February 2, 2025 • 13 mins
In this episode, host Phil Tower welcomes Andrea Keller, anti-human trafficking coordinator at Wedgwood.
Andrea joined us for a discussion about human trafficking, and specifically to talk about Wedgwood’s Manasseh Project Trauma Recovery Center. This is a residential treatment program for girls ages 12-17 who have been victims of sex trafficking or have a history of extensive sexual trauma. Andrea told us that specific treatment interventions are required to address their complex emotional, physical, and sexual trauma. Wedgwood’s Specialized Residential Treatment Program provides a safe environment where they can begin to heal.
Through individual, group, and family therapy, girls understand how they were victimized, work on self-esteem issues, address issues of safety, develop future goals, and gain hope for their Andrea told us that the best wisdom is if you suspect someone may be a victim of human trafficking you should say something and report that to Law enforcement.
What can you do if you suspect someone is a victim of human trafficking:
• Continue to educate yourself on the realities of this issue including terminology, indicators of trafficking, and laws that are in place to help protect survivors.
• Educate yourself on the resources in your area working to combat Human Trafficking
• Report any suspected child abuse or neglect, if you see something, say something.
For more information about the reporting process in Michigan, visit: https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/adult-child-serv/abuse-neglect/childrens/report-process
• Report any suspected trafficking at the National Human Trafficking Hotline: 888-373-7888 or text BEFREE to 233733
ONLINE: Wedgwood Services
Andrea joined us for a discussion about human trafficking, and specifically to talk about Wedgwood’s Manasseh Project Trauma Recovery Center. This is a residential treatment program for girls ages 12-17 who have been victims of sex trafficking or have a history of extensive sexual trauma. Andrea told us that specific treatment interventions are required to address their complex emotional, physical, and sexual trauma. Wedgwood’s Specialized Residential Treatment Program provides a safe environment where they can begin to heal.
Through individual, group, and family therapy, girls understand how they were victimized, work on self-esteem issues, address issues of safety, develop future goals, and gain hope for their Andrea told us that the best wisdom is if you suspect someone may be a victim of human trafficking you should say something and report that to Law enforcement.
What can you do if you suspect someone is a victim of human trafficking:
• Continue to educate yourself on the realities of this issue including terminology, indicators of trafficking, and laws that are in place to help protect survivors.
• Educate yourself on the resources in your area working to combat Human Trafficking
• Report any suspected child abuse or neglect, if you see something, say something.
For more information about the reporting process in Michigan, visit: https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/adult-child-serv/abuse-neglect/childrens/report-process
• Report any suspected trafficking at the National Human Trafficking Hotline: 888-373-7888 or text BEFREE to 233733
ONLINE: Wedgwood Services
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is iHeartRadio's West Michigan Weekend. West Michigan Weekend is
a weekly programmed designed to inform and enlighten on a
wide range of public policy issues, as well as news
and current events. Now here's your host, Phil Tower the World.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
This is Phil Tower, and I'm very pleased in this
segment to welcome Andrea Keller. She is the anti human
trafficking coordinator at Wedgwood here in West Michigan. You could
learn more at Wedgwood dot org. Wedgwood Christian Services a
well known organization doing a lot of good here in
West Michigan. We want to give a little word of caution.
(00:39):
We are going to be talking about sex trafficking. Some
sensitive information maybe shared here over the radio, so if
you have young ones tuning in, use your own discretion
with respect to that. But it is a real honor
to welcome Andrea Keller with Wedgwood Christian Services to our
program to talk about a really employed issue that I
(01:01):
think Andrea a lot of us don't know much about.
First of all, welcome to the program.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Well, you work with Wedgwood's Manassa Project Trauma Recovery Center,
it's a residential treatment program for young girls twelve to
seventeen who have been victims of sex trafficking or have
a history of extensive, extensive sexual trauma. This is tough work.
I know because you and I spoke a little bit
(01:27):
before we turned on the microphones this morning. You've been
doing this for a long time. How did you come
to work with young victims of sexual trauma and sex trafficking.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Yeah, that's a great question. I first started working with
victims in a different state, actually in a very similar
home to what Wedgwood offers, And from there I actually
learned just the realities of what our girls had gone through.
And a lot of our girls were leaving and dropping
(01:59):
out out of school as young as twelve years old
and had been in the foster care system. And so
that actually kind of led me to becoming a school
counselor and then just doing the more proactive type of work.
