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Voices of Freedom: Liz Midkiff – Part 4

Hard Truths: Survivor Liz Midkiff reveals dangerous misconceptions about human trafficking

Liz Midkiff has spent half a decade educating youth and adults on the hard truths – and misconceptions – of human trafficking (Courtesy, pxhere.com)


By Deborah Reed

WKTV Managing Editor

deborah@wktv.org


TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains sensitive information about violence and rape that may be distressing or traumatic for some individuals.


Liz Midkiff, human trafficking survivor and ambassador for Women at Risk, International (Courtesy, WAR, Int’l)

WAR Ambassador and human trafficking survivor Liz Midkiff has spent half a decade educating youth and adults on the hard truths – and misconceptions – of human trafficking.

“A lot of people want to fight trafficking, but they don’t know how because information is so vague,” says Midkiff.

Midkiff’s own journey began at 15-years-old when she went on a mission trip to Thailand. Part of that trip involved visiting the red light district and understanding what human trafficking truly meant. Midkiff left Thailand believing God had called her to fight against trafficking.

However, three years later, Midkiff found herself a victim of sex trafficking – and it looked nothing like what she had seen in Thailand.

“People are just given vague information. They have no idea – what does it actually look like in America?”

Kidnapping vs. Grooming

In America, 3% of trafficking victims are kidnapped, but 90-95% are groomed by someone the victim knows. WAR S.T.A.N.D. classes, formulated by Midkiff and WAR founder Rebecca McDonald, focus on both aspects.

Liz Midkiff with her two sons. Due to the physical damage inflicted during her time of captivity, she believed she would never be able to have children. (Courtesy, Midkiff)

“In the classes…we talk about what is safe. What does safe feel like, what does safe look like?

“We talk about stranger danger, but we also talk about danger with people we know. What happens when family and friends are not safe? You’ve got to give the kids options, but you also have to give them what is safe and what’s not safe.”

According to the Children’s Advocacy Project, grooming is defined as “when someone builds a relationship, trust and emotional connection with a child or young person so they can manipulate, exploit and abuse them.”

Grooming is a deliberate process and can take place over minutes, weeks or years, and can happen in person and online. Many groomers also build relationships with family and friends of their target so they appear trustworthy or authoritative.

Midkiff says this is confusing to adults and is often asked to explain what grooming looks like.

“A lot of people have a lot of basic knowledge of what trafficking is, but they don’t know what it looks like or what to even do if they see it,” said Midkiff. “That’s where I feel I can help.”

Taking a S.T.A.N.D.

“I created the S.T.A.N.D. classes because that was something that was really important to me as a mom [and] because I can teach them real-life experience.”

(Courtesy, WAR, Int’l)

Midkiff’s S.T.A.N.D. classes begin at 5-years-old because kids understand the concepts of safety and right vs. wrong. However, Midkiff has noticed that many parents avoid talking to their children about trafficking because they believe it will scare them.

“I think adults are more scared than the kids are,” said Midkiff.

Knowledge and preparation help combat that fear.

Prevention: Discretion

Social media discretion – such as abstaining from posting naked pictures of children, or where they go to school – is a preventative measure that can be taken immediately after birth.

Another discretionary action that Midkiff personally implements is having children wear full clothing when in public.

Prevention: Knowledge

Liz Midkiff with her oldest son (Courtesy, Midkiff)

While at a playground with her 5-year-old son, a man sat down and began talking to Midkiff. She had noticed him around the playground and assumed he worked there. He did not.

At one point, the man lifted his shirt, without Midkiff’s consent, to show off his tattoos. Midkiff’s son noticed and ran over, inserting himself between the two adults and refusing to leave, stating it was not safe for his mother.

“He’s five,” said Midkiff. “He was not scared. He was empowered, and he knew exactly what to do. He knew the signs, and he knew what that looked like…because of the class he took one time.”

Midkiff believes educating children when they are young is an excellent form of prevention. Numerous women have approached Midkiff saying, I’ve lived with being molested as a child for 60 years because I didn’t know that didn’t happen to everybody else. I didn’t know what to do.

