Dear friends and family, I have been working towards the ultimate goal of fighting human trafficking since pursuing social work nearly a decade ago. I discovered a potential path to this goal when I first encountered the International Justice Mission while at Taylor University. I found a specific population when I encountered exploitation first-hand while working with prostituted girls in the Philippines during an internship in 2010. Five years ago, I sought employment with the International Justice Mission directly following my undergraduate work at Taylor University, but I was lacking experience in trauma work. For the past four years, I've been employed as a direct care worker in a residential treatment center for boys between the ages of 6 and 18 who have experienced profound physical, psychological, emotional, and sexual abuse. During this time, I have gained that experience (and a wealth of other practical skills from my current position), as well as my Master's degree in social work from Illinois State University. This educational advancement allowed me the opportunity to dust off my old dream. I am so pleased to share that I was accepted for the position of a clinical aftercare fellow to serve in the Philippines for a year-long post beginning in January! I've done this work in the states, but I'm very passionate about protecting the freedom and independence of people in places where there are no other outlets for escape or rescue. The International Justice Mission is a nonprofit organization invested in protecting the poor from violence by rescuing victims, bringing the criminals to justice, restoring survivors to safety and strength, and helping local law enforcement build a safe and lasting future for them. Modern-day slavery is as prevalent in the world as ever, but with the increased access to the internet has come a new facet in this trade in humans. Human traffickers use force, coercion, and fraud to exploit impoverished women and children for their own purposes. Cybersex trafficking is on the rise globally, making it possible for pedophiles all over the world to interact with live sexual abuse of girls and boys via the internet. As part of the team in the Philippines, I will be working to address cybersex trafficking produced in that country, which is then distributed worldwide. My role would fall into the category of "restoring survivors to safety and strength". As a clinical aftercare fellow, I will be responsible for providing clinical supervision to the Filipino caseworkers already providing direct care services to the rescued survivors of cybersex trafficking in the Philippines. My responsibilities will include providing therapy, cultivating partnerships with local aftercare providers, coordinating and evaluating programs, and managing the grants which help to fund our programming.