But then eventually I learned of what Wedgwood is doing
and believed in the mission and saw this job opportunity
and signed up and here we are.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
It's tough work. Did you find personally that you had
to just kind of build up a resistance to be
coming over. I guess the word is overly emotional. Working
with these clients.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
It is really hard to learn the stories. For sure,
I think it's important that for me to have people
that I could go to and talk to and process
these things because it's really heavy. And then the support
of other staff as well is really important.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Yeah, I'll certainly bet it is. We just celebrated in
January National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, but we're talking here
in early February because there's really no need to only
designate one month of the year to talk about a
very serious issue. And I'm going to start with the
most obvious thing about human trafficking, specifically sex trafficking Andrea,
(03:18):
and that is I think people don't realize that this
does not happen just in major metropolitan cities. It doesn't
happen at huge events like Art Brought Art Prize or
the Michigan Michigan State football Game. It doesn't have to
happen in a big crowd. It can happen quietly on
a street corner in a middle sized town in Michigan.
(03:39):
It can happen really anywhere.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Safe to say, yes, absolutely, I think you're right that
is probably one of the biggest myths is that this
happens in bigger cities, this happens in other countries, but
in reality, like you said, this is happening in our
own communities. And I always like to say when I'm
doing presentations and trainings that no community is immune from
(04:01):
this issue. Any place that there's vulnerabilities and people with vulnerabilities,
trafficking can be happening.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
And we have two types of trafficking. Just to kind
of back up in a little you know, in a
very straightforward sense, talk about the word trafficking. It's obviously
something that involves a person, a human being. There's labor trafficking,
which some people may be familiar with, forcing people into
(04:29):
some type of bondage or slavery. And then there's sex trafficking.
And the Manassa project at Wedgwood Christian Services you deal
with young women who are victims of sex trafficking. It
can be young men as well.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Right, Yes, absolutely, That's another myth as well, is that
it's just happening to young girls and women, when in
reality we know too that young men and boys can
be trafficked as well.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Do we know how many people and I would think
this number is very difficult to pinpoint how many people
are or have been victims of sex trafficking or any
type of human trafficking here in Michigan. I know it's
from looking at the government site, over twenty seven million
across the country. That's just in the United States alone.
(05:19):
It seems like a strikingly large number. Do you guys
have any idea how many in Michigan?
Speaker 3 (05:24):
You know, that is a great question. And I don't
have the specific numbers. And you could probably speak to
any like law enforcement people that are really booths on
the ground and doing that type of work and working
with survivors, and they would tell you that because it's
such a complex issue that it's hard to really have
(05:48):
hard numbers for things. But what I could tell you
is that the National Human Trafficking Hotline puts out statistics
every year of the phone calls and texts that they receive.
There were in twenty twenty three. There were seven hundred
and seventy nine signals received by the hotline in twenty
and twenty three from Michigan, and one hundred and six
(06:10):
of those signals were received from victims or survivors of trafficking.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
By the way, if you suspect any type of human
trafficking sex trafficking, that hotline reference is eight eight eight
three seven three seven eight eight eight eight eight eight
three seven three seven eight eight eight, or you can
text the word in all caps be free to two
three three seven three three. You're working as an anti
(06:39):
human traffic coordinator. You do a lot of educating about
human trafficking with Wedgwood Christian Services here in West Michigan.
How do these young girls come to Wedgwood? Talk about
the referral process if you would, and then the specific
kind of treatment intervention you offer with Wedgewood's men Asset
(07:00):
Project Trauma Recovery Center.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Right, So, our girls are usually referred to us through
either the court system mv HHS or law enforcement if
they have suspected and have identified these young ladies as
being trafficked. These young girls in our residential treatment program
(07:24):
received They have an in house residential therapist that provides
trauma informed individuals therapy with these girls and as well
as group counseling. But what's unique about this specific program
to residential program is our girls are also receiving expressive therapy.
So they're also receiving other modes of healing, so eclient therapy,
(07:49):
trauma informed yoga, music therapy are just a name a
few just different alternative modes of of healing for them.
And they also receive educational services as well.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
You have so many wonderful resources at wedgwood dot org
on your website about sex trafficking, about your program's eligibility.
One of the things that I have for my conversation
with you is kind of a i would say a
myth and a reality fact sheet which is quite striking,
(08:20):
and I'm looking at one on this Andrea. It really
really surprises me. The myth is traffickers are strangers, Yet
according to a twenty twenty three study from the Polaris Project,
nearly forty percent of survivors were trafficked by a family member.
