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“I had acquired 16 felonies at the hands of my trafficker. I served
a year in the county jail and four years in prison to follow.
My record upon release
prevented me from jobs ...
It prevented me from
doing outreach
in jails and prisons
with recovery groups and ministries when I wanted to reach women who had been where I’d been.
It was hard to move on and regain my life after exploitation with charges following me that didn’t reveal my trafficking experience. Instead, my charges painted me as a criminal.
”
This is what survivor, Ashley Chesney, said when advocating for the passage of the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act (TSRA).
The TSRA helps trafficking survivors, like Ashley, expunge criminal records that were obtained while under the control of a trafficker. It affirms that survivors should not be punished for their own exploitation.
And now, the TSRA has officially been signed into law!
🎉
Read more about this incredible victory and the impact it will have on survivors across the nation.
Ending Sexploitation Podcast:
Lily Moric steps in to host the show this week, and she's joined by expert attorney and founder of the NCOSE Law Center, Benjamin Bull. They discuss legal strategies to combat the harms of pornography. In particular, Ben explores obscenity laws and what it would look like to enforce them in 2026.
Under obscenity laws, much of Internet pornography would likely not be protected under the First Amendment and could be prosecuted. Enforcement of these laws has faded, but Benjamin Bull remains hopeful that it could be a winning strategy.
🎧 Tune in to the discussion on
Spotify
,
Apple Podcasts
,
YouTube
, or your favorite podcast platform.
📣 ACTION:
Ask the DOJ to enforce obscenity laws!
Whaddo You Meme??:
You're Wrong About What Sex Trafficking Looks Like
What does sex trafficking look like in 2026? It's rarely like the movies
Taken
or
Sound of Freedom.
This week on "
Whaddo You Meme,"
NCOSE's Dani Pinter, breaks down the realities of sex trafficking today, how perpetrators exploit their victims, and how, more often than not, traffickers are people who look just like us.
📺
Watch the full video to learn more about what sex trafficking really looks like.
📣
ACTION:
Ask your state to pass the Survivor Model!
The Survivor Model is the best method to stop sex trafficking as it reduces demand for paid sex by putting a heavier focus on holding sex buyers accountable.
Read more and take action here!
NCOSE President and CEO, Marcel van der Watt, presents to the UK Parliament on Commercial Sexual Exploitation
This week, NCOSE President and CEO, Marcel van der Watt presented to the UK Parliament's All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Commercial Sexual Exploitation during their inquiry into "camming" websites.
"More than 6,000 unique logins by sex buyers across the globe to a 16-year-old trafficking victim's live stream profile managed by her traffickers over two years—averaging over eight per day—offer a chilling glimpse into the utter lack of compunction among both buyers and traffickers who fuel this exploitation ..."
This is a detail from the 2019 case of State v. Seleso, in which Marcel served as an expert witness. This child was trafficked from Lesotho (Country 1), exploited online and offline in South Africa (Country 2), and the live stream platform was hosted in the United States (Country 3). The exploiters were from all over the world.
📝
Read more about the presentation and the objectives of this inquiry on Marcel's LinkedIn.
Sincerely,
P.S. Want to make a big difference in the fight to end sexual exploitation?
Join the Defender Coalition!
The Defender Coalition is a community of monthly donors and advocates, committed for the long haul to ending sexual abuse and exploitation at its roots.
Become a Defender
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