LOCAL FEATURE EXODUS ROAD: A WAY OUT FOR SEX TRAFFICKING VICTIMS BY CAT EVANS HUMAN TRAFFICKING is an ongoing and widespread problem that the majority of society knows little about. There is no discrimination when it comes to the victims of trafficking as it impacts men, women, and children internationally. Statistically, however, women and girls are disproportionately impacted. According to freetheslaves.net, “an estimated 71% of enslaved people are women and girls, while men and boys account for 29%.” Trafficking is highly lucrative, with global profits sitting around roughly $150 billion a year — humanrights.org estimates $99 billion of trafficking profits come from commercial sexual exploitation. The majority of trafficking comes into the United States. It’s estimated that 50,000 people per year come from Mexico and the Philippines. Laura Parker is the co-founder, president, and CEO of the Exodus Road, a donation-based organization that develops and engages people with programs to end human trafficking. She and her husband Matt Parker started the organization about ten years ago after a life-changing experience when Matt, a youth pastor, received an offer to run a children’s home in northern Thailand. Once they were overseas, Matt began working at an allgirls home. Trafficking wasn’t even on his radar until he heard about ‘Johns’ — people who recruited young girls and trafficked them. “It brought this overwhelming sense of responsibility to me,” he said. “I was running a children’s home with 48 girls in it; they were all from these villages.” From there, Matt started to investigate different villages to find out if the rumors were true. Everywhere he went, trafficking was a known issue — and even worse, it was a normal issue. “It struck me that something was happening that was systemic,” he said. He and his team met with law enforcement, who invited them to be their consultants and do research on human trafficking. They realized no one was looking for victims of trafficking. The civilians and nonprofits rely on the police, and the police are often corrupt and preoccupied. “This was a significant discovery for us,” Matt explained. To get the police involved, there needed to be solid evidence, verifiable information. Matt sought out informants to do the job and find tangible evidence but fell short because of the significant dangers that going undercover imposed. Growing more frustrated, he and a couple of his close friends took matters into their own hands. Matt was as serious about this cause as he was about his wife and children. Knowing the work was dangerous and that he was risking his life doing more than just research, Matt asked Laura for her permission. Laura, who was hesitant, assumed Matt’s PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE EXODUS ROAD 6 DENVER VOICE November 2021
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