mission-driven person.
 
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I spent a lot of time working
in the airline and travel industry,
 
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and, as you know,
the airline industry and hospitality
 
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companies
are absolutely deeply committed to
 
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raising awareness of trafficking issues
and also being part of the solution.
 
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So when I worked for the airlines,
for Delta Airlines, Northwest Airlines -
 
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they do a lot in the airports
and a lot of training with the station
 
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managers to identify signs of trafficking
as well as with our flight crews,
 
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with the flight attendants and pilots.
 
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So, I got to be part of that work
when I worked in
 
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as head of global corporate affairs
for Northwest and Delta Airlines.
 
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Then when I went to Carlson Companies,
global hospitality company -
 
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they are well known for their work
in the anti-trafficking space.
 
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Marilyn Carlson Nelson
 
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was one of the earliest pioneers
in the anti-trafficking movement
 
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and really raising awareness.
And she - it's a privately held company.
 
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So in privately held companies,
 
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you have the liberty to do things
that you can't always in other companies.
 
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But she, against
the advice of the general counsel
 
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and the board, was adamant that Carlson
was going to be a leader on talking about
 
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anti-trafficking and anti-trafficking
in hotels. And general counsel and PR,
 
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all the people told her, "Do not do this
 
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because then people are going to think
that it's happening in our hotels.
 
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And she said, Matt,
"It is happening in our hotels.
 
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So if we don't do something about it,
if we don't rise up
 
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and be part of the solution,
we're part of the problem."
 
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Right, right.
 
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And I think that's so interesting
because so many of the service providers -
 
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airlines, hotels - human
 
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trafficking is happening in their face,
in front of them every single day.
 
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And as you know, at OUR Rescue,
we say, we have a phrase,
 
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"The eyes don't see
what the mind doesn't know."
 
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So if the mind doesn't know
that this is going on,
 
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the eyes would never see it.
 
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And we've had a chance in the past
with Air Asia over in Asia, with
 
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some of the hotel chains
as well, to talk about that type of issue,
 
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what to look
for, the signs of trafficking.
 
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But I'm curious
because, again, on this podcast,
 
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I've talked about my own experience
with the U.S.
 
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government, being asked to work
this issue back in 2006.
 
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And I admit I'm embarrassed
now still to say it.
 
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I thought it was prostitution.
 
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I thought it was volunteer
and willingness.
 
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Whoa was I wrong.
 
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So for you, what was it
when you first heard about this issue?
 
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What were your preconceived notions,
if you had any, before that?
 
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What really hit you over the head?
 
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And what was it that lit sort of a fire
in your heart to say regardless of what
 
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I'm doing in my future career
from that moment on, some part of
 
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it was going to be fighting
child exploitation and human trafficking?
 
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You know what's really interesting,
 
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I was really naive
when I came into the work
 
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I think. I thought this was something
that happened in countries far away.
 
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Same here.
 
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In dark alleys, in poor parts of the world.
 
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And it does happen there,
but it happens right in our own backyard.
 
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I live now between Minneapolis
and Salt Lake City,
 
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and there's a lot of organizations
that are involved in the anti-trafficking
 
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cause there
because any place that there's a port or
a port city or an airport,
 
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you have people
that are being trafficked
 
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right in your own backyard.
 
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So what I had to learn was,
this is not happening far away from us.
 
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It's happening everywhere.
 
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And while I was at Carlson,
 
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speaking of working with the government,
I got to be part of the White House
 
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Interagency Task Force
 
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to combat human trafficking. And
 
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Carlson, or Marilyn
 
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Carlson Nelson, was the very first person
to receive the award from the White House on that.
 
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That's right. That's right.
 
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And how long ago was that?
 
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That was back in 2014. Around that time.
 
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Which is really interesting
because, as you know,
 
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it was really only in the early 2000s
when our laws started to change to
 
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allow us to be more proactive, to allow us,
you know, I'm talking U.S.
 
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government,
Homeland Security Investigations, FBI.
 
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And then I think it was civil society
who was sort of leading that charge,
 
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but then afterwards, it was corporations,
wasn't it, who were thinking about this.
 
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And just to kind of wrap up a little bit
on sort of your career, what would you say,
 
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before OUR Rescue,
 
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what would you say
was your proudest moment or achievement
 
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in the fight against
 
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anti-human trafficking in terms
of some of the corporations
 
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you worked with and then what
you were able to do to shed light on this?
 
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Well, fortunately, we were in the position
to be a donor and a funder for a lot
 
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of this work, especially
 
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in the education and awareness area. And
 
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working with national NGOs and foundations
like the World Childhood Foundation,
 
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who really - they really are a leader
in this work. And everything
 
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takes resources and money to do that
good work. So to be a funder in that area.
 
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Also to get to speak out on the cause
and in support of the work that needs to be done.
 
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But now that I've come to OUR Rescue,
the things that I get to see
 
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every day -
every day is my next proudest moment.
 
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My first week here at corporate headquarters,
 
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I got to meet
with one of the survivors and meet her new baby.
 
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And to see her smile and her hope
 
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and what a wonderful mother she is,
 
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it just lit up my heart
and my soul to see that.
 
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So, every day is my next best day.
 
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Yeah and that's amazing.
 
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And that was one of the heroes
from Venezuela, Correct?
 
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And in one of our podcast episodes,
 
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we talk about that rescue in Haiti,
these amazing Venezuelan women.
 
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And yes, the fact that they now are happy
and healthy. As we get towards
 
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the end of the first segment,
 
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and we'll spend the next one
talking more about the really transition,
 
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but I want to go a little bit back.
 
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You've told me before you weren't
looking for a new job.
 
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You were happy where you were.
 
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What was it about then
 
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sort of Operation Underground Railroad?
 
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And then obviously we'll talk
about the transition to OUR Rescue.
 
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But what was it about our organization
when you saw the job offer?
 
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What intrigued you the most?
 
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And then, what were some of the things
that you were so excited about
 
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when you got here?
 
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You talked about mission,
but I just love your story,
 
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and you were like, "Hey, I was happy.
I wasn't looking for a job.
 
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I could have been just fine where I was."
 
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Yeah, you know, sometimes you get a calling
that you weren't looking for as you said.
 
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So, I own my own company.
 
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We manufacture cool therapy products
in Red Wing, Minnesota.
 
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And I love that work.
 
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There's a lot of mission behind that, too,
 
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in what we do with women's
health in particular.
 
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But this popped into my LinkedIn feed,
and I think it's
 
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because of the work
that I talked about with Carlson companies and
the airline.
 
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Something flagged an algorithm
that popped that into my inbox.
 
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So whether it was a LinkedIn algorithm or
a message from God, it showed up for me.
 
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And I hit the easy apply button and didn't think about it.
 
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Got a response from the recruiter
right away,
 
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but I ignored for six days in my inbox
because it was in my Gmail file.
 
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So, I had to have a really in-person
calling from her to remind me about this.
 
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And once I started the interview process
and saw the ten years of amazing work
 
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that Operation Underground Railroad,
now OUR Rescue, has been known for,
 
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boy this is something that I could not say
no to.
 
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And in fact, it wasn't just a not no,
it was an absolutely yes.
 
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I want to be part of this.
 
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That's amazing.
 
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And what we'll dive into a little more
in this episode is, again,
 
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what you bring to the table
in terms of possibilities for fundraising
 
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and corporations, centers for excellence,
but also the anti-human
 
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trafficking background.
 
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And then that idea of being able
to sit back sort of at a 30,000 foot view
 
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and see some of the changes.
So, very excited to have.
 
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We'll wrap up this
first segment of Voices for Freedom,
 
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an anti-trafficking podcast,
brought to you by OUR Rescue.
 
