How We Share Her Story


Throughout Destiny Rescue’s website and media, you will see true survivor accounts of human trafficking. We strive to share stories ethically, accurately and in a way that uplifts those our organization serves.

How do we portray those we rescue?

The brave individuals we have the honor of serving deserve our utmost respect, and we strive to communicate this in all we do. We work to always portray survivors as active participants in their rescue stories, bolstering the agency over their own stories they inherently are due.

Examples of ways we endeavor to do this include: 

  • Using survivor-centric language. 
  • They are “victims” before rescue; they are “survivors” after rescue. 
  • Not using terms such as “prostitution” in affiliation with victims of sex trafficking, as it tends to shift the blame to the victim and promote the criminalization of victims. In addition, there is no such thing as a child prostitute, as children under the age of 18 cannot consent and therefore any sexual relations with someone over the age of 18 is a crime.
  • We give survivors agency over their own stories and recognize that their commitment to changing their lives is more heroic than the role we play in their rescue. 
  • Recognizing that we cannot do this work without them. Survivors are our greatest assets in guiding how we execute, report and raise more funding for this work. 

Media gathering process 

We keep the following in mind during each interaction to do all we can to make her feel empowered by sharing her story:

SURVIVOR-DRIVEN 

We interview survivors when and where they are comfortable, with guardians, caseworkers and/or other support persons present. We ensure what she finds important is the focus of the story, and she answers only the questions that she wants to during the interview.

TRAUMA-INFORMED

Everything—from the questions we ask, to the words & images we use to tell the story—hinges on this. We have to realize the widespread impact of trauma on a survivor’s life, actively avoid re-traumatization and be willing and earnest in integrating that knowledge into our interview practices.

All of our frontline and media staff who have opportunities to conduct interviews complete trauma-informed training. 

PROTECTION

We take child and survivor protection very seriously. Pseudonyms are used in all of our stories, physical identities are hidden and exact locations and other identifying details are not used in our media. 

CONSENT 

Frontline staff who have worked closely with survivors are empowered to recommend and deny interviews due to their close connection to survivors and awareness of their emotional well-being. 

Guardians must consent for anyone under the age of 18 to share their story. 

Survivors are informed how we plan to share their story, including where it will be published, and have the right to withdraw their story from our media use at any time. 

We honor any requests to go beyond our normal media policy to protect her identity. At times, we may share stories involving minors told from an agent’s perspective or for data reporting purposes. When this happens, extreme caution is taken to ensure the minor is unidentifiable, both in the imagery we share and the details we share about their life; at times, details above and beyond the aforementioned may also be changed to maintain anonymity.

Sharing her story

The pillars that guide our storytelling are as follows:

HOPE-FILLED

Survivors are much more than what they have suffered during exploitation. We remain solution-focused, uplifting their successes after rescue over what they endured. 

SURVIVOR-CENTRIC

In all we do, we think first of the survivors we serve. Their bravery and agency remain our top priority. Our stories honor her person as a whole and her individual experience and tell her story how she wants to tell it.

CULTURALLY COMPETENT

Culture affects nearly every part of our human experience—our assumptions, our mindset—even our subconscious behaviors. Rather than assuming we know how to tell her story, we lean into what we don’t know. Slowing down to take the time to listen and learn about her culture allows our interactions and representations to be filled with grace and understanding, showing respect to her and her community.

SOCIALLY AWARE

We strive to understand what’s happening in the world and how it relates to our work—whether how the survivors’ communities are impacted, how legislation affects their lives or how social concepts affect audience mindsets.

STRENGTHS-MINDED

People are more than their obstacles, vulnerabilities, disabilities or problems. Emphasizing a person’s strengths, capabilities and accomplishments first recentres the focus from problems or deficiencies to empowerment and opportunities. We champion the rights of individuals and communities to form and achieve their own goals and aspirations.

AUTHENTIC

We practice inspiration over manipulation. We strive to inspire by creating realistic expectations and practicing transparency; whether through educating on cultural competence so our audiences might understand the full picture of the vulnerabilities that lead to exploitation or by relying on our responsibility to tell the most accurate story we can. Stories are not over-sensationalized and we refrain from using stock imagery when possible. 

“Thank you for listening to me and making me feel like I am not alone anymore.”

–14-year-old survivor from Cambodia

Read survivor stories