Ending Human Trafficking

Brenden Billinger joins Dr. Sandie Morgan to explain how a child 10 feet away, playing a game you've seen 100 times, can still be talking to a stranger who wants to exploit them, and what parents and grandparents can do so that child tells them early. Chapters (00:00) - Ten Feet Away and Talking to a Stranger (01:34) - Why an Investigator Brings This Work Home (04:05) - How Grooming Moves From Gam...

Annalisa Enrile joins Dr. Sandie Morgan to turn hope from a feeling into a working tool for anti-trafficking organizations, with three steps for survivor leaders, social workers, students, and anyone who wants to support the movement. Chapters (00:00) - Hope Is More Than a Feeling (01:58) - Hope as a Verb and What to Measure (08:54) - How Traffickers Sell a Better Life (11:54) - Steps One and Two:...

Lavinia Taumoepeau joins Dr. Sandie Morgan as they trace how three young women who left Tonga for what they thought was a new life in China, and walked into marriages they never agreed to, became a viral video, then a police investigation, then a week of trafficking policy meetings across an entire country. Chapters (00:00) - Why It Was Called a Marriage Dispute (01:31) - Three Women, a Viral Vide...

Zahra Nader joins Dr. Sandie Morgan to discuss why, for nearly every five women killed in Afghanistan by their own families, only one man is ever arrested, and how a newsroom of journalists writing under pseudonyms is building the record no one else is keeping. Chapters (00:00) - Why Afghanistan Is the Battleground for Women's Rights (02:07) - Founding a Newsroom in Exile (08:23) - How Zan Times P...

Cecilia Gonzalez joins Dr. Sandie Morgan to talk about the ten years she spent in an abusive relationship that started at fourteen, and how she now teaches teens to catch the first yellow flag before it happens to them. Chapters (00:00) - Introduction (03:20) - Why Love Has to Start at Home (07:15) - Control That Looked Like Protection (10:42) - Jealousy, La Tóxica, and the Stages of Love (14:29)...

Leanne McCallum Desselle joins Dr. Sandie Morgan as they explore what happens when a hurricane knocks out the very systems built to catch trafficking — from a child abuse hotline down for three weeks after Hurricane Ida to the disaster recovery jobs where exploitation quietly takes hold. Chapters (00:00) - Introduction (01:39) - An International Lens on a Uniquely American Blind Spot (04:17) - The...

Dr. Xanthe Scharff joins Dr. Sandie Morgan to explore how displacement, missing documents, and unequal citizenship laws quietly raise the risk of trafficking, and why prevention starts long before a child is ever exploited. Chapters (00:00) - Introduction (00:55) - Xanthe's Path and the Freedom Fund's Frontline Model (06:08) - The Women's Refugee Commission: Listening to Women (10:19) - How Birth...

Nina Alvarez joins Dr. Sandie Morgan to unpack a question raised after The New York Times published images from Figueroa Street: was legal consent enough to prevent harm? Together they explore the ethical duty of care journalists owe survivors, the lasting life of images, and why covering trafficking responsibly takes more than good intentions. Chapters (00:00) - Introduction: welcoming journalist...

Youngbee Dale joins Dr. Sandie Morgan to explain how traffickers run commercial sexual exploitation as a business, hiding it behind storefronts, shell companies, and cash, and why identifying victims often comes down to asking what they're being charged for. Chapters (00:00) - Trafficking Is a Business, Not Just Exploitation (01:27) - Financial Crime as an Anti-Trafficking Tool (04:26) - Why Traff...

Derek Marsh joins Dr. Sandie Morgan to reflect on what they learned inside refugee communities in Greece — where Sudanese survivors of labor trafficking, and mothers rebuilding after violence, reveal how trust, disclosure, and practical support can change what people are able to name, ask for, and access. Chapters (00:00) - Welcome and What Made This Year's Greece Trip Different (04:51) - Inside t...

Christa Wiens joins Dr. Sandie Morgan as they explore why the answer to online exploitation isn't the perfect parental control — it's helping young people recognize manipulation, build critical thinking skills, and know who they can safely turn to when something feels off. About Christa Wiens Christa Wiens is the Executive Director of the Central Valley Justice Coalition, a California-based nonpro...

Dr. Heracles Moskoff joins Dr. Sandie Morgan to explore what happens after a country builds the laws, shelters, and partnerships meant to protect people — and why outcomes still depend on whether someone, somewhere, recognizes what others overlook. Chapters About Dr. Heracles Moskoff Dr. Heracles Moskoff serves as Secretary General for Vulnerable Persons and Institutional Protection at Greece's Mi...