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Don't go anywhere. We'll be right back.
 
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A big thanks to our
 
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00:10:18,659 --> 00:10:22,246
sponsor OUR Rescue Store
for supporting our podcast.
 
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The OUR Rescue Store is committed
to responsibly sourcing products
 
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that ignite conversations
about human trafficking,
 
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raising awareness and contributing
to the movement against it.
 
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With more than enough colors, designs,
and items to choose from,
 
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there is definitely something for you.
Find something
 
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you'll be proud to own,
and be an advocate for change.
 
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Visit store.ourrescue.org and use
 
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00:10:48,189 --> 00:10:52,276
the promo code
Voices10 for 10% off your purchase.
 
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That's Voices10
on store.ourrescue.org.
 
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00:10:58,032 --> 00:11:01,869
And welcome back to Voices for Freedom,
and anti-trafficking podcast,
 
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00:11:01,869 --> 00:11:03,329
brought to you by OUR Rescue.
 
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We are interviewing our brand new CEO,
Tammy Lee.
 
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We're so excited to have you
at the helm of our organization.
 
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And last segment, we talked a little bit
about your background,
 
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both in the corporate world
as CEO of your own companies,
 
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focus on anti-human
trafficking initiatives, what it was about
 
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then Operation Underground Railroad
that caught your eye.
 
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00:11:21,889 --> 00:11:24,767
Now let's focus on the transition
to OUR Rescue.
 
223
00:11:24,767 --> 00:11:26,102
You've only been here a few weeks,
 
224
00:11:26,102 --> 00:11:28,729
but it's been so excited
to see the whirlwind of activity.
 
225
00:11:28,729 --> 00:11:29,689
What did you first
 
226
00:11:29,689 --> 00:11:33,317
see as the main items that needed to be
tweaked and changed,
 
227
00:11:33,651 --> 00:11:36,904
evolved? And perhaps, if you want,
we could even start internationally,
 
228
00:11:36,946 --> 00:11:38,364
sort of our original bread and butter.
 
229
00:11:38,364 --> 00:11:40,324
The basis of Operation Underground
 
230
00:11:40,324 --> 00:11:40,825
Railroad
 
231
00:11:40,825 --> 00:11:44,328
really
was about rescuing victims of slavery.
 
232
00:11:45,287 --> 00:11:46,163
And there are, you know,
 
233
00:11:46,163 --> 00:11:49,959
there are cultural connotations
that come with that here in the U.S.
 
234
00:11:49,959 --> 00:11:52,962
that don't maybe make as much sense
internationally.
 
235
00:11:53,087 --> 00:11:54,088
I know international operators
 
236
00:11:54,088 --> 00:11:57,717
have had to explain
what Operation Underground Railroad means.
 
237
00:11:58,092 --> 00:12:02,930
So really trying to respond
to being a globally-focused organization
 
238
00:12:03,264 --> 00:12:06,767
but also culturally sensitive
to the Americas.
 
239
00:12:06,767 --> 00:12:08,018
Yeah, absolutely.
 
240
00:12:08,018 --> 00:12:12,106
And again, as we've always said, right,
it was only with the most esteem
 
241
00:12:12,106 --> 00:12:14,275
and respect
for those heroes of the movement
 
242
00:12:14,275 --> 00:12:17,027
at that time with the underground
railroad. But absolutely.
 
243
00:12:17,027 --> 00:12:18,988
So this transition now to OUR Rescue -
 
244
00:12:18,988 --> 00:12:20,406
I was fortunate for years
 
245
00:12:20,406 --> 00:12:24,285
to be involved in international operations
to see kind of how we did it back then.
 
246
00:12:24,285 --> 00:12:27,747
Obviously, Sound of Freedom,
the movie, got a lot of acclaim
 
247
00:12:27,747 --> 00:12:28,914
and a lot of focus, which is good,
 
248
00:12:28,914 --> 00:12:31,167
but, you know, that
that operation was nine years ago
 
249
00:12:31,167 --> 00:12:33,377
and we've evolved
even before you coming on.
 
250
00:12:33,377 --> 00:12:37,715
But what I love now is seeing how
you are empowering our international team
 
251
00:12:37,715 --> 00:12:38,716
first and foremost.
 
252
00:12:38,716 --> 00:12:39,884
Do you want to talk
a little bit about that
 
253
00:12:39,884 --> 00:12:41,010
and what you're most excited
 
254
00:12:41,010 --> 00:12:44,013
about seeing in the various regions
in which we're operating overseas?
 
255
00:12:44,388 --> 00:12:48,434
Yeah, there's so much exciting work happening
internationally, and I think at the roots,
 
256
00:12:49,101 --> 00:12:51,520
a lot of the operations,
and you were part of them,
 
257
00:12:51,520 --> 00:12:56,358
were really about going in and kind of
kicking down doors and rescuing victims.
 
258
00:12:56,734 --> 00:13:00,112
And then, of course, arresting their
traffickers and putting them in jail.
 
259
00:13:00,613 --> 00:13:05,326
We still may do some of that rescue work,
but we're doing it much differently
 
260
00:13:05,409 --> 00:13:08,662
than we have in the past.
And whether it's international or here
 
261
00:13:08,662 --> 00:13:12,708
in the Americas, we really work
in partnership with law enforcement.
 
262
00:13:13,542 --> 00:13:14,376
So we link arms with them.
 
263
00:13:14,376 --> 00:13:17,379
We're not going in
as independent operators,
 
264
00:13:17,546 --> 00:13:19,799
knocking down doors
and doing this on our own.
 
265
00:13:19,799 --> 00:13:23,344
This is really done in partnership
and collaboration with law enforcement,
which I know you've seen firsthand.
 
266
00:13:24,929 --> 00:13:25,971
Absolutely.
 
267
00:13:25,971 --> 00:13:26,555
Yeah, and it's good.
 
268
00:13:26,555 --> 00:13:30,100
And I think that there's unfortunately
still a misconception sometimes
 
269
00:13:30,351 --> 00:13:32,645
that we're a vigilante organization,
right?
 
270
00:13:32,645 --> 00:13:33,854
Absolutely false.
 
271
00:13:33,854 --> 00:13:36,565
Has never been that way
even since the very beginning.
 
272
00:13:36,565 --> 00:13:38,984
We go in through the front door
or we don't go in at all.
 
273
00:13:38,984 --> 00:13:42,071
But what I love now is seeing
you start to spearhead this movement
 
274
00:13:42,321 --> 00:13:46,992
of putting more assets
overseas, hiring locals who have, again,
 
275
00:13:46,992 --> 00:13:49,370
the cultural sensitivity,
and let's be honest,
 
276
00:13:49,370 --> 00:13:51,872
allow us to stretch our donor dollars
farther.
 
277
00:13:51,872 --> 00:13:53,165
Salaries are less, right?
 
278
00:13:53,165 --> 00:13:55,125
You're not flying people overseas.
 
279
00:13:55,125 --> 00:13:58,587
What are you
most excited about in terms of our new,
 
280
00:13:58,712 --> 00:14:02,424
you know, senior vice
president of global rescue and survivor
 
281
00:14:02,424 --> 00:14:04,051
support, the teams that we already have,
 
282
00:14:04,051 --> 00:14:07,054
and those that you are starting to build
now with some of our new hires?
 
283
00:14:07,429 --> 00:14:08,681
Well yeah, the very first week
 
284
00:14:08,681 --> 00:14:11,767
here at headquarters,
the first hire announcements that I made
 
285
00:14:11,767 --> 00:14:15,312
were the international global operations
and survivor care team.
 