“If we can get the kids when they’re kids, they don’t have to wait till they’re 60 to have the realization there was something they could have done,” said Midkiff.

Prevention: Recognition

Not only will children be able to help themselves, they will be able to recognize signs of grooming and/or trafficking of others around them.

“If [my son is] doing this stuff at five, when he’s [older] he’s going to know if his 15-year-old friend has a bad boyfriend or a trafficker,” said Midkiff. “And he’s going to know what to do.

Knowing the difference is important, because those situations can look very similar. Midkiff cites sextortion as an example.

Fraud and coercion

While sending naked pictures of yourself to someone you are in a relationship with is not smart, it is not illegal. However, if that relationship ends and the other person sells those pictures to friends, or uses those pictures against you – threatening to show them to others unless you do certain things – it creates a completely different situation.

“Now he’s manipulating you, he’s coercing you,” said Midkiff, adding that it’s confusing to many people because the entire situation began as a consensual relationship. “When I do my class, I talk about force fraud and coercion; that is what makes something trafficking.”

Kids grooming kids

Rebecca McDonald (left), thanks Midkiff’s five-year-old son for raising $300 to provide one month in a safehouse for a trafficking survivor (Courtesy, WAR, Int’l)

Midkiff’s five-year-old son was recently groomed at a mall by another boy.

The 12-year-old boy approached Midkiff’s son and repeatedly asked if he wanted to come outside to the playground. Despite moving to other areas of the store, the boy persisted, even inserting himself between Midkiff and her son.

“He was trying to separate me from my son,” said Midkiff. “He was grooming him: ‘I like your car, do you like to play on the playground?’ It was innocent kid talk, but did it make sense? No, it didn’t. He didn’t have his mother [with him], and young boys don’t follow other women to the underwear department.”

As Midkiff left with her son, she noticed two older men waiting for that 12-year-old boy at the front doors.

If Midkiff had not been paying attention, she may not have noticed the boy’s grooming tactics. And her young son might have gone with him.

“That’s how it happens,” said Midkiff. “It’s not just snatching them from the store. You can lure him anywhere with a toy. Those are things to look for. And those are the kind of situations I teach.”

Prevention: Be observant, ask questions

Many victims want to ask for help but are afraid of putting someone else in danger (Courtesy photo)

Midkiff says simply being observant can prevent trafficking.

Despite going to a doctor several times while being trafficked, not one nurse or doctor questioned her about obvious evidence of violence.

One friend commented on bruises on Midkiff’s arms. Midkiff sarcastically said that she fell down the stairs – while desperately hoping the girl would ask more questions, offer a place to stay or a phone number to call if Midkiff needed anything.

“She knew there was something else there, and she chose not to ask more questions because she thought I was being standoffish. Why was I being standoffish? Because I didn’t want to put her in danger.”

Many people, however, don’t even know what to look for.

“People say, look for someone who looks malnourished. Well, 70% of the people you see might look malnourished. Maybe their parents don’t feed them, or they have an eating disorder, or they’re struggling artists.”

Midkiff has developed a three-strike rule.

Simply being observant could save someone’s life (Courtesy photo)

“If three things look out of place then I will make the call to the human trafficking hotline number,” said Midkiff, citing an instance when she saw a woman enter an urgent care with a girl who bore a barcode tattoo on the back of her neck.

That tattoo was an automatic red flag for Midkiff. And since 60% of traffickers are women, there was no guarantee the woman was the girl’s mother.

That was enough for Midkiff; she called WAR.

“There were 20 people in that urgent care. Do you think anybody else thought of that? I doubt it. Because nobody even knew that’s what to look for. To me, it was literally sitting right in front of me.”

Traffickers move victims around often to confuse them and prevent them from being able to tell anyone where they are. If someone doesn’t know where they are going or where they are coming from, it is a red flag.

“Even my five-year-old knows where he lives. But some of these girls, they’re being transported every six days, and possibly to different states.”

Comply vs. Consent

To freeze is a normal response to trauma and does not mean the victim did something wrong (Courtesy photo)

Midkiff also teaches the difference between comply and consent.

Teaching a child to say no is important. However, our bodies have at least three different responses to trauma: fight, flight and freeze.