That shocks me.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Yeah, that is I think that's one of the hardest
realities for me to wrap my head around. And that's
usually what I talked about in my treetings too, is
that's really hard to comprehend because it's just so heavy
to really think about. Unfortunately, that is a reality that
was Yeah, that was conducted by the Cliffs Project, which
is a pretty well known They run the national nonprofit,
(09:03):
They run the National Human Trafficking Hotline, and they conducted
this huge study with five hundred survivors of trafficking across
the nation, and that is what they found was it
was I think the actual statistic was thirty seven percent,
but I mean nearly forty percent. We're family members.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Do we know?
Speaker 2 (09:22):
I'm sorry, go ahead again.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
That's just an important thing too, because I think just
we create such stranger danger right with our kids. But
reality is, there's kids that are so vulnerable because of parents, grandparents, aunts,
uncles who could be trafficking them.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
And typically it is a person who is vulnerable in
some way, maybe just has a bad home situation, could
be a runaway, could be a child that's in foster care.
But there's really no typical human trafficking victim case, is there?
Speaker 3 (10:00):
No? No. And that's why when I said earlier, like
no community is immune, no person is immune either. So really,
any a trafficker could look like anyone. A victims could
look like anyone. So that's why it's really important to
be educated on this and look for the red flags
and be aware. And it takes a community to be
(10:20):
aware and to put in the work to end this issue.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
We're fortunate to be speaking with Andrea Keller, Anti human
Trafficking Coordinator Wedgwood Christian Services. She is one of the
experts in this program with Wedgwood, and you do a
lot of education, you speak to groups, to churches. By
the way, you can learn more about the program at
Wedgwood dot org. It's Wedgwood's Manasa Project Trauma Recovery Center.
(10:46):
We've got a couple of minutes left. Andrea Keller feel
really honored to have you. What in our final couple
of minutes together, what kind of words of wisdom would
you give our listeners in terms of being able to
spot victims of human trafficking and what to do next
in that case.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
Yeah? Absolutely. I think education is so important, So continue
to educate yourself on the sign things to look for.
Not just me would say this, but any expert or
anyone that works in the field, but say, if you
if you see something, say something, and that means either
intervening or calling or texting that number that human trafficking hotline,
(11:30):
even contacting law enforcement. If that is something that you see,
something that may seem sufficious and it really Again, it
takes the community to work together to end this issue.
So I always encourage people to consider your own strength,
your resources, and your own gifts and abilities and how
(11:52):
you can help with this issue.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Yeah, and I think the most important words you just
shared was if you see something, if you suspect something,
say something.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Yes, yeah, absolutely, this.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Is so important. And again in quiet West Michigan, so
many people think, well this, how could this be an issue?
You know, we're good people here, but it does happen
all across the country. You can learn more at Wedgwood
dot org Wedgwood dot org about their Human Sex Trafficking
and human Trafficking Residential Treatment Andrea anything else I didn't
(12:27):
ask you want to share with our listeners before we wrap.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Up, I don't think so. You can find tip seats
on our website as well, So that is something you
are looking into and just want some quick facts and
some quick references. We have multiple tip seats that can
be helpful as well.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Yeah, you've got a lot of great information on your
website at Wedgwood Christian Services Wedgwood w ed g Wood
dot r G. And again that human Sex Traffic hotline.
We want to give you that number again. The National
Human Trafficking Hotline is eight eight eight three seven three
seven eight eight eight. We'll put it up in our
(13:08):
link for a podcast page and we'll have all the
information in there as well. Feel really honored to be
able to speak with you. Andrea Keller and anti human
trafficking coordinator with Wedgewood Christian Services. Thanks so much for
your time.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
She's been our guest on this segment of West Michigan Weekend.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
You've been listening to iHeartRadio's West Michigan Weekend. West Michigan
Weekend is a production of Wood Radio and iHeartRadio.
This is iHeartRadio's West Michigan Weekend. West Michigan Weekend is
a weekly programmed designed to inform and enlighten on a
wide range of public policy issues, as well as news
and current events. Now here's your host, Phil Tower the World.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
This is Phil Tower, and I'm very pleased in this
segment to welcome Andrea Keller. She is the anti human
trafficking coordinator at Wedgwood here in West Michigan. You could
learn more at Wedgwood dot org. Wedgwood Christian Services a
well known organization doing a lot of good here in
West Michigan. We want to give a little word of caution.
(00:39):
We are going to be talking about sex trafficking. Some
sensitive information maybe shared here over the radio, so if
you have young ones tuning in, use your own discretion
with respect to that. But it is a real honor
to welcome Andrea Keller with Wedgwood Christian Services to our
program to talk about a really employed issue that I
(01:01):
think Andrea a lot of us don't know much about.