286
00:14:15,604 --> 00:14:18,440
So I think that shows
the level of importance that I put on that
 
287
00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:20,234
as part of our mission.
 
288
00:14:20,234 --> 00:14:23,571
But what is equally important
and how we really evolve
 
289
00:14:23,612 --> 00:14:27,491
beyond the rescue operations, which are
critically important, we will do those.
 
290
00:14:28,117 --> 00:14:30,411
Also, the support
we do for law enforcement.
 
291
00:14:30,411 --> 00:14:33,205
But putting survivor care on
 
292
00:14:33,205 --> 00:14:37,251
equal par with the rescue operations
or partnerships with law enforcement.
 
293
00:14:37,543 --> 00:14:38,961
That is an evolution of how
 
294
00:14:38,961 --> 00:14:41,505
we think about the brand
and how we think about our mission.
 
295
00:14:41,505 --> 00:14:42,298
And by
 
296
00:14:42,298 --> 00:14:46,051
moving from Operation Underground
Railroad to OUR Rescue,
 
297
00:14:46,385 --> 00:14:47,928
we're really talking about "our"
 
298
00:14:47,928 --> 00:14:49,346
as the collaboration between
 
299
00:14:50,431 --> 00:14:52,641
our organization and law enforcement,
 
300
00:14:52,641 --> 00:14:55,603
the collaboration between us
and the country leads,
 
301
00:14:55,686 --> 00:14:59,565
the collaboration between the country leads and ops
and how they work
 
302
00:14:59,565 --> 00:15:01,483
with our survivor care teams.
 
303
00:15:01,483 --> 00:15:04,904
So "our" is really inclusive
about how we view our mission
 
304
00:15:05,154 --> 00:15:07,156
and how we actually do our mission.
 
305
00:15:07,156 --> 00:15:10,743
I think that it's important to
emphasize that this
 
306
00:15:10,743 --> 00:15:14,622
has been going on
in so many parts of the world already.
 
307
00:15:14,872 --> 00:15:17,416
It just didn't get the focus.
It just didn't get the stories.
 
308
00:15:17,416 --> 00:15:20,419
And we'll talk a little bit in a minute
about how we're going to focus on stories,
 
309
00:15:20,461 --> 00:15:23,047
but what I think is amazing -
and I hope you get out there
 
310
00:15:23,047 --> 00:15:25,299
soon - is to see the gold standard
of our international team,
 
311
00:15:25,299 --> 00:15:27,343
which is our Thailand
team, right, as you've seen.
 
312
00:15:27,343 --> 00:15:29,261
And that's something
we've worked on for years,
 
313
00:15:29,261 --> 00:15:32,264
and what I love now
about what Tammy's doing is saying, okay,
 
314
00:15:32,389 --> 00:15:35,476
let's replicate what
we've done in Thailand and other places
 
315
00:15:35,684 --> 00:15:38,854
because, again, it's
going to be much better to have locals
 
316
00:15:38,854 --> 00:15:41,982
in country working
with their law enforcement counterparts
 
317
00:15:42,149 --> 00:15:46,070
than, again, just flying people from Texas
or Utah or Minneapolis or however.
 
318
00:15:46,278 --> 00:15:50,407
But the question I want to ask
now is, what you've seen in terms of cyber,
 
319
00:15:50,407 --> 00:15:54,244
the need for digital forensics, for cyber
expertise, open source intelligence.
 
320
00:15:54,453 --> 00:15:56,497
I know you're talking about a center
for excellence
 
321
00:15:56,497 --> 00:15:59,041
centered around
just an amazingly qualified
 
322
00:15:59,041 --> 00:16:02,002
gentleman who worked for almost 20 years
with the Department of Justice.
 
323
00:16:02,002 --> 00:16:02,920
But what have you seen
 
324
00:16:02,920 --> 00:16:06,757
now as you've come in, in terms
of the importance of the cyber aspect,
 
325
00:16:06,757 --> 00:16:10,386
the online aspect in fighting child
exploitation and human trafficking?
 
326
00:16:10,678 --> 00:16:13,180
Well Matt, that's a really good point
because as we've evolved
 
327
00:16:13,180 --> 00:16:17,267
from kicking down doors to do the rescues,
so much more of the work that we do
 
328
00:16:17,267 --> 00:16:20,187
is technology-based and technology-focused.
 
329
00:16:20,187 --> 00:16:23,232
So creating a center of excellence around
cyber operations
 
330
00:16:23,232 --> 00:16:26,235
really allows us to do that
in partnership with law enforcement.
 
331
00:16:26,527 --> 00:16:30,155
So while we have a center of excellence
that's based in Florida primarily,
 
332
00:16:30,447 --> 00:16:34,118
but with also some NGO partners
and expertise in Washington, D.C.,
 
333
00:16:34,994 --> 00:16:38,080
those partnerships will also extend
to in-country operations
 
334
00:16:38,998 --> 00:16:43,419
for cyber ops and providing local law
enforcement with the tools that they need,
 
335
00:16:43,752 --> 00:16:49,258
whether it's technology tools or ability
to analyze data that they're getting.
 
336
00:16:50,259 --> 00:16:52,553
That's
such a critical part because we've moved
 
337
00:16:52,553 --> 00:16:55,848
from being kind of brute force
to high tech.
 
338
00:16:55,848 --> 00:16:59,351
And that's the evolution that we're making
with the Center for Cyber Operations.
 
339
00:16:59,643 --> 00:17:01,395
Yeah and that's one thing that I've seen
 
340
00:17:01,395 --> 00:17:04,732
and, again, just tangentially leading
these undercover operations for years
 
341
00:17:04,982 --> 00:17:08,652
is how much of it has gone online,
for certain overseas
 
342
00:17:08,944 --> 00:17:10,446
but also in the United States.
 
343
00:17:10,446 --> 00:17:11,947
And that's a good pivot
 
344
00:17:11,947 --> 00:17:16,660
now to what you're most excited
about in terms of our domestic program.
 
345
00:17:16,660 --> 00:17:18,203
Obviously, we're gonna have a podcast episode
 
346
00:17:18,203 --> 00:17:20,289
on our K9 dogs;
who doesn't love the dogs?
 
347
00:17:20,289 --> 00:17:24,585
But, as you see domestically and have come
to learn that OUR Rescue is as active,
 
348
00:17:24,585 --> 00:17:26,795
if not more active, in the United States
than around the world,
 
349
00:17:26,795 --> 00:17:28,756
and now you're getting to see it
firsthand.
 
350
00:17:28,756 --> 00:17:32,092
Yeah, so what we do in the Americas
really is those deep
 
351
00:17:32,092 --> 00:17:35,095
partnerships with law enforcement
and supporting them and supporting their needs.
 
352
00:17:35,304 --> 00:17:38,015
What I'm also excited about
is we're working
 
353
00:17:38,015 --> 00:17:41,393
with a lot of other nonprofits that
are active in this space,
 
354
00:17:41,685 --> 00:17:45,189
where we're going to link arms with them
to give them additional bandwidth.
 
355
00:17:45,439 --> 00:17:48,609
So even though we're creating
some of our own centers of excellence,
 
356
00:17:48,942 --> 00:17:52,488
we're also partnering with others
that are already excellent in that area
 
357
00:17:52,821 --> 00:17:56,325
so that we can achieve a broader mission
without having to build it ourselves,
 
358
00:17:56,325 --> 00:17:59,369
and that's something that
I'm really excited about here in the U.S.
 
