New documentary highlights human trafficking survivors

Amplify Voices, a local non-profit organization dedicated to raising the voices of marginalized groups, has recently unveiled their new documentary “The Journey,” which follows the lives of several survivors of human trafficking and their journeys of healing and finding their voices after experiencing unimaginable trauma.

The documentary was ultimately made to bring awareness to human trafficking, but it also shows the resiliency of the human spirit and the ability to be able to move forward and triumph over even the most difficult circumstances.

Deborah Shapiro, founder and executive director of Amplify Voices, joined Arizona Horizon to discuss the documentary. Shari Scott, a human trafficking survivor and Amplify Voices affiliate, also joined us to share her story.

“I kept it secret; I didn’t know,” Scott said. “I didn’t have any memories for many, many years. It wasn’t until I had my first child that I realized something was seriously wrong when I didn’t have the emotion that I wanted to have,” Scott said.

According to the Department of Justice, Phoenix is a hotspot for human trafficking. The most targeted age for girls is 12 to 14 years old and for boys is ages 11 to 13.

“The more that people share, the more that they tell their authentic truth, and it’s met with love and respect, that is the difference that it makes. There is a freedom that exists for them on the other side that didn’t exist before they could tell that story,” said Shapiro.