If a child does not say no when faced with a traumatic situation, it is not because they did something wrong, it is because their body shut down – which is a normal reaction, said WAR founder Rebecca McDonald.

“To freeze is a normal, actually healthy, response to trauma. You’re trying to be quiet and not bring attention to yourself.”

That does not, McDonald continued, mean you were consenting.

If being robbed, we are taught to put our personal safety first – to do as instructed and not resist.

“We’re taught to comply. Not consent, but to comply,” said McDonald. “Trafficking survivors have complied a lot. It just means that they did what it took to stay alive and survive.”

Set aside fear

Midkiff urges parents to set aside uncertainty regarding conversation about trafficking – before it’s too late.

“Trafficking is happening.”


*Read Liz Midkiff’s full survivor story in WKTV’s Voices of Freedom series.


Resources

Women at Risk, International (WAR, Int’l) is knowledgable and has access to resources such as Homeland Security and the FBI. WAR also provides wraparound services which provide survivors with additional needed help and life skills.

Women at Risk, International can be reached by phone at 616-855-0796, toll free at 877 END-SLAVERY (363-7528), or via email at info@warinternational.org. You can also reach them via their website contact form.

*In an emergency, call 911.

– If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline. It is a free, 24/7 service that offers confidential and multilingual support, information and local resources for victims, survivors, and witnesses of human trafficking.

The hotline can be reached:

– If you believe a child is involved, contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST or www.cybertipline.com, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

– Additional resources can be found here: Trafficking Resources.

(Courtesy, WAR, Int’l)

Voices of Freedom: Liz Midkiff – Part 3

No matter the cost: Liz Midkiff risked everything to find freedom – and her voice

Human trafficking survivor and WAR, Int’l Ambassador Liz Midkiff is determined to keep others from experiencing the horrors she endured (Courtesy, WAR, Int’l)


By Deborah Reed

WKTV Managing Editor

deborah@wktv.org


TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains sensitive information about violence and rape that may be distressing or traumatic for some individuals.


Liz Midkiff was trafficked for two years before she found a way out. Held captive physically and emotionally, Midkiff finally had enough.

“I finally got out of it by running into the woods,” said Midkiff. “I think I just lost my mind. At one point I’m like, they can kill us all. I’m going to call my dad.”

Midkiff called her father at 4 a.m. and asked him to come get her – immediately. “He didn’t ask any questions. He got me and took me home. They lived four hours away.”

Midkiff was willing to risk everything to regain her freedom (Courtesy, pxhere.com)

Midkiff and her father didn’t talk during the car ride home. In fact, he did not know what he had rescued his daughter from until years later. He simply knew his daughter called, she was frantic, and he needed to go get her.

Though Midkiff received threatening phone calls after she escaped, her traffickers did not want to cross state lines, so she was not in physical danger.

Midkiff stayed with her parents as she began the healing process, describing her parents’ home as her safe house.

“Even if you get somebody out of [trafficking], you’ve got to get them to a place that’s safe or they’re never going to heal,” said Midkiff, adding that many victims do not have a safe place to go to. “I feel really blessed that I had parents that were able to help me.”

Finding hope and purpose

Midkiff’s healing process was long and difficult, mentally and physically.

“I had to have multiple surgeries because people did some ungodly things,” said Midkiff.

Midkiff’s attempts to facilitate healing were not easy – but she did not give up (Courtesy, pxhere.com)

The mental and emotional side of healing was difficult for many reasons.

“It wasn’t easy because I didn’t even know I was trafficked until years later,” Midkiff admitted, adding that she was continually told she simply had “bad boyfriends” and that her experiences happen to everyone. “I didn’t know there was an actual name for it.”

It wasn’t until she heard trafficking talked about on television that Midkiff realized: This is what happened to me.

Armed with that knowledge, Midkiff attempted to facilitate healing by talking with various therapists, but did not find it helpful.

“Most therapists have no idea what trafficking is,” said Midkiff. “They have no idea how to speak to a survivor.”

Midkiff found herself struggling with deep-seated anger as she sought meaning in what happened to her. “I just wanted to have meaning to what happened. I wanted to make sense of it, and I wanted purpose in my life.”