359
00:17:59,661 --> 00:18:02,790
And you and I were at an event
last night - a state in the southwestern
 
360
00:18:02,915 --> 00:18:05,626
part of the United States -
and we saw that, didn't we? Where we had
 
361
00:18:05,626 --> 00:18:09,004
OUR Rescue give our presentation
about our global and domestic support
 
362
00:18:09,171 --> 00:18:12,174
but then someone in state government
would talk, then someone in aftercare.
 
363
00:18:12,174 --> 00:18:14,134
And that really is the focus.
 
364
00:18:14,134 --> 00:18:17,763
It's also to showing that
we are all about collaboration;
 
365
00:18:17,763 --> 00:18:19,348
we're all about inclusivity.
 
366
00:18:19,348 --> 00:18:22,351
I, for the many years,
saw some of the criticism and thought,
 
367
00:18:22,351 --> 00:18:24,144
"Well, maybe a little bit of
that is fair.
 
368
00:18:24,144 --> 00:18:25,395
Most of it's unfair."
 
369
00:18:25,395 --> 00:18:28,440
But now, I think there should be no doubt
that we want to partner
 
370
00:18:28,440 --> 00:18:31,443
with anyone, don't we, who's
willing to work and advance this cause.
 
371
00:18:31,443 --> 00:18:35,322
And we're willing also to offer our tools
and expertise to ensure that we're always
 
372
00:18:35,322 --> 00:18:36,782
about collaboration. That's right.
 
373
00:18:36,782 --> 00:18:39,326
And that's why this pivot to OUR Rescue
 
374
00:18:40,619 --> 00:18:43,205
is really important. And even the logo -
 
375
00:18:43,205 --> 00:18:44,998
people are very familiar with our logo.
 
376
00:18:44,998 --> 00:18:48,001
It's very recognizable,
but it has been more
 
377
00:18:48,001 --> 00:18:50,963
of that sort of heavy chain link look to it
 
378
00:18:51,755 --> 00:18:54,716
which fit with Operation
Underground Railroad.
 
379
00:18:54,716 --> 00:18:56,760
Now you see a softening of that.
 
380
00:18:56,760 --> 00:19:00,973
And instead of really focusing on it
as a chain that we're trying to break,
 
381
00:19:01,473 --> 00:19:04,476
looking at some of those links in
there as how we link
 
382
00:19:04,601 --> 00:19:08,272
arm withs other partners, with law enforcement,
with survivor care organizations.
 
383
00:19:08,272 --> 00:19:11,817
So not only evolving the brand
but evolving
 
384
00:19:11,817 --> 00:19:14,820
how we talk about our logo
and marks as well.
 
385
00:19:14,862 --> 00:19:16,488
Yeah, and I love that. In the past,
 
386
00:19:16,488 --> 00:19:17,906
right, we're breaking the chain. Now
 
387
00:19:17,906 --> 00:19:20,159
we're going to build the chain,
fill in the chain here on
 
388
00:19:20,159 --> 00:19:23,912
the you U and the R. In our last segment,
we'll talk more about survivor care.
 
389
00:19:23,912 --> 00:19:24,663
I want to keep that.
 
390
00:19:24,663 --> 00:19:27,374
So in the time we have left
in this segment, two last issues.
 
391
00:19:27,374 --> 00:19:30,294
One, you talk about centers
for excellence, our cyber center
 
392
00:19:30,294 --> 00:19:33,714
in Florida. Do you care to talk about
something that I'm excited about,
 
393
00:19:33,714 --> 00:19:36,925
and it's your background as well,
lobbying, Washington, government,
 
394
00:19:37,050 --> 00:19:38,635
and also fundraising, corporate?
 
395
00:19:38,635 --> 00:19:40,929
Maybe the two other centers
for excellence, for now.
 
396
00:19:40,929 --> 00:19:44,808
Hopefully there will be more in terms
of those vital - how do you advocate for
 
397
00:19:44,808 --> 00:19:48,896
legislation and policy? And let's be honest,
how do you raise the lifeblood - donations -
 
398
00:19:49,021 --> 00:19:50,898
to allow us
to support partners in the U.S.
 
399
00:19:50,898 --> 00:19:51,982
and around the world?
 
400
00:19:51,982 --> 00:19:54,193
Well thank you for that question
because we're really excited
 
401
00:19:54,193 --> 00:19:57,237
about some of the partnerships
we're already building in Washington, D.C.
 
402
00:19:57,237 --> 00:20:01,074
So we will have a center of excellence
there around education and advocacy,
 
403
00:20:01,617 --> 00:20:05,913
how we partner, how we pass laws
that get at the traffickers.
 
404
00:20:05,913 --> 00:20:09,666
And also, a lot of the laws are around
cyber crimes and
 
405
00:20:10,209 --> 00:20:12,085
sexually explicit material.
 
406
00:20:12,085 --> 00:20:17,132
So we're going to be working with
other nonprofits and be a very vocal force
 
407
00:20:17,132 --> 00:20:20,636
on Capitol Hill to help get some of these
legislative changes to happen.
 
408
00:20:21,136 --> 00:20:25,015
In terms of the advancement,
there's a lot of expertise in Minneapolis.
 
409
00:20:25,015 --> 00:20:27,476
There's a lot of expertise here
in Salt Lake City.
 
410
00:20:27,476 --> 00:20:28,101
But
 
411
00:20:28,101 --> 00:20:31,813
you and I have talked about, too,
centers of excellence might be around
 
412
00:20:31,813 --> 00:20:34,816
content area,
but they don't have to be location and.
 
413
00:20:35,359 --> 00:20:35,817
and place-based per say.
 
414
00:20:35,817 --> 00:20:40,572
And I'm really excited what you and I are
working on is a new center in Texas focused
 
415
00:20:40,822 --> 00:20:43,367
because there's a lot of interest
there. We've got a lot of support.
 
416
00:20:43,367 --> 00:20:46,370
So sometimes we call it a center,
but it's not place-based.
 
417
00:20:46,495 --> 00:20:47,663
It's really focus-based.
 
418
00:20:47,663 --> 00:20:50,666
And that's what this Mission
Advancement Center is all about.
 
419
00:20:50,874 --> 00:20:51,583
Yeah, absolutely.
 
420
00:20:51,583 --> 00:20:53,252
And I'm proud Texan, North Texas and,
 
421
00:20:53,252 --> 00:20:56,421
you see, that's the confluence of people
with the heart and the means.
 
422
00:20:56,546 --> 00:20:58,799
We have a lot of domestic needs there.
 
423
00:20:58,799 --> 00:21:01,343
Obviously the Mexican border issue,
all of that confluence.
 
424
00:21:01,343 --> 00:21:04,888
So Texas, I think will be a huge center
for excellence and twist my arm
 
425
00:21:04,888 --> 00:21:07,891
to help as much as possible in that state.
As we wrap up,
 
426
00:21:07,933 --> 00:21:11,270
as you know, this problem is so
vast. As important
 
427
00:21:11,270 --> 00:21:15,023
as OUR Rescue's efforts are to support
law enforcement in the arrest,
 
428
00:21:15,023 --> 00:21:15,941
in the rescues,
 
429
00:21:15,941 --> 00:21:18,902
you can't arrest your way out of this
problem or rescue your way out of it.
 
430
00:21:18,902 --> 00:21:21,321
You can only do it through community
engagement,
 
431
00:21:21,321 --> 00:21:23,240
through education and awareness.
 
432
00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:26,159
Talk a little bit about your plans,
which I'm so excited about -
 
433
00:21:26,159 --> 00:21:27,744
end of July. World Day
 
434
00:21:27,744 --> 00:21:30,080
Against Human Trafficking -
in terms of the community engagement
 
435
00:21:30,080 --> 00:21:33,625
that we're going to try to do in a few
different places around the United States.
 