First of all, welcome to the program.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Well, you work with Wedgwood's Manassa Project Trauma Recovery Center,
it's a residential treatment program for young girls twelve to
seventeen who have been victims of sex trafficking or have
a history of extensive, extensive sexual trauma. This is tough work.
I know because you and I spoke a little bit
(01:27):
before we turned on the microphones this morning. You've been
doing this for a long time. How did you come
to work with young victims of sexual trauma and sex trafficking.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Yeah, that's a great question. I first started working with
victims in a different state, actually in a very similar
home to what Wedgwood offers, And from there I actually
learned just the realities of what our girls had gone through.
And a lot of our girls were leaving and dropping
(01:59):
out out of school as young as twelve years old
and had been in the foster care system. And so
that actually kind of led me to becoming a school
counselor and then just doing the more proactive type of work.
But then eventually I learned of what Wedgwood is doing
and believed in the mission and saw this job opportunity
and signed up and here we are.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
It's tough work. Did you find personally that you had
to just kind of build up a resistance to be
coming over. I guess the word is overly emotional. Working
with these clients.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
It is really hard to learn the stories. For sure,
I think it's important that for me to have people
that I could go to and talk to and process
these things because it's really heavy. And then the support
of other staff as well is really important.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Yeah, I'll certainly bet it is. We just celebrated in
January National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, but we're talking here
in early February because there's really no need to only
designate one month of the year to talk about a
very serious issue. And I'm going to start with the
most obvious thing about human trafficking, specifically sex trafficking Andrea,
(03:18):
and that is I think people don't realize that this
does not happen just in major metropolitan cities. It doesn't
happen at huge events like Art Brought Art Prize or
the Michigan Michigan State football Game. It doesn't have to
happen in a big crowd. It can happen quietly on
a street corner in a middle sized town in Michigan.
(03:39):
It can happen really anywhere.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Safe to say, yes, absolutely, I think you're right that
is probably one of the biggest myths is that this
happens in bigger cities, this happens in other countries, but
in reality, like you said, this is happening in our
own communities. And I always like to say when I'm
doing presentations and trainings that no community is immune from
(04:01):
this issue. Any place that there's vulnerabilities and people with vulnerabilities,
trafficking can be happening.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
And we have two types of trafficking. Just to kind
of back up in a little you know, in a
very straightforward sense, talk about the word trafficking. It's obviously
something that involves a person, a human being. There's labor trafficking,
which some people may be familiar with, forcing people into
(04:29):
some type of bondage or slavery. And then there's sex trafficking.
And the Manassa project at Wedgwood Christian Services you deal
with young women who are victims of sex trafficking. It
can be young men as well.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Right, Yes, absolutely, That's another myth as well, is that
it's just happening to young girls and women, when in
reality we know too that young men and boys can
be trafficked as well.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Do we know how many people and I would think
this number is very difficult to pinpoint how many people
are or have been victims of sex trafficking or any
type of human trafficking here in Michigan. I know it's
from looking at the government site, over twenty seven million
across the country. That's just in the United States alone.
(05:19):
It seems like a strikingly large number. Do you guys
have any idea how many in Michigan?
Speaker 3 (05:24):
You know, that is a great question. And I don't
have the specific numbers. And you could probably speak to
any like law enforcement people that are really booths on
the ground and doing that type of work and working
with survivors, and they would tell you that because it's
such a complex issue that it's hard to really have
(05:48):
hard numbers for things. But what I could tell you
is that the National Human Trafficking Hotline puts out statistics
every year of the phone calls and texts that they receive.
There were in twenty twenty three. There were seven hundred
and seventy nine signals received by the hotline in twenty
and twenty three from Michigan, and one hundred and six
(06:10):
of those signals were received from victims or survivors of trafficking.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
By the way, if you suspect any type of human
trafficking sex trafficking, that hotline reference is eight eight eight
three seven three seven eight eight eight eight eight eight
three seven three seven eight eight eight, or you can
text the word in all caps be free to two
three three seven three three. You're working as an anti
(06:39):
human traffic coordinator. You do a lot of educating about
human trafficking with Wedgwood Christian Services here in West Michigan.
How do these young girls come to Wedgwood? Talk about
the referral process if you would, and then the specific
kind of treatment intervention you offer with Wedgewood's men Asset
(07:00):
Project Trauma Recovery Center.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Right, So, our girls are usually referred to us through
either the court system mv HHS or law enforcement if
they have suspected and have identified these young ladies as
being trafficked. These young girls in our residential treatment program
(07:24):
received They have an in house residential therapist that provides
trauma informed individuals therapy with these girls and as well
as group counseling. But what's unique about this specific program
to residential program is our girls are also receiving expressive therapy.
