Making Chicago Trafficking Free
In 2009 Laura Ng MSW ‘15 was working in corporate America with her eyes on law school and volunteering at her church with an organization fighting human trafficking. By 2013 Laura had seen this organization through its incorporation as a not-for-profit, taken over full time as its executive director and re-enrolled in school to earn her masters in social work. She’s now at the helm of Traffick Free, working with a team of dedicated volunteers to serve the vulnerable populations susceptible to sex and labor trafficking.
“Over the years I traveled to countries where the issues women and girls struggle with, as well as overwhelming disparity, were evident,” says Laura. “The cause of trafficking took over my heart and became a natural fit, so I decided to trust in the future and take the challenge on.”
Laura worked full time while pursuing her masters in social work at UIC‘s Jane Addams College of Social Work. She concentrated on community health and urban development, where she earned practical, real-world experience alongside exceptional practice instructors. Her experience reinforced exactly what she was doing and helped define resources she could turn to for Traffick Free.
Today, Traffick Free focuses on sex and labor trafficking in the Chicago area. It is working toward opening a drop-in center that will serve self-identified females engaged in the commercial sex industry with immediate safety and shelter needs, including showers and clothing, as well as social services that can help visitors break the cycle of exploitation they’re in.
A long, involved and strategic process led Laura and Traffick Free’s outstanding team of dedicated volunteers to this goal. Along the way, Laura has emerged as a regular speaker, educator and panel member in the human trafficking realm.
“We’ve asked leaders in the field and law enforcement for guidance; collaborated on needs assessments, program development, grant applications and fundraising; and built partnerships and task forces,” says Laura. “We want to ensure we are doing everything right before the drop-in center opens.”
It’s no surprise that human trafficking thrives in large cities, and Chicago’s central location and myriad transportation options make it an especially attractive location. It’s home to crowded events, such as conventions or sporting matches, where men congregate and exploit women. There’s also no shortage of vulnerable populations – the poor, LGBT, domestic-abuse victims – who are looking for security or acceptance outside the home. A 2001 study found somewhere between 16,000 and 25,000 girls and women are sexually exploited in Chicago annually. Add the men and transgendered who aren’t included in that number and it escalates even more.
Laura recalls one survivor whose story was probably not unlike the thousands of others being trafficked today. Through its network Traffick Free found a family to take this woman out of her unsafe situation and keep her sheltered and cared for. The family reported back the incredible progress she’d made after just one week.
Traffick Free has a clear picture of what it needs to accomplish over the next five years. It’s looking for borrowed space to open its drop-in center one night per week in the beginning, and will then pursue partnerships to open a 2nd and 3rd night a week. At the same time they’re working to raise enough funds to operate for the next three years. From there, they envision the drop-in center operating 24 hours and expanding its services to self-identified males and young adults.
“We rely on a huge community to make a difference in these victims’ lives,” says Laura. “We wouldn’t be able to make this drop-in center a reality without the support and partnership of all the individuals and groups working alongside us to fight human trafficking.”