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.
Gina Cavallo is a passionate leader for victims and survivors of human trafficking. She is the founder and executive director of the survivor-led nonprofit organization, Paying it Forward Foundation, aka We RISE USA. Gina currently serves as Consultant & Vice-President Board of Trustees for the NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking (NJCAHT), in addition she is the Co-Chair on the Anti-Trafficking Task Force of the NJ Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (NJAAP). She is also an appointed member of the New Jersey Commission on Human Trafficking.