436
00:21:34,126 --> 00:21:36,628
That is what I am most excited about domestically
now as we
 
437
00:21:36,628 --> 00:21:40,048
look ahead because we are going to have
homecoming week here
 
438
00:21:40,048 --> 00:21:43,677
at the Salt Lake City headquarters,
bringing people in from around the world
 
439
00:21:44,094 --> 00:21:47,472
to really relaunch our look and our mission
 
440
00:21:47,472 --> 00:21:50,642
and recommit to that as a company
and as an organization.
 
441
00:21:51,143 --> 00:21:54,187
But we're also going to be doing
a campaign called Rise Up for
 
442
00:21:55,022 --> 00:21:57,399
World Anti-Trafficking Awareness Day on July 30th.
 
443
00:21:57,399 --> 00:22:00,569
And there will be activities here
where all of our employees are engaged
 
444
00:22:00,902 --> 00:22:04,531
in doing work that's in the community
and of service to others
 
445
00:22:04,823 --> 00:22:07,617
but also around the country
and around the world.
 
446
00:22:07,617 --> 00:22:10,620
So, we will be doing events in cities
 
447
00:22:11,038 --> 00:22:13,832
near and far, probably in Texas, Matt.
I Hope we'll have some going on there.
 
448
00:22:15,459 --> 00:22:18,545
But that's also getting other groups
involved. There are
 
449
00:22:18,545 --> 00:22:22,299
a lot of people that are faith-based
that want to do a faith in action
 
450
00:22:22,466 --> 00:22:23,216
project.
 
451
00:22:23,216 --> 00:22:24,843
And around Rise Up,
 
452
00:22:24,843 --> 00:22:26,845
there's an opportunity to do that.
 
453
00:22:26,845 --> 00:22:29,306
We've got lawyers and judges
that are reaching out to me
 
454
00:22:29,306 --> 00:22:31,224
that want to be part of the solution.
 
455
00:22:31,224 --> 00:22:34,603
So I feel like that there's something,
there's something in this for everyone.
 
456
00:22:34,644 --> 00:22:37,647
Whatever your passion is - whether it's survivor
 
457
00:22:37,647 --> 00:22:41,151
care, medical, dental, K9s - there's
 
458
00:22:41,151 --> 00:22:44,696
something for all of us to get involved in
and to be part of the solution.
 
459
00:22:45,030 --> 00:22:45,697
I cannot wait.
 
460
00:22:45,697 --> 00:22:47,991
It's going to be great. I've been involved
in some of these in the past.
 
461
00:22:47,991 --> 00:22:49,951
This is going to be the biggest
and best one yet.
 
462
00:22:49,951 --> 00:22:53,580
And what it really does as well is
show us as responsible players
 
463
00:22:53,580 --> 00:22:55,707
in the awareness field, in the education.
 
464
00:22:55,707 --> 00:22:57,959
And that's what I'm grateful
that you've given me this opportunity
 
465
00:22:57,959 --> 00:22:59,336
to do podcasts like this.
 
466
00:22:59,336 --> 00:23:02,464
And I could talk for another 30 minutes,
but we do need to take a break.
 
467
00:23:02,464 --> 00:23:05,634
And when we come back in our last segment,
it's where it all comes down,
 
468
00:23:05,634 --> 00:23:07,886
where the rubber hits the road,
what's the most important thing?
 
469
00:23:07,886 --> 00:23:09,221
And that's the survivor.
 
470
00:23:09,221 --> 00:23:13,266
We're going to talk about our
survivor-focused aftercare, but do not go anywhere.
 
471
00:23:13,266 --> 00:23:17,104
You're listening to Voices for Freedom,
an anti-human Trafficking podcast,
 
472
00:23:17,229 --> 00:23:20,565
brought to you by OUR Rescue.
I want to thank today's
 
473
00:23:20,565 --> 00:23:24,277
sponsor, the OUR Rescue Store,
for supporting this podcast.
 
474
00:23:24,486 --> 00:23:27,823
Did you know the OUR Rescue Store features
survivor-made items?
 
475
00:23:28,156 --> 00:23:29,491
In this critical fight,
 
476
00:23:29,491 --> 00:23:31,952
they serve as symbols of hope.
 
477
00:23:31,952 --> 00:23:35,539
By choosing to purchase one of these
beautifully handcrafted items,
 
478
00:23:35,747 --> 00:23:38,667
you will impact the healing
journey of survivors
 
479
00:23:38,667 --> 00:23:41,670
and help them reclaim
their lives in the process.
 
480
00:23:42,212 --> 00:23:43,463
We encourage you to shop
 
481
00:23:43,463 --> 00:23:46,550
survivor-made items on the OUR Rescue website.
 
482
00:23:46,883 --> 00:23:51,555
It might only be a few dollars to you, but
it makes a world of difference to them.
 
483
00:23:52,222 --> 00:23:57,269
And, in case you need any extra motivation,
use promo code Voices10
 
484
00:23:57,269 --> 00:24:03,233
for 10% off your purchase at store.ourrescue.org.
 
485
00:24:03,483 --> 00:24:08,947
That's Voices10
at store.ourrescue.org.
 
486
00:24:10,115 --> 00:24:10,615
Welcome
 
487
00:24:10,615 --> 00:24:13,660
back to Voices for Freedom,
an anti-trafficking podcast.
 
488
00:24:13,827 --> 00:24:17,205
I'm Matt Osborne, global ambassador
for operations and Education.
 
489
00:24:17,205 --> 00:24:21,960
It's my privilege to have with us in
the studio today our new CEO, Tammy Lee.
 
490
00:24:22,169 --> 00:24:24,212
And Tammy,
thank you again for being with us.
 
491
00:24:24,212 --> 00:24:25,547
Thank you for your leadership.
 
492
00:24:25,547 --> 00:24:27,549
We've saved the most important for last,
 
493
00:24:27,549 --> 00:24:30,802
and you mentioned it
earlier in the program, the survivors.
 
494
00:24:30,802 --> 00:24:35,265
And we have always been a
survivor-focused rescue organization.
 
495
00:24:35,265 --> 00:24:38,059
Sometimes that hasn't gotten the press;
it hasn't gotten the stories
 
496
00:24:38,059 --> 00:24:41,062
because of the need to protect identities
as it should be.
 
497
00:24:41,104 --> 00:24:44,107
But what was it
specifically in terms of survivor care
 
498
00:24:44,316 --> 00:24:47,527
that you saw when you came in
and when you realized alright,
 
499
00:24:47,527 --> 00:24:50,322
we are making the transition
from Operation Underground Railroad
 
500
00:24:50,322 --> 00:24:52,324
to OUR Rescue for a lot of reasons,
 
501
00:24:52,324 --> 00:24:55,327
but at the top of the list, wasn't it, is the survivor.
 
502
00:24:56,077 --> 00:24:58,163
Absolutely. It is the survivor care of our mission
 
503
00:24:58,163 --> 00:25:01,374
that is what I'm most passionate
and excited about because I don't have
 
504
00:25:01,374 --> 00:25:05,003
the law enforcement background
that you do or working in that area,
 
505
00:25:05,378 --> 00:25:07,797
but I do have a heart and a passion
for the survivors
 
506
00:25:07,797 --> 00:25:10,300
and the women and children
that we help rescue.
 
507
00:25:10,300 --> 00:25:13,762
And as we've evolved our branding
to the which we've been talking about
 
508
00:25:13,762 --> 00:25:18,225
on this segment from OUR Rescue
to under that OUR Operations,
 
509
00:25:18,225 --> 00:25:23,605
OUR Survivor Care, OUR Education, survivor
care is the one that I am very excited
 
510
00:25:23,605 --> 00:25:26,608
about because that is where we truly do
our mission work.
 