So they're also receiving other modes of healing, so eclient therapy,
(07:49):
trauma informed yoga, music therapy are just a name a
few just different alternative modes of of healing for them.
And they also receive educational services as well.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
You have so many wonderful resources at wedgwood dot org
on your website about sex trafficking, about your program's eligibility.
One of the things that I have for my conversation
with you is kind of a i would say a
myth and a reality fact sheet which is quite striking,
(08:20):
and I'm looking at one on this Andrea. It really
really surprises me. The myth is traffickers are strangers, Yet
according to a twenty twenty three study from the Polaris Project,
nearly forty percent of survivors were trafficked by a family member.
That shocks me.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Yeah, that is I think that's one of the hardest
realities for me to wrap my head around. And that's
usually what I talked about in my treetings too, is
that's really hard to comprehend because it's just so heavy
to really think about. Unfortunately, that is a reality that
was Yeah, that was conducted by the Cliffs Project, which
is a pretty well known They run the national nonprofit,
(09:03):
They run the National Human Trafficking Hotline, and they conducted
this huge study with five hundred survivors of trafficking across
the nation, and that is what they found was it
was I think the actual statistic was thirty seven percent,
but I mean nearly forty percent. We're family members.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Do we know?
Speaker 2 (09:22):
I'm sorry, go ahead again.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
That's just an important thing too, because I think just
we create such stranger danger right with our kids. But
reality is, there's kids that are so vulnerable because of parents, grandparents, aunts,
uncles who could be trafficking them.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
And typically it is a person who is vulnerable in
some way, maybe just has a bad home situation, could
be a runaway, could be a child that's in foster care.
But there's really no typical human trafficking victim case, is there?
Speaker 3 (10:00):
No? No. And that's why when I said earlier, like
no community is immune, no person is immune either. So really,
any a trafficker could look like anyone. A victims could
look like anyone. So that's why it's really important to
be educated on this and look for the red flags
and be aware. And it takes a community to be
(10:20):
aware and to put in the work to end this issue.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
We're fortunate to be speaking with Andrea Keller, Anti human
Trafficking Coordinator Wedgwood Christian Services. She is one of the
experts in this program with Wedgwood, and you do a
lot of education, you speak to groups, to churches. By
the way, you can learn more about the program at
Wedgwood dot org. It's Wedgwood's Manasa Project Trauma Recovery Center.
(10:46):
We've got a couple of minutes left. Andrea Keller feel
really honored to have you. What in our final couple
of minutes together, what kind of words of wisdom would
you give our listeners in terms of being able to
spot victims of human trafficking and what to do next
in that case.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
Yeah? Absolutely. I think education is so important, So continue
to educate yourself on the sign things to look for.
Not just me would say this, but any expert or
anyone that works in the field, but say, if you
if you see something, say something, and that means either
intervening or calling or texting that number that human trafficking hotline,
(11:30):
even contacting law enforcement. If that is something that you see,
something that may seem sufficious and it really Again, it
takes the community to work together to end this issue.
So I always encourage people to consider your own strength,
your resources, and your own gifts and abilities and how
(11:52):
you can help with this issue.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Yeah, and I think the most important words you just
shared was if you see something, if you suspect something,
say something.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Yes, yeah, absolutely, this.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Is so important. And again in quiet West Michigan, so
many people think, well this, how could this be an issue?
You know, we're good people here, but it does happen
all across the country. You can learn more at Wedgwood
dot org Wedgwood dot org about their Human Sex Trafficking
and human Trafficking Residential Treatment Andrea anything else I didn't
(12:27):
ask you want to share with our listeners before we wrap.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Up, I don't think so. You can find tip seats
on our website as well, So that is something you
are looking into and just want some quick facts and
some quick references. We have multiple tip seats that can
be helpful as well.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Yeah, you've got a lot of great information on your
website at Wedgwood Christian Services Wedgwood w ed g Wood
dot r G. And again that human Sex Traffic hotline.
We want to give you that number again. The National
Human Trafficking Hotline is eight eight eight three seven three
seven eight eight eight. We'll put it up in our
(13:08):
link for a podcast page and we'll have all the
information in there as well. Feel really honored to be
able to speak with you. Andrea Keller and anti human
trafficking coordinator with Wedgewood Christian Services. Thanks so much for
your time.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
She's been our guest on this segment of West Michigan Weekend.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
You've been listening to iHeartRadio's West Michigan Weekend. West Michigan
Weekend is a production of Wood Radio and iHeartRadio.
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