Eventually, Midkiff found a Christian counselor who asked where her journey first began. Midkiff explained about her mission trip to Thailand and the call she felt from God to fight trafficking. The counselor then asked Midkiff: “Do you think it’s a possibility that Satan heard that goal too, and he wanted to try to bring you down because you have something so powerful to say?”

Midkiff felt like a switch had been flipped.

“When I felt like I had a call on my life, I feel like that was from God. Three years later, I just happened to be trafficked myself.

Midkiff refused to let guilt and anger rule her life (Courtesy, WAR, Int’l)

“I feel that Satan tried to bring me down with the one thing I was supposed to fight. That there is something that I have to say that is so powerful, he just wanted to destroy it.”

For years, Midkiff did keep silent. “I didn’t want to talk about it. If I can’t even protect myself, how can I help other people?”

As Midkiff struggled with survivor’s guilt over escaping the trafficking business while others remained victims, Midkiff’s husband echoed the suggestion that Midkiff might have something to say.

“Maybe you have something that needs to be said, and so you need to use that to fight it,” Midkiff’s husband told her. “Instead of in anger, fight it by helping other people.”

Midkiff began seeing other survivors lead programs and meetings and was intrigued.

“Hearing from other survivors, how powerful their story is and how they can help others with what they went through, I thought, I have that. There are so many things that could be said about what happened to me.”

A lifelong journey of healing

Aspects of her physical trauma remain with Midkiff even now – and she refuses to be silenced about those experiences.

“To this day, I don’t sleep in a bed,” said Midkiff. “And if I do, I don’t sleep.

“I’ve been out of this for 15 years now, but to this day, I will wake up so tense I won’t be able to move, or I’ll have nightmares the whole night. I either sleep in a chair, or I sleep on the floor.”

Midkiff’s husband Roger (right) patiently won her trust and love (Courtesy, Midkiff)

When she married her husband, Roger slept on a couch and Midkiff slept on the floor.

“Eventually he just slept on the floor with me. He’s a big guy, so it shows his love, to be able to come down to my level.”

The fact that Midkiff was able to trust someone enough to marry was a monumental hurdle in its own right – and it took time.

“We would just hang out, [and] he became my best friend. He was different from every guy I’ve ever met.”

But even friendship didn’t come easily for Midkiff.

“I didn’t have friends. It’s still hard for me to make friends. I didn’t trust anybody. It was just me and my dog. I was very much a loner, and my husband very much pursued me, but in a friendship sort of way.”

When Midkiff’s dog died, Roger was there to support her.

“My dog had been through all of that with me. When he died, it was like my life was falling apart. But then Roger would just be there, just hang out with me as a normal person. He was never forceful, he was never weird.

“And I realized this is how people are supposed to be. I think that helped me be able to laugh again and be able to have fun.”

When Roger said he wanted to date Midkiff, she revealed everything in her past, fully expecting him to walk away.

It took time for Midkiff to trust that not all relationships are transactional (Courtesy, Midkiff)

“He didn’t leave,” said Midkiff. “He hugged me and said, ‘None of this was ever your fault.’ That was a turning point.”

But obstacles remained.

Because Midkiff’s experiences with men were entirely transactional, certain aspects of her relationship with Roger were difficult. When Roger took her hand or bought her flowers, Midkiff  was instantly transported back to her past and became angry, asking what he wanted from her.

“During dating – and even marriage – there was a lot of ironing out of those things,” said Midkiff.

A large part of her healing came from turning back to her Christian faith.

“When [the trafficking] was actually happening, I would say I turned away from it, especially when the church rejected me,” said Midkiff. “That was my final straw. I had a nice little showdown with God in the car, actually. I still believed in Him, but didn’t want anything to do with Him.”

However, Midkiff could see God at work through specific instances where she was shielded from harm by people who said God sent them to protect her.

As Midkiff tried to make sense of why she went through being trafficked, she found purpose in her faith – and found her voice.

Taking a S.T.A.N.D

Midkiff says every step she takes toward speaking out has solidified her belief that God has called her to fight human trafficking.

