Survivor Gallery
Survivors of sex and labor trafficking are the true experts and the engine of innovation in the anti-human trafficking field. But they are also so much more than that. Some work in the field and some don’t. They are teachers and parents, artists and writers, doctors and lawyers. They are fierce, resilient, talented and diverse. This is some of their work.
Stephanie Anderson
Stephanie Anderson is a survivor of trafficking from Montana. Her submission is an excerpt from From Unlikely to Unlimited, a 2016 project she worked on with her son, Christian. Stephanie tells the story of their journey encountering and overcoming her son’s autism diagnosis. The story is accompanied by a classical music soundtrack composed by Christian.
After surviving exploitation, Stephanie Anderson began an apprenticeship in neurodevelopment while raising a child diagnosed with autism. This led to research in the neurology of exploitation and providing life skills remediation for those incarcerated. Stephanie is enrolled in Elevate Academy with Unlikely Heroes/Rebecca Bender Initiative. She believes in addressing causes and conditions to create successful reentry for those who have been incarcerated, trafficked or survived extreme trauma. In 2019, Stephanie networked in advocacy with ICC, International Justice Mission, Shared Hope, Survivor Alliance, and Glory for Ashes. She started Unlimited Learning Success in 2005 as a platform for training, workshops and Accel Academy classes for development.
Rachelle Limbeck
Rachelle Limbeck is a survivor of sex trafficking in Washington state who has dedicated her life to ending human trafficking. Rachelle has found her voice through poetry, prose, and activism. Her submission is a poem about her experience, entitled He Sold My Soul.
Rachelle Limbeck is a survivor of sex trafficking in Washington state who has dedicated her life to ending human trafficking and the risk factors of someone getting trafficked, i.e. poverty, homelessness, drug addiction, etc. Rachelle is a passionate cellist. Since escaping trafficking, she has gotten her GED, is going to college, has gotten a job, has been sober for 3 years (since the day she left), and mustered the courage to complete her human trafficking case in the courts. Rachelle is a graduate of Engedi Refuge Ministries, a program for survivors of sex trafficking and exploitation, and she has found her voice through poetry, prose, and activism.
Shanna Parker
Shanna Parker is a survivor of child sex trafficking and the founder of Angels Go To Work, an organization working to eradicate human trafficking through education, collaboration, and community efforts that is led by survivors. Shanna has worked with a group of allies, survivors and supporters to develop a photo project entitled “Oh Say Can You See,” depicting a more realistic view of what human trafficking looks like in America. These images have been used in power points, print-media, training materials, art displays, awareness presentations, trainings and more.
Shanna Parker is a national survivor-leader and subject-matter expert in the field of human trafficking. She is the founder and CEO of AngelsGoToWork where she serves hundreds of youth and young adults yearly in local group homes, campuses and the community. She was the Public Relations Communications Chair for the National Survivor Network 2016-2019, and is the Executive Chair of the Arizona Survivor Leadership Council, a consultant for the Office of Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center. where she assists with program building and specialized training. She sits on panels for multiple research projects with various agencies and universities. Shanna works with several local and federal law enforcement agencies in various capacities. including training, consultation, outreach, operations, and victim advocacy. Shanna assists the Arizona Financial Crimes Task Force with the Attorney General’s Office in sex trafficking cases. She also works for Southwest Network as the Anti-Human Trafficking Coordinator where she is a consultant for clinical staff and works with DCS, JPO, BH staff and placement facilities as a specialized mentor and advocate for chronically trafficked youth with a high run-away rate.