511
00:25:26,816 --> 00:25:31,071
And their needs are so great,
and their stories are so compelling.
 
512
00:25:31,404 --> 00:25:32,656
And I think in the past people
 
513
00:25:32,656 --> 00:25:35,659
thought seeing the rescues was
what would get people excited.
 
514
00:25:35,700 --> 00:25:38,787
For me, what gets me excited
about getting up every day to do
 
515
00:25:38,787 --> 00:25:42,874
this work is hearing the survivors
go from survivors to thrivers.
 
516
00:25:43,166 --> 00:25:45,835
And I think we've got a couple
of great examples of that today.
 
517
00:25:45,835 --> 00:25:46,920
Yeah, we really do.
 
518
00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:50,423
And, you know, back when I was fortunate
to be on the operations teams
 
519
00:25:50,423 --> 00:25:54,094
and we would work with law enforcement and
we did some of the old style operations.
 
520
00:25:54,344 --> 00:25:56,930
However, we would play
the role of the middlemen, right?
 
521
00:25:56,930 --> 00:25:58,139
And we would get arrested.
 
522
00:25:58,139 --> 00:26:01,893
And I was always so sad
because the survivors looked at me
 
523
00:26:01,893 --> 00:26:03,228
as the jerk, as the creep.
 
524
00:26:03,228 --> 00:26:06,231
And you wanted so much to say, "No,
we were there to help."
 
525
00:26:06,398 --> 00:26:09,401
I love how our aftercare team has evolved.
 
526
00:26:09,442 --> 00:26:13,029
I love how we are doing
all we can to be trauma-informed
 
527
00:26:13,029 --> 00:26:14,489
and victim-centered approach.
 
528
00:26:14,489 --> 00:26:18,076
But what is it specifically that our
supporters can be looking for in the weeks
 
529
00:26:18,368 --> 00:26:18,785
and months
 
530
00:26:18,785 --> 00:26:19,202
to come in
 
531
00:26:19,202 --> 00:26:22,581
terms of the stories they might see,
or at least to let them know a little bit
 
532
00:26:22,581 --> 00:26:24,749
about what's going to be going on
behind the scenes
 
533
00:26:24,749 --> 00:26:26,585
as we always try to keep the survivor
 
534
00:26:26,585 --> 00:26:28,295
first and foremost?
 
535
00:26:28,295 --> 00:26:31,089
Well, as you know,
you've seen the survivors up close, and you've seen
 
536
00:26:32,507 --> 00:26:34,092
after the rescue.
 
537
00:26:34,092 --> 00:26:37,429
They need comprehensive,
compassionate aftercare,
 
538
00:26:37,554 --> 00:26:38,346
and
 
539
00:26:38,346 --> 00:26:44,019
that ranges from meeting their basic
needs: medical and dental care.
 
540
00:26:44,352 --> 00:26:47,355
And then we'll talk more in detail
about that - to
 
541
00:26:47,689 --> 00:26:51,484
helping them with their mental health
issues or helping them with housing.
 
542
00:26:51,901 --> 00:26:55,322
There are so many needs,
but it really starts with the basic need
 
543
00:26:55,405 --> 00:26:57,365
of medical and dental.
 
544
00:26:57,365 --> 00:26:59,409
Without being healthy,
 
545
00:26:59,409 --> 00:27:03,705
you can't go on to live your most full
and exciting
 
546
00:27:03,705 --> 00:27:08,710
and opportunistic life,
and we want them to be on a path to joy.
 
547
00:27:09,002 --> 00:27:12,631
But you can't be on a path to joy
if you haven't had your basic needs met.
 
548
00:27:12,839 --> 00:27:15,717
You mentioned in the first segment
that you had the wonderful privilege
 
549
00:27:15,717 --> 00:27:19,095
of meeting one of our survivors on either
your first day or one of your first days
 
550
00:27:19,095 --> 00:27:23,058
at work and her new baby,
and she couldn't have been happier.
 
551
00:27:23,266 --> 00:27:26,853
And, again,
I was involved in that operation in Haiti.
 
552
00:27:27,020 --> 00:27:28,396
She was from Venezuela.
 
553
00:27:28,396 --> 00:27:31,900
And I've seen pictures
now that Jessica Mass has shared,
 
554
00:27:31,900 --> 00:27:34,903
you know, internally
and the smile on her face.
 
555
00:27:34,944 --> 00:27:38,448
But, I understand you've come to know
a couple of our other special
 
556
00:27:38,448 --> 00:27:39,949
angels, special survivors.
 
557
00:27:39,949 --> 00:27:41,951
And, you know,
we obviously won't use their name, but
 
558
00:27:41,951 --> 00:27:45,830
how about the one who, when it comes down
to dental, to smile - a smile
 
559
00:27:45,830 --> 00:27:47,749
says everything, and [if] we don't have our smile,
 
560
00:27:47,749 --> 00:27:48,833
we don't have anything.
 
561
00:27:48,833 --> 00:27:51,836
Talk a little bit about first about this
amazing individual.
 
562
00:27:52,212 --> 00:27:55,090
So this woman said that she did not feel like
 
563
00:27:55,090 --> 00:27:58,093
she was a person
or that people were seeing her.
 
564
00:27:58,510 --> 00:28:02,222
She had some dental issues
and never wanted to smile.
 
565
00:28:02,222 --> 00:28:04,182
She wasn't letting her own light shine
 
566
00:28:04,182 --> 00:28:07,185
because she didn't feel good
about the way that she looked.
 
567
00:28:07,519 --> 00:28:10,063
So our survivor care team found
 
568
00:28:10,063 --> 00:28:13,274
a local dentist for her to fix her smile.
 
569
00:28:13,274 --> 00:28:16,486
And boy, her smile is the most
beautiful smile I've ever seen.
 
570
00:28:16,861 --> 00:28:19,864
It's like a thousand megawatts smile.
 
571
00:28:19,948 --> 00:28:23,743
And you see her smile and you just see it's
given her a whole new lease on life,
 
572
00:28:24,160 --> 00:28:26,955
how she views herself,
how she views the world.
 
573
00:28:26,955 --> 00:28:31,376
And she is so grateful to the survivor
care team for helping make that possible.
 
574
00:28:31,751 --> 00:28:36,005
But that work is also only possible
from the support of generous donors
 
575
00:28:36,256 --> 00:28:39,634
as well as this dentist
who gave his time and talents
 
576
00:28:40,009 --> 00:28:43,012
to make her dream come true
and make her life so much better.
 
577
00:28:43,304 --> 00:28:46,182
I'm so grateful to all the specialists
who give their services
 
578
00:28:46,182 --> 00:28:49,185
pro-bono or at greatly reduced costs.
 
579
00:28:49,227 --> 00:28:53,523
As some of our followers and supporters
know, we are trying right now to raise
 
580
00:28:53,523 --> 00:28:57,026
funding to help a poor girl from Africa
come to the U.S.
 
581
00:28:57,026 --> 00:29:00,947
for life saving surgery, and we're just now
working on a few of the visa issues
 
582
00:29:00,947 --> 00:29:01,573
with the government.
 
583
00:29:01,573 --> 00:29:05,744
But, as you know, Tammmy,
we already have lined up the aircraft,
 
584
00:29:05,744 --> 00:29:09,414
the stretchers, the medical providers
because people are drawn to this.
 
585
00:29:09,622 --> 00:29:12,083
And I imagine that's something
that - and you've said it before -
 
586
00:29:12,083 --> 00:29:13,585
it's what gets you out of bed
every day, right,
 
587
00:29:13,585 --> 00:29:16,379
to work on this issue. It's the survivor.
 
