Until All Are Free

The BR-116 is the second-longest highway in all of Brazil. At nearly 2,800 miles or 4,500 KM long, it winds its way through bustling metropolis cities like Rio de Janeiro and scarcely populated towns throughout the country. While the road contains much beauty, it also holds dark secrets. On this episode of Until All Are Free, we are joined by Matt Roper, a British journalist and the author of Highway to Hell: The Road where Childhoods Are Stolen. Matt shares his experiences alongside trafficking victims and at-risk youth in Brazil, as well as the dark nature of the extraordinarily long road that serves as a gateway for the sexual exploitation of thousands of Brazil's youngest.

In this episode, we welcome CEO and Co-Founder, Matt Parker, to share exciting developments about the program work of The Exodus Road in 2021. The Exodus Road is strategically expanding its footprint in the prevention, intervention, and aftercare spaces of the fight against human trafficking. Matt shares about The Exodus Road's vision for its Beyond Rescue Program and the very first aftercare shelter directly ran by TER's team. We also learn about the expansion of TER's Search + Rescue program in Southeast Asia, as well as exciting opportunities for TER to train 17,000 Brazilian law enforcement officers through TraffickWatch, the prevention arm of The Exodus Road.

What are the truths about human trafficking in the United States? What legal protection, or lack thereof, exists for survivors of human trafficking in each of the 50 states? In this episode, we are joined by Jamie Beck, the President, and Managing Attorney at Free to Thrive. Free to Thrive empowers survivors of human trafficking to be free from exploitation and to thrive by providing them with holistic and trauma-informed, legal and support services in collaboration with our service partners, and by increasing access to justice for all survivors. Learn more about Jamie and the work of Free to Thrive by visiting freetothrive.org.

In the fight against human trafficking, there are many great men and women advocating for the most vulnerable. At The Exodus Road we believe that when we fight human trafficking together, survivors win. Ben Cooley is the co-founder and CEO of Hope For Justice, a nonprofit that exists to bring an end to modern slavery by preventing exploitation, rescuing victims, restoring lives, and reforming society. Ben is known for his encouragement and resolve in the midst of a dark issue, and we're honored to welcome him on this episode of Until All Are Free. To learn more about the work of Hope For Justice around the world, visit hopeforjustice.org.

How would you respond if met with a potential trafficking scenario face-to-face? In this latest episode of Until All Are Free, you’ll hear the story of Maria, a Kenyan woman, told by Sarah Ray, human rights educator and activist. The two women met in an airport in Dubai early in 2020, as Maria was en route to Saudi Arabia for a domestic job. Maria was traveling with a group of Kenyan women who were prepared to hand over their passports in exchange for work in the middle eastern country. What unfolds is a story of friendship, perseverance, and an intimate glimpse into a labor trafficking situation.

Cheers to you, listeners! You've journeyed with us throughout one of the toughest years in recent history, and we're so grateful. We have one more episode in 2020, so keep an eye on your feed and take a listen here to get a sneak peek.

A conversation with a survivor in Latin America leads CEO Matt Parker and Delta Operative David Zach on an investigation halfway across the world. What they discover confirms the leads that the survivor shared, and further involves The Exodus Road in a region where we are already actively working to find and free victims of human trafficking. The scoring on this episode was generously provided by Philip Daniel. To hear more of his music, follow him on Instagram at @philipdanielpiano or on Spotify.

CASE UPDATE: In Episode 04, Matt shared the story of his return to an alley that he had glimpsed in passing once before, years earlier.  He encountered a group of young girls being trafficked on a side street and sent our operatives back to investigate. In this episode of Until All Are Free, we pick the story back up and hear from an investigator who was sent down that alley to capture evidence of trafficking. To learn more about the investigative work that The Exodus Road performs, visit our website at theexodusroad.com

From rockstar to covert operative. On this episode of Until All Are Free Preston is joined by David Zach, the frontman of Remedy Drive. David speaks about his own experiences on the front lines of the fight against human trafficking. David has worked extensively as an undercover operative with The Exodus Road, and allows for his experiences to shape and form the music that he has produced. To learn more about the work of David and Remedy Drive, visit https://remedydrive.com/.

In this episode of Until All Are Free we are joined by Cheryl Kosmerl, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 16 years of experience working alongside minors with hands-on sex offenses or boundary offenses. Her experiences in the clinical field led her to the creation of Sexting Solutions and co-creation of Hashtag Parenting. Sexting Solutions is a class-based (cohort modeled) option that serves as an alternative for minors who would otherwise be caught in the legal system. Hashtag Parenting is an online resource that equips parents with the tools they need to help their kid(s) with healthy digital practices from the earliest stages of their childhood.

In the world of systemic human trafficking, there are major crime syndicates that provide the mechanism and framework for sexual exploitation to take place. In this episode of Until All Are Free, Matt joins Preston and Isaac and shares the story of Cindy, a mother who finds herself stuck halfway around the world in a reality far from what she would have imagined.

A survivor's journey through rescue, aftercare, and integration requires the coordinated effort of many people who are committed to restoration. In this episode of  Until All Are Free, Laura Parker, the President and Co-Founder of The Exodus Road, shares an interview with Courtney Skiera-Vaughn, the Executive Director of Free the Girls. Free The Girls trains and equips female survivors of human trafficking in El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Mozambique to become entrepreneurs in the business of selling bras in their local markets.