Liz Midkiff, human trafficking survivor and WAR, Int’l Ambassador (right) with Rebecca McDonald, Founder and Executive Director of WAR, Int’l (Courtesy, WAR, Int’l)

“Things are happening,” said Midkiff. “The S.T.A.N.D class, different situations I’ve had talking to people, and seeing people freed from shame they felt. People only I would have been able to talk to.

“If you talk to another survivor, it means something different because they understand. I think it’s helped me a lot with my anger and guilt.”

Midkiff began speaking at public events – and happened to share her story at a Women At Risk, International CFR event where founder Rebecca McDonald was in attendance. The next day, McDonald invited Midkiff to speak at more WAR events.

Midkiff has worked with the nonprofit for the past five years, finding she fits well into the role of speaker. And Midkiff’s voice is having a powerful effect.

“Working with WAR, I can speak for survivors, and I can help them.”

Knowledge and preparation are vital

For the past five years, Midkiff has been sharing her story to help others recognize and prevent human trafficking. However, she only shared her story at WAR events. In April 2023, Midkiff took a leap of faith and shared her story on Facebook for the first time.

Midkiff uses her personal knowledge and everything she has learned to protect others (Courtesy, WAR, Int’l)

But she wants to do more.

Knowledge and recognition of what human trafficking truly consists of is vital in preventing trafficking. However, even if Midkiff had been prepared, she knew her trafficker for six months, and he seemed trustworthy. How could she have known she was entering a dangerous situation?

What would have made a difference, Midkiff said, was having knowledge of how to get out of that situation. “It’s not just how to prevent it but, if this happens to you or your friends, what can you do?”

Knowledge of what trafficking actually looks like is also important.

Midkiff observed that people have a basic knowledge of what trafficking is, but don’t know what it looks like or what to do if they see it. And most people don’t know what grooming means in the trafficking world.

“That’s where I feel I can help,” said Midkiff. “And WAR is such a big help to people because every trafficking case is different and we have the resources, we have the knowledge to back it up. We have Homeland Security, we have the FBI, we have all these things that maybe the everyday person doesn’t have.”

An ambassador for truth

Midkiff works to educate both children and adults about trafficking (Courtesy, WAR, Int’l)

As an ambassador for WAR, Midkiff’s ministry is funded through the generosity of supporters. Her passion for protecting children from trafficking keeps her continually seeking ministry opportunities.

“I created the S.T.A.N.D. classes because that was something that was really important to me as a mom.”

S.T.A.N.D. classes are available for children as young as 5-years-old and contain age appropriate material regarding safe relationships, stranger danger, private parts and personal privacy. Teen classes may include content about drugs, money, phones and social media.

However, Midkiff has noticed many parents avoid talking to their children about trafficking because they believe it will scare them.

Midkiff has already begun teaching her oldest son (left) about appropriate interactions and relationships (Courtesy, Midkiff)

“I think adults are more scared than the kids are,” said Midkiff, adding that even if they do talk to their kids, there are things parents would not know about.

“What I do is so new, and such a hard topic, that people are a little apprehensive about having me come out. So [I’m] just trying to be bold, stepping out and fighting for kids now because the media is certainly fighting to get your kids right now. Trafficking is happening.”

While Midkiff may never fully make sense of what happened to her, “I’ve come to the peace of: it happened. For whatever reason it happened, I have something to say that needs to be said. And that drives me to seek out these opportunities.”


*Continue reading Liz Midkiff’s survivor story and misconceptions about human trafficking in part four of her Voices of Freedom series, coming to WKTV Journal on Jan. 27, 2025.


Take a S.T.A.N.D.

Liz Midkiff, human trafficking survivor and WAR, Int’l ambassador will lead the S.T.A.N.D. classes (Courtesy, WAR, Int’l)

WAR, Int’l is hosting two S.T.A.N.D. classes on Jan. 25 at the WAR Chest Boutique in Wyoming.

Created and designed by Liz Midkiff and Rebecca McDonald, these classes are teach safety awareness, trafficking signs, age appropriate communications/actions, and more.

– The Kids S.T.A.N.D. Session will be held from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. for children ages 5-10 years old.