Charlie Tebow
Charlie is a survivor who has dedicated their life to serving others like them. In their day job, they are an advocate working with runaway and exploited youth to help them overcome complex and compounded trauma. Charlie has also served on various working groups, advisory boards, and as a consultant to several anti-trafficking organizations and agencies. Charlie’s submission is a collection of pieces that
capture their style as a survivor artist. An alumnus of Washburn University with a clinical Masters in Social Work degree with certifications in Victim and Survivor services, Art Therapy, and Nonprofit Management, Charlie dedicates their life to serving others like them. Their day job as a Missing Youth Specialist provides them with opportunities to empower and engage runaway and exploited youth in foster care to overcome complex and compounded trauma, and find the path to who they want to be. Charlie is a dedicated advocate with specializations for persons who have experienced human sex trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation, childhood trauma, interpersonal violence, and other complex or compounded traumas. Charlie is part of the LGBTQ community as a nonbinary person (they/them), and a staunch leader and participant in social justice activism. They are an ally for all trans and/or persons of color, as well as dedicated activist for Black Lives Matter and Trans Lives Matter movements. Charlie has had the honor of serving as a delegate of the United Nations via the International Public Policy Institute, serving on the US Attorney’s Office Kansas Working Group on Human Trafficking Task Force, and as a Victims Services Subcommittee Member for the Kansas Human Trafficking Advisory Board. Charlie has served the anti-trafficking community with both professional experiential expertise as a consultant with the US Department of Justice, US Office on Victims of Crime, Homeland Security Blue Campaign, and Save House Project. Charlie is a member of the National Survivor Network and Survivor Leaders Institute, and has delivered keynote and training sessions to professionals from around the country. Charlie is also an accomplished artist and expert in the healing arts for survivors of complex trauma.
Sean M. Wheeler
Sean M. Wheeler wrote this poem about being used in child pornography. The poem was originally created for Fight the New Drug, an anti-pornography organization.
Sean Wheeler lives and works in Colorado. He was sex trafficked from around age 5 until age 9 and he experienced other forms of abuse for some 15 years, including having been used in child pornography. Sean is the author of the book Wretch
available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, iTunes in books and through other outlets. Today, Sean speaks out on the issue of boys and child abuse.
Kelly Wells
Kelly Wells is a survivor of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and domestic violence. She wrote her first book Who Am I, Discovering the Value and Worth of Women as a way to overcome, forgive, and heal from her trauma. In 2016, Kelly wrote In Full Bloom, a poem that was published in the U.S. Library of Congress.
Kelly Wells (previously Kelly Cody) is a survivor of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and domestic violence. Kelly was trafficked at the age of 15 years old and sustained a childhood riddled with abuse, teenage years filled with trauma, and an early adulthood that was reflective of her childhood experiences. Kelly’s childhood trauma impacted her life, not only from the mental health perspective and her self esteem, but also in the decision for her future career choices. Eventually Kelly went to college and graduated with honors from California State University San Bernardino with dual degrees in Sociology and Social Work. Upon completion of two bachelors degrees, Kelly went on to obtain a Master’s Degree in Social Work with Summa Cum Laude honors. In 2015, she wrote and published a book titled Who Am I, Discovering the Value and Worth of Women. This book was written in hopes that girls and women could better understand their value and worth from a biblical perspective. This is what helped Kelly to overcome, forgive and heal from her trauma. In 2016, she wrote a poem that was published in the U.S. Library of Congress titled “In Full Bloom.” Kelly has since opened Changing Tides Counseling & Behavioral Health LLC, a private mental health practice in the Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC area where she serves as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker. The goal of this private practice/clinic is to provide supportive services to clients as they strive to live in a state of normalcy from a holistic perspective.
Natashia Wilson
Natashia Wilson is a survivor from Las Vegas. She is a spokesmodel for the organization Voices for Dignity, advocating on behalf of sexually, mentally, physically, and verbally abused women. Additionally, she is a property manager at the organization Chattanooga Community Kitchen. There, she provides ongoing support and mentorship to ten women who have dealt with unspeakable emotional and
physical abuse. Natashia Wilson is a Las Vegas native who spent more than 20 years in the sex industry as a prostitute. She was involved in this traumatic lifestyle from the age of 14 to 35-years -old. In a recent interview with the Chattanooga Times Free Press, she discussed her experience working the D Street in Las Vegas, her triumphant accomplishment of obtaining an Associates Degree at Chattanooga Community College, and becoming a spokesmodel for the organization Voices for Dignity, who advocates on behalf of sexually, mentally, physically, and verbally abused women. Additionally, she is a property manager at the organization Chattanooga Community Kitchen. There, she provides continuous support and mentorship to ten women who have dealt with unspeakable emotional and physical abuse. Natashia aspires to start her own group called “The Square Girls” to support and assist women who have experienced any traumatic life experience and are looking to discover their individual life purpose. She would love to focus her efforts working with women coming out of prostitution to show them the steps needed to begin a new life.