My world changed the day I discovered the reality of human trafficking. I was 20, and found myself holding my friend tightly as she tried to jump into traffic in the University District, a college neighborhood in Seattle, WA. She was suicidal, filled with despair, and desperate to disappear.
Sex Trafficking and Women of Color
Approaching Mother’s Day with Gentleness and Grace
Food Insecurity & Sexual Exploitation
Extreme poverty is a common theme in many survivors’ stories, and extreme poverty often comes with a lack of basic needs such as food, a safe place to live, and other basic necessities. When a victim of sexual exploitation resorts to trading sex to meet basic needs, it’s called survival sex. Over the 12+ years that REST has been in operation, we’ve heard innumerable stories from survivors who have engaged in survival sex just to meet their basic needs.
We’re thankful for…
The last two years have certainly been challenging—for the individuals we serve, for our staff, for us as an organization as a whole, and probably you, too. As we enjoy the Thanksgiving and holiday season, we invite you to join us in acknowledging that we are on the traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People, past and present. We honor with gratitude the land itself, and the Duwamish Tribe.