– The Teen S.T.A.N.D. Session will be held from 12:30 – 2 p.m. for youth ages 11-17 years old.

More details and registration information can be found here.



Resources

*In an emergency, call 911.

– If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline. It is a free, 24/7 service that offers confidential and multilingual support, information and local resources for victims, survivors, and witnesses of human trafficking.

The hotline can be reached:

– If you believe a child is involved, contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST or www.cybertipline.com, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

– Additional resources can be found here: Trafficking Resources.

Women at Risk, International (WAR, Int’l) can be reached by phone at 616-855-0796, toll free at 877 END-SLAVERY (363-7528), or via email at info@warinternational.org. You can also reach them via their website contact form.

Wedgwood’s Manasseh Project to offer FREE educational screening, conversation with human trafficking survivor on Jan. 22

Watch the trailer for the educational documentary “Nameless,” courtesy of Wedgwood Christian Services and Sacred Beginnings


By Deborah Reed

WKTV Managing Editor

deborah@wktv.org


Wedgwood Christian Services’ (WCS) Manasseh Project is inviting the public to join them for a free screening of the educational documentary titled Nameless on Jan. 22 at 5:30 p.m.

Following the screening will be conversation with trafficking survivor Leslie King, Founder and President of Sacred Beginnings, and Marie Brown, House Supervisor at the WCS Manasseh Project residential home, on the realities of human trafficking.

A huge disconnect

“Wedgwood started our Manasseh Project early in the 2010s and has continued to make sure that our community is bringing awareness around the issue of sex trafficking,” said Kori Thompson, WCS Advancement and Development Community Officer.

Thompson went on to say that the Manasseh Project was founded due to severe misconceptions regarding human trafficking.

(Courtesy, WCS)

“What we saw was this huge disconnect of people in our community not understanding that this was happening here – especially to young children – and yet having a residential home of victims of human trafficking,” said Thompson. “Over 10 years later, we are still finding that misconception.

“This is very real. This is real in our community, these are things that young people face. How can we, as a community, protect our children, protect these women, who are really victims in these scenarios.”

The “Film & Freedom: A Documentary & Discussion on Human Trafficking” event is a way to provide the community with resources and educate individuals on trafficking warning signs.

The screening of Nameless, an educational documentary, will reveal harsh realities surrounding human trafficking and how it begins.

“It’s really a survivor’s perspective,” said Thompson. “How they would be brought into that lifestyle, what happens, and some of the statistics around sex trafficking.”

A wealth of experience

Speakers Leslie King and Marie Brown will be bringing a wealth of personal and professional experience to the screening and discussion.

A survivor of human trafficking, King founded the nonprofit organization Sacred Beginnings in 2005 to provide residential housing to victims of human trafficking and resources for support and recovery to those exiting the trafficking lifestyle.

(Courtesy photo)

“[King] does an incredible job through her program,” said Thompson. “She has been an amazing activist in the community for a very long time.”

The partnership between Sacred Beginnings and WCS has given King the ability to offer a therapeutic element by providing a WCS therapist who works closely with King’s recovery program.

The Manasseh Project provides community and professional education, collaboration advocacy and treatment to individuals who have experienced sexual and commercial exploitation. Brown has served as house supervisor at the Manasseh Project residential home for over 20 years and oversees all residential home programming.

Perception and knowledge

Millions are victims of trafficking, and many of those victims are children (Courtesy, WCS)

“Film & Freedom” will be held at Wealthy Theatre in Grand Rapids.

The doors will open at 5:30 p.m. with the documentary screening beginning at 6 p.m. Interviews and discussion will begin at 7:15 p.m. with an opportunity for attendees to ask questions beginning at 8:15 p.m.

Free ticket and event registration can be found here.

Thompson said she hopes “Film & Freedom” attendees walk away with two things: a change in perspective and an awareness of the importance of educating oneself about human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

“I hope it changes their perspective of what would bring someone into this situation and how we, as a society, can best help them,” said Thompson. “I think we hold a lot of assumptions and preconceived ideas and, quite frankly, judgment. Judging someone in this situation is not going to be the best way to help them.