588
00:29:16,379 --> 00:29:17,046
It is the survivor,
 
589
00:29:17,046 --> 00:29:20,175
and everybody that I talked to resonates
with that mission.
 
590
00:29:20,550 --> 00:29:24,679
And when I tell people about the work
that we get to do here at OUR Rescue -
 
591
00:29:24,763 --> 00:29:27,766
an Uber driver
that brought me to headquarters this week,
 
592
00:29:28,016 --> 00:29:32,061
I was telling her about the work and she
said, "How do I get on your support list
 
593
00:29:32,061 --> 00:29:36,316
because I want to pay for somebody
to do a tattoo removal for somebody?"
 
594
00:29:36,900 --> 00:29:38,443
And I said, "We actually have
 
595
00:29:38,443 --> 00:29:40,904
a whole support services area, where
 
596
00:29:40,904 --> 00:29:44,532
if you email us or call us,
we'll put you in our database
 
597
00:29:44,532 --> 00:29:48,703
so when we have that kind of a need,
we can reach right out to you." Yes,
 
598
00:29:48,703 --> 00:29:51,289
and love that
people want to get involved.
 
599
00:29:51,289 --> 00:29:54,292
You know, talk about the tattoos
and we've talked on other episodes,
 
600
00:29:54,292 --> 00:29:56,628
and we'll have other episodes
talking about domestic trafficking
 
601
00:29:56,628 --> 00:30:00,882
that these traffickers oftentimes
brand their product.
 
602
00:30:00,882 --> 00:30:01,591
And it's horrible.
 
603
00:30:01,591 --> 00:30:05,136
Imagine that with the tattoos off
or the one we talked about with a smile.
 
604
00:30:05,512 --> 00:30:07,013
Let's pivot a little bit now and, again,
 
605
00:30:07,013 --> 00:30:08,973
just in generalities
to protect her identity,
 
606
00:30:08,973 --> 00:30:13,102
but how about the woman you've come to
know through video and anecdote and story
 
607
00:30:13,436 --> 00:30:16,397
who - you think about how important a smile is.
How about an entire face?
 
What has that done for her
with the support of OUR Rescue?
 
608
00:30:17,148 --> 00:30:18,983
Yeah, Matt, you know, that is one of the most
 
609
00:30:20,026 --> 00:30:22,028
horrific
 
610
00:30:22,028 --> 00:30:25,031
stories that I've seen in my short time
here at OUR Rescue.
 
611
00:30:26,449 --> 00:30:29,744
This is a woman
that was struggling to make ends meet,
 
612
00:30:30,495 --> 00:30:33,706
was working in a job that was very low wage,
 
613
00:30:33,706 --> 00:30:38,461
cleaning houses, met an Uber driver -
speaking of Uber drivers -
 
614
00:30:38,461 --> 00:30:42,549
that befriended her and then eventually
asked her to move in with him.
 
615
00:30:43,675 --> 00:30:46,678
But that became a very troubling situation.
 
616
00:30:47,095 --> 00:30:47,720
He was taking money from her,
 
617
00:30:47,720 --> 00:30:49,931
so she moved out and found a place of safety.
 
618
00:30:49,931 --> 00:30:52,433
But he found her,
 
619
00:30:52,433 --> 00:30:57,939
as often traffickers do, and tracked her down,
snuck into her room at night, and threw
 
620
00:30:57,939 --> 00:31:01,025
acid on her. All over her face
when she's sleeping.
 
621
00:31:01,025 --> 00:31:02,569
Most horrific.
 
622
00:31:02,569 --> 00:31:05,405
Most horrific. And she got to the hospital,
 
623
00:31:05,405 --> 00:31:07,407
but in some of these rural
 
624
00:31:07,407 --> 00:31:10,410
hospitals in Africa,
they just don't have the resources
 
625
00:31:10,827 --> 00:31:14,789
to be able to deal with something
which was such a traumatic event.
 
626
00:31:15,540 --> 00:31:18,334
So they had to send her
to another hospital for care,
 
627
00:31:18,334 --> 00:31:20,461
and she didn't have money.
 
628
00:31:20,461 --> 00:31:22,922
She didn't have the money to get the care.
 
629
00:31:22,922 --> 00:31:25,925
And with that, that meant she had no hope.
 
630
00:31:26,134 --> 00:31:30,638
They were going to discharge her
and send her home to die.
 
631
00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:34,475
And, Jessica Mass had told me the story that
when the trafficker, exploiter, abuser threw that
on her face, threw the acid said, "Now no one will
love you. No one will want you."
 
And she internalized that. And then when she was discharged in the hospital,
[thought], "No one's gonna love me. Whose gonna want me?"
 
How - what were your feelings when you learned a little bit about the story about
what was done to then bring her to the United States to give her this care and that
she was figuratively, but literally, wrapped in our arms of OUR Rescue of our employees?
 
It's a story that has a horrible
beginning, but a very happy ending.
 
632
00:31:34,642 --> 00:31:36,603
So she has come to the U.S.
 
633
00:31:36,603 --> 00:31:38,521
She's had multiple surgeries.
 
634
00:31:38,521 --> 00:31:39,856
She still has more surgeries to go,
 
635
00:31:39,856 --> 00:31:42,108
more healing to do.
 
636
00:31:42,108 --> 00:31:44,777
But you can tell she does feel like
 
637
00:31:44,777 --> 00:31:49,198
she has a new lease on life,
and she feels loved and lovable.
 
638
00:31:49,908 --> 00:31:52,452
And we think about
how much our own image, whether it's our
 
639
00:31:52,452 --> 00:31:56,831
smile or our physical appearance,
that really - how we view ourselves
 
640
00:31:56,956 --> 00:31:59,959
we really tie to our own self-worth.
 
641
00:32:00,043 --> 00:32:04,589
And now that she's been able
to have these life-changing surgeries,
 
642
00:32:04,631 --> 00:32:06,466
she's got a whole new lease on life.
 
643
00:32:06,466 --> 00:32:09,010
And she is a beautiful woman,
 
644
00:32:09,010 --> 00:32:12,013
and she's a woman
that anybody would be lucky to love.
 
645
00:32:12,221 --> 00:32:14,599
Yeah, she is beautiful on the inside
and the outside.
 
646
00:32:14,599 --> 00:32:17,685
And, you know, one of the disadvantages
of being in Texas is I don't
 
647
00:32:17,685 --> 00:32:21,189
get to participate
in some of the Utah-centered events,
 
648
00:32:21,189 --> 00:32:25,318
but I saw footage of her welcome
at Salt Lake City International Airport
 
649
00:32:25,610 --> 00:32:30,448
when if it was, I remember correctly, Jessica
said, "These people are all for you here."
 
650
00:32:30,448 --> 00:32:34,494
And it was the OUR Rescue employees clapping
and the smile on her face.
 
651
00:32:34,786 --> 00:32:38,164
And what's neat as well is that, yes,
we still provide her some support,
 
652
00:32:38,164 --> 00:32:39,332
but she's now working.
 
653
00:32:39,332 --> 00:32:41,292
She now has a livable wage.
 
654
00:32:41,292 --> 00:32:44,337
She has a job that she's proud of,
just like the Venezuelan
 
655
00:32:44,337 --> 00:32:45,463
woman you talked about.
 
656
00:32:45,463 --> 00:32:47,632
And that's what we really are
trying to do, isn't it?
 