Martha Trujillo joins Dr. Sandie Morgan to ask what changes when communities stop seeing vulnerable youth as problems to be managed and start seeing them as young people in need of support. About Martha Trujillo   Martha Trujillo is the founder of Full Circle Orange County, an organization dedicated to supporting risk-impacted and at-risk students through mentorship, education, and community. Her...

Dr. Sigrid Burruss and Dr. Adrienne Schlatter join Dr. Sandie Morgan to explore what human trafficking actually looks like in healthcare settings, why safety matters more than rushing to the rescue, and how hospitals can build responses that help patients feel seen, supported, and safer -- with a close look at California's new SB 963, requiring emergency departments to screen every patient for tra...

Zoe Bellatorre joins Dr. Sandie Morgan as they reveal why the most common form of child trafficking never makes the missing persons list — and why the quiet, compliant child sitting in the back of the classroom may be the one hiding the most. Chapters (00:00) - Introduction: Why Familial Trafficking Gets Missed (01:07) - Zoe Bellatorre: From Survivor to National Advocate (04:52) - Defining Familia...

Ray Bercini and Sara Elander join Dr. Sandie Morgan to explore what's really at stake when a city like Los Angeles hosts the World Cup — and why the biggest trafficking risk might not be what you think. Chapters (00:00) - Introduction: What LA's Preparing for and Why It Matters (01:04) - Meet Ray and Sara: Roles at Saving Innocence and the LA Task Force (06:19) - Building a Legacy Committee: Plann...

Dr. Nanyamka Redmond joins guest host Ruthi Hanchett as they explore how everyday adults — parents, teachers, coaches, and neighbors — can become a powerful protective factor in young people's lives by building the kinds of relationships that help youth thrive and navigate risk. Chapters (00:00) - (00:00) - Introduction: Why Relationships Matter More Than Programs (01:02) - Meet Dr. Nanyamka Redmo...

Anna-Carin Svensson joins Dr. Sandie Morgan as they explore how Sweden's decision to punish buyers instead of victims has reshaped who feels safe coming forward — and how that same principle is now being applied to hold online exploitation accountable. Chapters (00:00) - Introduction: Sweden's Principle That Changed Everything (01:07) - The Equality Model: Why Sweden Criminalized Buyers, Not Selle...

Dr. Kari Johnstone joins Dr. Sandie Morgan as they discuss how traffickers adapt fast, moving money, victims, and exploitation through digital systems most of us interact with every day, examining whether our institutions are adapting fast enough to protect victims without them risking everything to testify. Dr. Kari Johnstone Dr. Kari Johnstone is the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator...

Matthew Friedman joins Dr. Sandie Morgan as they explore how pig butchering scams work, why they're so effective, and how they're tied to forced labor and human trafficking, while explaining what prevention can look like from personal red flags to safeguards in financial systems. Matthew Friedman Matthew Friedman is the Founder and CEO of The Mekong Club, a pioneering organization that mobilizes t...

Brenton Fessler joins Dr. Sandie Morgan as they explore why teenagers aren't hiding their digital lives because they're rebellious—they're hiding because they don't feel safe talking, and what trusted adults do next can change everything. Brenton Fessler Brenton Fessler is the Lead Pastor of Refuge OC Church in Orange County, California, where he provides vision and leadership for a growing faith...

Chris Simonsen joins Dr. Sandie Morgan as they explore how communities can close the gap that makes young people vulnerable to trafficking—not with rescue mentalities, but with trauma-informed care, consistent relationships, and spaces where young people feel safe enough to stay. Chris Simonsen Chris Simonsen is the Chief Executive Officer of Orangewood Foundation, one of Orange County’s leading o...

Priscilla Ward joins Dr. Sandie Morgan as they explore how true healing happens not through fixing or rescuing, but by learning to sit in discomfort, lead with curiosity, and create consistent communities where survivors can feel safe enough to begin their journey at their own pace. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFWfVaeCALg   Priscilla Ward Priscilla Ward, LCSW, is the Founder and Clinical Direc...

Diana Mao joins Dr. Sandie Morgan as they explore how economic empowerment serves as a frontline defense against human trafficking, revealing why desperation—not just deception—drives vulnerable families into exploitation. https://youtu.be/NLM4TP2d_lQ   Diana Mao Diana Mao is a dynamic leader at the forefront of the fight against human trafficking and workforce development. As the President and Co...

Michael Dominguez joins Dr. Sandie Morgan as they explore how the hospitality industry can move beyond discomfort to become a powerful force in preventing human trafficking through intentional cultural change and staff empowerment. https://youtu.be/2kniCIaa21g   Michael Dominguez Michael Dominguez is the President and CEO of Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI), where he leads a global sa...