The following interview was conducted by New Hope Digital this month via email with Sandra Johnson, founder of Triad Ladder of Hope. Triad Ladder of Hope believes there are 4 steps to ending slavery in the Triad area of North Carolina: awareness, rescue, restoration, and reentry.

Since 2005, Triad Ladder of Hope has been working to raise awareness about the issue of human trafficking within the United States. By actively partnering with a number of other agencies, the group is able to offer physical, emotional, and spiritual assistance to human trafficking survivors. Victim services are provided by a clinical social worker who is licensed by the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board.

Triad Ladder of Hope is currently raising funds for a safe house to shelter women of all backgrounds who have escaped trafficking. The ministry is a privately funded, faith-based nonprofit. The Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina includes the cities of Winston-Salem, High Point, and Greensboro, as well as surrounding counties.

How did you first get involved with the issue of human trafficking?

My missions pastor recommended me to another organization. I worked for them under a federal grant for 8 months, then felt God leading me to step out on my on.

How did the Triad Ladder of Hope ministry start?

Sandra Johnson

Triad Ladder of Hope was the call God placed on my heart. As I learned about the horrors of slavery in our country and in our state, my heart was broken for those who were being exploited in such a horrible way. Their rights were stripped from them, and they are forced to do work with little or no pay and are treated worse than many of us treat our pets.

I had to change my mind-set on prostitution. Our society views prostitution like this: it’s the lifestyle they chose, and we as Christians don’t want to have anything to do with them. The average age for entering prostitution is just 12 years old. They have no way of getting out. God calls all of us to help the least of these.

I talked to my pastor and the director of missions in our area and in different ways they confirmed what God was leading me to do. I felt like I could not just sit and do nothing. I had to help those who were literally voiceless. Five years ago, few people knew slavery was active in our country and many still do not know.

How are women referred to Triad Ladder of Hope?

We receive referrals in many ways: from local law enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the national trafficking hotline, other organizations, and sometimes self-referrals.

How do you partner with other service providers in the Triad area?

We network with many other organizations including churches, the Salvation Army, Lutheran Family Services Carolinas, and the North Carolina African Services Coalition. We are part of the North Carolina Coalition Against Human Trafficking and the Rescue and Restore campaign (US Department of Health and Human Services).

What specific services does Triad Ladder of Hope offer to women leaving modern slavery?

Networking with other organizations, we offer women a safe haven, giving them the hope of a new life. We provide shelter, food, clothing, trauma counseling, medical care, and legal assistance. We also provide job skills training through Christian Women’s Job Corps (national WMU). If possible, we help them make contact with their family. Everything that each of us take for granted we try to provide for our clients. We share God’s love by building a loving relationship with each client.

How does Christian Women’s Job Corps (CWJC) specifically benefit women who’ve escaped human trafficking?

Each CWJC site is customized to meet the needs of the participants and their community. We were able to incorporate the CWJC model to help victims of slavery. The purpose of CWJC is to provide a Christian context in which women in need are equipped for life and employment. It also provides a missions context in which women help women.

Triad Ladder of Hope’s mission is to care for the whole person. Victims of slavery are a group with extensive needs, and we work to meet those needs while ministering to them. Once our clients have reached a level where they are able to move back into society and live on their own, we help with training in life skills and job readiness.

CWJC was a perfect fit for the mission of Triad Ladder of Hope.

What types of slavery situations are you dealing with in the Triad area?

North Carolina ranks 8th among the states for highest human trafficking rates. Here we see labor and sex trafficking of men, women, and children. They can be as young as 5 or older than 50. A lot of our clients have been held in bondage in private homes. We have also worked with victims of sex trafficking.

Victims come from many countries, including the US. Americans can become victims here in our country, and many are taken to other countries where they are victims. The government estimates that 15,000 to 20,000 people are trafficked into our country every year. (I have been using that figure for 5 years, and, with this being the fastest growing crime in the world and second fastest in the US, I would say this statistic is probably no longer accurate.)

Victims can be from any country or continent—Russia, Thailand, Africa, Vietnam, Ukraine, China, India, and many others. There is not a country human trafficking does not touch.

Do you have any idea of the number of possible victims in the Triad area?

We know there are many, but we have no way of counting those living in slavery.

Have the types of slavery situations been changing in recent years?

I don’t know that it has been changing so much as growing. Drug lords and gangs are beginning to look at human trafficking as more profitable than selling their drugs. And it is more profitable. Drugs are a one-time sell; humans, on the other hand, are resalable and are constantly making the trafficker a profit.

What happens to victims trafficked from other countries? Do they stay or return? How difficult is it for them to be granted status to remain here?

US Immigration will have to certify the person as a victim of human trafficking. Law enforcement must be involved in the process, and the victim has to assist in any investigation (this does not apply to minors). Many in slavery, because of fear, will not come forward due to this requirement.

Once a victim has been certified, there are government monies available for them and they can apply for a T-visa. Human trafficking victims also have the option of returning home at the US government’s expense. A majority choose to stay in the US.

It is often a long process. We just reunited a formerly trafficked mother with 3 of her 5 children. It took almost 2 years, and we worked with 2 other organizations to make this happen. We are now working to bring the other 2 children here.

In some cases, we have seen U-visas used for victims of slavery.

What do you recommend as a first step for an individual who wants to get involved in helping trafficking victims?

Become educated! Know what the red flags are, what signs to look for, and what to do if you come across a potential situation that may be human trafficking. We do community training so citizens know what to look for. Most of the trafficking hotline tips come from citizens. Everybody can do something: pray, give, take action by raising awareness.

Why have you decided not to take government funding?

In Matthew 25, Jesus charges us with the privilege of taking care of those in need. Slavery is a community problem! We strongly believe it is our responsibility as the body of Christ to fight this battle and not to defer to the government.

Who will be the voice and fight for their freedom if the church doesn’t? In the 1800s it was the people of God who stood up and did something to put a stop to slavery.

We also want the freedom to openly share the love and hope of Jesus with our clients. We do not force anything on them; we are as Jesus in the way we love them. If they adhere to another religion we respect their background, and we love them as Christ loves us. There has never been a greater need in history for churches to rise up and join the fight against slavery.

There are more people living in slavery today than ever before in history.

How can churches get involved in the fight against human trafficking in the US?

Pastors need to address this issue from the pulpit. The estimated number of men sitting in our churches who are involved in pornography is unreal. Pornography fuels sex trafficking.

Our churches need to get out of their comfort zone, get out into their communities, and support and get to know their law enforcement. I went to church with a victim of slavery and, at the time, did not know she was a victim. Victims and predators alike can be and are sitting in our church pews.

Members of our churches need to know what to look for and how to identify victims. We should go into the night clubs, strip clubs, and on the streets at night and reach out to those who are in need of rescue.

Follow Triad Ladder of Hope on Facebook and Twitter.

Editor’s note: For more information on human trafficking, especially in the US, you may be interested in reading Not in My Town by Charles Powell and Dillon Burroughs.