In this deeply personal episode of The Secret World of Human Trafficking, host David J. Story speaks with River, executive director of Project Angel, about her extraordinary account of surviving decades of human trafficking and how that experience ultimat

Let Me Know Your Thoughts and Question. In this deeply personal episode of The Secret World of Human Trafficking, host David J. Story speaks with River, executive director of Project Angel, about her extraordinary account of surviving decades of human trafficking and how that experience ultimately led her to help other survivors. River says she was born into a trafficking family in the United States and raised from infancy for the purpose of exploitation. She recounts being isolated, conditioned, controlled, and taught from childhood that trafficking was simply her purpose in life. She also describes later becoming trapped in another form of trafficking after believing she was escaping her original circumstances. Throughout the conversation, River discusses forms of exploitation that she believes receive little public attention and explains why some survivors do not fit society's familiar picture of a trafficking victim. She says that after finally escaping in 2018, she struggled to obtain appropriate assistance and was at one point treated as though her experiences could not be real. Her story raises difficult questions about what happens to survivors who lack education, employment history, identification, family support, financial resources, or the ability—or willingness—to repeatedly disclose their trauma. A major theme of the episode is the difference between escaping trafficking and actually rebuilding a life. River describes the psychological control created by long-term exploitation and argues that survivors should not have to continually prove their trauma in order to receive help. She stresses that each survivor's story and recovery are different and that trauma should never be compared. River also shares the turning point in her recovery: finding someone willing to help after repeated rejection. That relationship contributed to the creation of Project Angel in 2020, an organization developed around the idea that survivors should have access to long-term support without automatically being turned away or required to work with law enforcement. River later traveled to Peru as part of her healing journey and became Project Angel's executive director in 2024. Today, River says Project Angel works with adult and child survivors internationally, provides its services free of charge, and hopes to establish a larger restoration campus where survivors can receive individualized, longer-term support. Her message to listeners is simple: start the conversation, listen to survivors, get involved, volunteer, raise funds, and focus less on sensationalizing traffickers and more on helping the people who survived them. Support the show Go to DavidJStory.com for more information about the Host/Author and more episodes. Or if you want to be on the show.