"It wasn't the only alley I was going down, it was just the alley I couldn't figure out how to get back to." - Matt Parker Seven years ago, Matt Parker was in a taxi speeding toward his hotel on an unknown route through Bangkok at midnight. He glimpsed a flash of an obscure back alley where he saw young girls for sale. As soon as he realized what he had seen, it was gone. Seven years later, Matt returned to this back alley in a chance encounter on another taxi ride. Listen to the episode to hear the full story, and learn about the operation in progress to rescue these trafficked victims.

Laura Parker (TER President) talks with female Delta Operative, Sarah, about her experience on the front lines of the fight against human trafficking. Sarah shares details from the vulnerable moments with trafficking victims and explains the extraordinary sequence of events that led an ordinary woman to become a covert operative with The Exodus Road. The Exodus Road is a global organization fighting human trafficking by gathering evidence, facilitating rescue missions, and empowering aftercare for survivors. Learn more about our organization by visiting theexodusroad.com. Want to be the first to know when a rescue takes place? Sign up for our Rescue Texts by texting "ER" to 51555. Host: Preston Goff Producer: Isaac Leigh Internal Themes: Lucas Leigh Intro & Outro Recordings: City of Sound

Drew, an Army Special Forces soldier turned Delta Operative, sits down with us to give exclusive stories of his experiences in investigation and rescue. He shares the details from his very first successful rescue operation (the story of Phim).  Delta Operatives at The Exodus Road are volunteers who have been vetted and trained to support the national operatives who live and work on the front lines of the fight against human trafficking. The Exodus Road is a global organization fighting human trafficking by gathering evidence, facilitating rescue missions, and empowering aftercare for survivors. Learn more about our organization by visiting theexodusroad.com. Want to be the first to know when a rescue takes place? Sign up for our Rescue Texts by texting "ER" to 51555. Host: Preston Goff Producer: Isaac Leigh Internal Themes: Lucas Leigh Intro & Outro Recordings: City of Sound

You have discovered the inaugural episode of the podcast! CEO and Co-Founder, Matt Parker, shares the genesis story of The Exodus Road and the events that led to our very first rescue of a human trafficking victim. The Exodus Road is a global organization fighting human trafficking by gathering evidence, facilitating rescue missions, and empowering aftercare for survivors. Learn more about our organization by visiting theexodusroad.com. Want to be the first to know when a rescue takes place? Sign up for our Rescue Texts by texting "ER" to 51555. Host: Preston Goff Producer: Isaac Leigh Internal Themes: Lucas Leigh Intro & Outro Recordings: City of Sound

On this episode of Until All Are Free, Preston sits down with Drew and James, two volunteer investigators with The Exodus Road. The two recount their recent travels to Pakistan, where they assisted a separate nonprofit organization in securing the release of a family from debt bondage in Pakistan's brick-making industry. Debt bondage is inherently complex, like many of the topics discussed in Until All Are Free. Many individuals ensnared in Pakistan's debt-bondage schemes are suffering from generational enslavement where the possibility of freedom from debt is unrealistic. In the landscape of human rights organizations addressing debt bondage worldwide, conversations often arise about the best tactics for intervention efforts to dismantle systems of exploitation that prop up this mechanism of trafficking. This episode is intended as an educational source about the nature of human trafficking in this region of the world. As an organization, The Exodus Road does not participate in transactional exchanges with traffickers to secure the freedom of a survivor of human trafficking.

Joining Preston on this episode of Until All Are Free is Daniel*, the Asia Regional Director at The Exodus Road. Daniel has investigated more than 1,000 locations in Asia for human trafficking. He'll share with us about what that's like and about the immense sacrifices law enforcement and our national staff make to do this work. Before transitioning to the international space, Daniel worked as a lawyer in Colorado where he focused on child abuse and neglect cases in Jefferson County. Today, Daniel oversees The Exodus Road's international programs in India, the Philippines, and Thailand. *Pseudonym used to ensure safety.

Oftentimes, the stories that we share focus on one single individual. One story. One Case. Episode 27 is a little different in that regard. We're bringing you a glimpse into the exploitation of the Rohingya Muslim people group of present-day Myanmar. In 2015, The Exodus Road had a unique opportunity to assist in a case that garnered international attention, thrusting the Rohingya's plight into the spotlight again.  Responding to the request of law enforcement and another nonprofit organization in Thailand, The Exodus Road was able to provide cyber-forensic technology developed by Cellebrite that would eventually work to crack open a case resulting in the arrest of more than 100 and the successful rescue of hundreds more from a large trafficking ring in SE Asia. Joining us to recount the story on this episode is The Exodus Road Co-founder, Matt Parker. Episode Sources Digital data helped take down a Thai General in the country’s largest human trafficking case The Survivors of the Rohingya Genocide Thailand: Mass Graves of Rohingya Found in Trafficking Camp Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity and Ethnic Cleansing of Rohingya in Burma Documentation of Atrocities in Northern Rakhine State Muslims of the Land of Arakan - A Rohingya Song

In this episode of Until All Are Free, Preston is joined by Joel Karum of Ezekiel Rain. Joel is the co-founder of the Thai nonprofit Ezekiel Rain, and he’s also on the board of The Exodus Road Thailand. Through over a decade of working with Ezekiel Rain, Joel Karum has become a leading expert in building resilient communities to prevent exploitation in Thailand. The organization emphasizes models that center around building strong families, including combating pornography’s role in perpetuating cultural and individual harm. Joel has also been a friend of The Exodus Road since its inception, and the podcast proved to be inspiring and enlightening!