“By changing your perspective on what this looks like, you can hopefully change the narrative and offer healing to victims. Because that’s what they are – victims and survivors.”

In regard to education, Thompson believes that “when you know better, you can educate others.”

“Ultimately, when we can educate our community on these vital signs of what is happening in our community, they can call it out,” said Thompson. “Then we are all advocates working together for the goal of stopping human sex trafficking.”

A unique twist

Building face-to-face connections can help individuals know where to go if they need help (Courtesy, pxhere.com)

The “Film & Freedom” event is unique in that WCS will be bringing in several community organizations in addition to Sacred Beginnings.

Safe Haven Ministries and Silent Observer will be featured at the event. Local boutique, Crowned Free, will also be in attendance with items available for purchase. A percentage of the Crowned Free profit is given back to support victims of human trafficking.

“All of these [organizations/resources] are a way to not only educate our community, but also show our community that these are the resources we have available,” said Thompson. “If something happens, these are the people on the front lines doing the work.

“We want to make sure we’re having that face-to-face connection with these other amazing organizations as well because it truly takes everyone to do this type of work.”

Learn more!

Learn more about the Manasseh Project here.

More information about Leslie King, her journey, and Sacred Beginnings can be found here.

Voices of Freedom: Liz Midkiff – Part 1

Human trafficking survivor reveals how her life’s calling turned into a two-year nightmare

(Courtesy photo)


By Deborah Reed

WKTV Managing Editor

deborah@wktv.org


TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains sensitive information about violence and rape that may be distressing or traumatic for some individuals.


A two-month trip to Thailand at age 15 left Liz Midkiff passionate about fighting human trafficking.

At age 18, Midkiff herself was trafficked for two years.

Fifteen years later, human trafficking survivor and Women At Risk, International ambassador Liz Midkiff is giving voice to her story in the hopes that educating others through her own experiences will prevent other children from being subjected to the same horrors.

From perception to reality

During Midkiff’s mission trip to Thailand, she taught English at local universities and learned about Thailand culture. Part of that culture involved the red-light district.

Midkiff believed human trafficking only happened in other countries, not in the United States (Courtesy photo)

“Part of the trip also was to go to the red-light district and learn about what that looked like, and talk to the girls about the safe houses that we had worked with there,” said Midkiff. “We were walking on the streets and I was like, why are there other girls my age standing here in their underwear?”

Women and children were lined up along the street, waiting for people to buy them as their trafficker stood nearby, armed with a gun. Midkiff was flabbergasted, never having seen anything like it in the United States.

“I didn’t understand it because I was 15, and this never happens in America,” said Midkiff. “That’s what I thought: This is what sex trafficking is, and this type of thing only happens in other countries.”

Midkiff’s attention was drawn to a girl who looked about her own age, and asked the translator if she could talk to the girl. “For whatever reason, I just feel like I really need to talk to that girl.”

However, to take the girl off the street meant paying her trafficker so he didn’t lose money. Midkiff was undeterred. She pulled out her Thai money and paid the fee – the equivalent of $2.

But the experience was not what Midkiff expected.

“It’s just a bracelet”

“We got her dinner, but she wouldn’t eat it,” said Midkiff. “She’s just sitting there, swinging her legs, and she’s looking at my bracelet.”

Midkiff had no idea that a simple bracelet could mean so much to a trafficking victim (Courtesy photo)

The bracelet was nothing special, made out of cheap yarn that Midkiff braided together. Yet the girl continued to stare at it. The translator explained that the girl thought the bracelet was beautiful.

Midkiff was confused. “It’s cheap,” Midkiff argued. “It doesn’t have any value; it was $2.”

How much do you think we just paid to take her to dinner? the translator replied.

That simple question hit Midkiff like a lightning bolt, the reality of the situation hitting her full-on. “We took her to dinner, whereas most people would take her and do awful things,” said Midkiff.

“I gave her my bracelet. I ripped it off my hand, handed it to her, and this girl’s face lit up. She went from depressed and sad – she started glowing. From this bracelet.”

Midkiff tried talking the girl into going to a safe house, but the girl refused.