657
00:32:47,632 --> 00:32:49,717
It's sort of for the one. Now
 
658
00:32:49,717 --> 00:32:53,388
we've assisted in the rescue,
the rehabilitation, the effort of,
 
659
00:32:53,388 --> 00:32:54,305
you know, thousands.
 
660
00:32:54,305 --> 00:32:57,850
And we're very clear to say some of
it was our absolute on-site help.
 
661
00:32:57,976 --> 00:33:00,979
Others were supporting,
you know, organizations to do it.
 
662
00:33:01,062 --> 00:33:02,730
But it is really for the one.
 
663
00:33:02,730 --> 00:33:07,068
And if all we did ever was for this woman
with the smile, the woman with the face,
 
664
00:33:07,068 --> 00:33:09,737
and the one with the baby,
it would have been well worth it.
 
665
00:33:09,737 --> 00:33:11,406
But we're not stopping there, are we?
 
666
00:33:11,406 --> 00:33:13,032
And what is it about this
 
667
00:33:13,032 --> 00:33:17,078
exponential effect that we have had
and can have on survivors moving forward?
 
668
00:33:17,662 --> 00:33:20,665
What I think is really exciting
about being part of this funding
 
669
00:33:21,332 --> 00:33:23,960
basic medical and dental needs is
 
670
00:33:23,960 --> 00:33:27,171
you are really transforming
and changing someone's life.
 
671
00:33:27,672 --> 00:33:30,633
And so, whether you get passionate
about dental care
 
672
00:33:30,633 --> 00:33:34,512
or medical care,
people can join in this mission with us.
 
673
00:33:34,512 --> 00:33:37,890
They can donate specifically to that cause
if that's their passion
 
674
00:33:37,890 --> 00:33:41,394
area. Just as people that are dentists
and doctors
 
675
00:33:41,394 --> 00:33:44,480
can volunteer
or give their services pro bono to us.
 
676
00:33:44,814 --> 00:33:45,857
So this is an area
 
677
00:33:45,857 --> 00:33:50,319
that I get the most excited about
because if we can change somebody's
 
678
00:33:50,319 --> 00:33:54,449
outlook on themselves,
it changes their outlook on their world.
 
679
00:33:54,824 --> 00:33:57,869
And that's why this work in medical
and dental care is
 
680
00:33:57,910 --> 00:33:59,871
just so meaningful to me.
 
681
00:33:59,871 --> 00:34:02,623
Well,
I love hearing that, and I'm so excited.
 
682
00:34:02,623 --> 00:34:06,419
This won't be the last time we have you on
the show. We'll definitely have you on
 
683
00:34:06,419 --> 00:34:08,337
again closer to July 30th,
 
684
00:34:08,337 --> 00:34:11,841
but I'll give you the last word before
I wrap up - but the last substantive word.
 
685
00:34:12,258 --> 00:34:16,054
What would you say to those in
the audience who may have heard
 
686
00:34:16,054 --> 00:34:20,683
some things, read some things,
may question our organization?
 
687
00:34:21,017 --> 00:34:24,312
Now you're in charge. Now it's OUR Rescue.
 
688
00:34:24,312 --> 00:34:29,233
Now we've talked about why we are
an organization that we are both proud of
 
689
00:34:29,484 --> 00:34:31,611
because you and I have talked about,
if we thought for one minute
 
690
00:34:31,611 --> 00:34:34,489
the mission was tainted,
the organization was tainted, we'd be long gone.
 
691
00:34:34,489 --> 00:34:36,532
I mean, you still have two
of your own companies to run, right?
 
692
00:34:36,532 --> 00:34:37,366
I do other things.
 
693
00:34:37,366 --> 00:34:38,659
But what is it for
 
694
00:34:38,659 --> 00:34:42,371
our supporters to know
that this is a group worthy of supporting?
 
695
00:34:42,580 --> 00:34:46,876
And truly - this will be cliché -
the best is truly yet to come.
 
696
00:34:47,835 --> 00:34:48,169
Well, Matt, I will
 
697
00:34:48,169 --> 00:34:51,506
say that this has
always been an organization worth supporting. And now
 
698
00:34:52,173 --> 00:34:55,009
we're just very clear
about our commitment to the mission,
 
699
00:34:55,009 --> 00:34:57,178
which is the partnerships
with law enforcement,
 
700
00:34:57,178 --> 00:35:01,599
which is the commitment to compassionate
survivor care, which is our commitment
 
701
00:35:01,599 --> 00:35:06,312
to being a leader in this fight
but a leader that links arms with others.
 
702
00:35:06,646 --> 00:35:09,649
So OUR Rescue is really about
 
703
00:35:09,774 --> 00:35:13,653
positioning ourselves as somebody
that is deeply committed to the cause
 
704
00:35:14,070 --> 00:35:18,533
and re-doubling down on our efforts
to do everything the right way.
 
705
00:35:18,950 --> 00:35:22,662
We want to be the North Star
of the anti-trafficking movement,
 
706
00:35:22,662 --> 00:35:25,039
but we don't do that alone.
 
707
00:35:25,039 --> 00:35:25,665
We do that in partnership with others.
 
708
00:35:25,665 --> 00:35:30,253
So OUR Rescue is an invitation
for everyone to join this fight with us.
 
709
00:35:30,419 --> 00:35:31,462
Yeah, absolutely.
 
710
00:35:31,462 --> 00:35:34,340
We invite everyone to join OUR Rescue
to support.
 
711
00:35:34,340 --> 00:35:37,093
We invite other groups out there
to partner with us.
 
712
00:35:37,093 --> 00:35:41,389
And I'm just grateful to have our new CEO,
Tammy Lee, here with us.
 
713
00:35:41,597 --> 00:35:42,473
It was a lot of pressure.
 
714
00:35:42,473 --> 00:35:45,476
If you don't see me on future episodes,
I obviously screwed up and did something wrong.
 
715
00:35:45,476 --> 00:35:48,521
But on a serious note,
thank you, Tammy, for joining us.
 
716
00:35:48,521 --> 00:35:51,732
Thanks for your leadership.
And thank you so much for supporting
 
717
00:35:51,899 --> 00:35:54,944
Voices for Freedom,
an anti-trafficking podcast.
 
718
00:35:55,069 --> 00:35:57,113
Be sure to join us for the next episode.
 
719
00:35:57,113 --> 00:36:00,449
We're so grateful to have your support.
Thanks for listening.
 
720
00:36:00,700 --> 00:36:02,410
Did you enjoy this episode?
 
721
00:36:02,410 --> 00:36:06,581
If so, please leave us a review and
subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
 
722
00:36:06,956 --> 00:36:09,250
If you have ideas for future episodes,
 
723
00:36:09,250 --> 00:36:13,254
email us at
VoicesforFreedom@ourrescue.org.
 
724
00:36:13,546 --> 00:36:16,549
Lastly,
we encourage you to join the fight.
 
725
00:36:16,591 --> 00:36:20,636
Make a difference today with OUR Rescue
by donating at ourrescue.org,
 
 
 
Thanks for listening. Did you enjoy this episode?
If so, please leave us a review and
subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
 
If you have ideas for future episodes,
email us at
VoicesforFreedom@ourrescue.org.
 
Lastly,
we encourage you to join the fight.
Make a difference today with OUR Rescue
by donating at ourrescue.org,
 
or text "Podcast" to 855-944-5646.
Again, that number is 855-944-5646.
 
Hello, listeners. I invite you to join us next week as we have
an amazing guest on. Michele is the founder and CEO of Empowered
to Change International.
 
She's going to talk about how survivors and trafficked within the prison
and how she is actually making a difference in life transformation for these
survivors. So join us as we listen to Michele and this interesting conversation
in a way that you might not have seen how trafficking is happening in the
United States.