“Whatever the trafficker had over her was stronger than what we could try to convince her of,” said Midkiff. “That made me so upset. How could someone have so much power over someone that they wouldn’t come with us? We have a safe place for her, why wouldn’t she want to come with us?”

Heartbroken, Midkiff eventually returned the girl to her trafficker. “But she came back smiling because I had given her this bracelet.”

Identity is the only thing traffickers cannot fight against (Courtesy photo)

The trafficker argued with the translator, extremely angry. The translator told Midkiff and the mission group they needed to leave and not come back.

“It’s just a bracelet,” protested Midkiff.

“No, it wasn’t just a bracelet,” said the translator. “You gave her an identity, and that is the only thing stronger than what he has over her. You gave her hope, you gave her a way out, you gave her something that made her feel loved and valued, and he can’t beat that.”

At that moment, Midkiff said it felt as if God verbally spoke to her, saying she would be back to fight sex trafficking.

“I looked at that girl, and she looked at me, and it was almost like the movies, where you feel nothing even has to be said,” said Midkiff. “I looked at that trafficker and said, ‘You can’t have her. She’s not yours.’”

From dreams to nightmares

Midkiff and her mission group left, but Midkiff says that will always remain the starting point of her journey.

Her dream of returning to Thailand to fight trafficking, however, was cut short as Midkiff herself became a victim of sex trafficking at age 18.

Midkiff’s dream to fight human trafficking turned into her own personal nightmare (Courtesy photo)

An unexpected adversary

Midkiff had moved from Michigan to another state, four hours from her family and friends. While training at a professional ballet company, she also worked for a well-known corporation.

Midkiff became friends with an established manager at the corporation. She knew him for six months before this manager asked her out on a date.

“A lot of times people have this image of what traffickers look like,” said Midkiff. “They’re thinking it looks like the guy in Thailand who had the big gun.

“You’d never guess it would be a manager at a well-known corporate place that everybody knows.”

Having worked with this man every day for six months, Midkiff believed she knew him well enough to trust him on a date.

“We don’t go on a date,” said Midkiff. “He takes me to a hotel. He hit me over the head, and I woke up to 10 men gang-raping me at this hotel. In America.”

What followed was two years of violent sexual and physical abuse.

*Continue reading Liz Midkiff’s survivor story in part two of her Voices of Freedom series, coming to WKTV Journal on Jan. 13, 2025.


Take a S.T.A.N.D.

Liz Midkiff, human trafficking survivor and WAR, Int’l ambassador will lead the S.T.A.N.D. classes (Courtesy, WAR, Int’l)

WAR, Int’l is hosting two S.T.A.N.D. classes on Jan. 25 at the WAR Chest Boutique in Wyoming.

Created and designed by Liz Midkiff and Rebecca McDonald, these classes are teach safety awareness, trafficking signs, age appropriate communications/actions, and more.

– The Kids S.T.A.N.D. Session will be held from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. for children ages 5-10 years old.

– The Teen S.T.A.N.D. Session will be held from 12:30 – 2 p.m. for youth ages 11-17 years old.

More details and registration information can be found here.



Resources

*In an emergency, call 911.

– If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline. It is a free, 24/7 service that offers confidential and multilingual support, information and local resources for victims, survivors, and witnesses of human trafficking.

The hotline can be reached:

– If you believe a child is involved, contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST or www.cybertipline.com, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

– Additional resources can be found here: Trafficking Resources.

Women at Risk, International (WAR, Int’l) can be reached by phone at 616-855-0796, toll free at 877 END-SLAVERY (363-7528), or via email at info@warinternational.org. You can also reach them via their website contact form.

Feel Like You Belong: Fred Lessing–Lessons from the Holocaust

 

By Alan Headbloom, Feel Like You Belong

 

As a boy, young Alfred Lessing was like most other children in his native Netherlands. He played with friends and loved his family. But there was one difference: he was Jewish. So when the Nazis overran his country in 1940, his mother sprang into action. Her one goal: save the family from extermination. In this three-part interview, Dutch immigrant Fred Lessing talks of love, hiding, and what we can learn from human atrocities. Interview: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.