Exit Wound: The Journey of Exploitation and Beyond

Melanie Thompson and the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women
Exit Wound: The Journey of Exploitation and Beyond

There are many myths and misconceptions about sex trafficking and prostitution. Furthermore, hardly anyone talks about what happens after “the life” – the painful, nitty-gritty business of rebuilding and healing. This limited podcast series, hosted by survivor leader Melanie Thompson, invites you inside raw and honest conversations between sex trade survivors as they explore topics critical to the survivor community in New York City and beyond. Fighting against a culture that persistently blames women for their own victimization, Melanie and her guests examine what it means to survive exploitation, from navigating systems and services to drawing professional and personal boundaries in advocacy work. Each episode of Exit Wound is designed to provide survivors with the tools to drive change in their own lives and communities.

  1. 1 APR

    "Sex" and the City: Discussing the Culture of Buying Sex (LIVE)

    The first live taping of an Exit Wound episode! Melanie Thompson interviews Co-founder and Chief Development Officer of A Call to Men Ted Bunch, civil rights lawyer and anti-trafficking advocate Ben Gauen, and PACT Survivor's Council and Board member Katrina Massey about the patriarchal environment in which young men and women are raised, and how this leads to violence and discrimination against women and girls. In the words of Ted Bunch, it was an opportunity to invite men - not indict men - and ask them to stand alongside women in the fight for a more just society where everyone can live free from sexual exploitation and violence.

    1h 19m

  2. 19/11/2024

    Episode 13: What Men Think

    So much of the conversation around trafficking and sexual exploitation involves women - women make up the majority of the victims and they also make up the majority of advocates and gender-based violence experts. Men, though they play a central role in these systems of exploitation, often don't seem interested in changing this toxic status quo. In this special edition of Exit Wound, Melanie invites three male allies - Cristian Eduardo, Alex Delgado, and Ali Bien-Aimé - to join her in exploring why men often take a backseat in these discussions and what we can all do to change this dynamic.

    52 min

  3. 05/06/2024

    Episode 12: What You Wish You Knew

    It’s the last episode of Exit Wound! And what better way to close out the season than to reflect on our then and our now? Melanie and survivor leaders Gabrielle Prieto, Shamere McKenzie, and Sunny Palmer sit down to reflect on their younger selves in “the life” - what they wish they had known about themselves and about the world. This emotional episode also celebrates how far each woman has come in her own journey as survivors and as leaders. This is the end of Exit Wound, but not the end of the story. Follow our work at the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women: https://catwinternational.org/ X (Twitter): @CATWIntl Instagram: catwintl Facebook: Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW)

    1h 5m

  4. 29/05/2024

    Episode 11: So You Want to be an Activist?

    Community outreach, grassroots organizing, starting your own nonprofit, legislative advocacy - these are all sectors where many survivors thrive after their traumatic experiences. But activism involves more than just being able to relate to a problem- it takes practice, research, dedication, and thick skin. In the penultimate episode of Exit Wound, Melanie and legendary feminist activist Ninotchka Rosca discuss the risks and rewards of being an activist, at any age or stage of life.

    46 min

  5. 22/05/2024

    Episode 10: Programs and Resources: What's Out There (And What's Not)

    One of the things all sex trade survivors have in common is the need for exit services and aftercare. It’s also one of the things lacking in the great big city of New York. All survivors all need the same foundational trio - housing, money, and medical care. Melanie, survivor leader Nicole Potes Alvarado, and advocate Jayne Bigelsen dive deep into the various programs and organizations in the Big Apple and discuss what’s available - and what’s not - for sex trade survivors. The resources mentioned in the episode: The EMPOWER Center - https://bit.ly/3WRjPO6 GEMS - https://www.gems-girls.org/ Department of Youth and Community Development - https://bit.ly/3wAmqBt The Door - https://www.door.org/ Covenant House - https://www.covenanthouse.org/ Safe Horizons https://www.safehorizon.org/streetwork/ Restore - https://restorenyc.org/ Mentari - https://www.mentariusa.org/ Sanctuary for Families - https://sanctuaryforfamilies.org/ Family Justice Centers - https://bit.ly/3QTQC13

    50 min

  6. 15/05/2024

    Episode 9: The Art of Public Speaking

    Surviving sexual exploitation is a skill in and of itself, but turning that pain into a public speaking career that could include lobbying, legislative advocacy, panel discussions, training and workshops, council meetings – without having an emotional breakdown – is an art. Anyone can share their personal story, but sharing your personal story with the masses takes practice and patience with yourself. Melanie and survivor leader Katrina Massey discuss how to go from a survivor who shares their story amongst friends to a survivor who gives their own Ted Talks.

    43 min

  7. 08/05/2024

    Episode 8: Storytelling and Boundaries

    In this episode, Melanie and her guests, survivor leaders Abigail and Gina Cavallo, discuss a huge part of survivorhood: when and how to tell your story. You’ve found your voice, but what comes next? Now that you've told one person your story, everyone wants to ask you about it. When does it become too much? How do you separate the personal from the professional, when the professional is your personal? How do you tell your boss that you feel re-exploited every time they ask you to share your personal story? How do you answer the media's invasive questions? What do you do when it begins to feel like everyone is taking advantage of you? How do you find a survivor network and allies you can trust? Melanie, Abigail, and Gina break down how to maintain your personal boundaries in the professional survivor movement.

    55 min

  8. 01/05/2024

    Episode 7: Workplace Misfit

    For survivors of sex trafficking and prostitution, the workplace can be a minefield of complicated emotions and interactions: You’ve got a job you worked so hard to get, but it’s not what you thought it would be. You feel like you don’t fit in. Your coworkers don’t understand what you’re feeling and judge you, your boss only calls on you to tell your story. You suffer with C-PTSD symptoms in the middle of the day and feel like you’re all alone. You’re stressed with deadlines, you can’t keep up, and you feel like running back to the streets because that’s the only place you feel “safe.” In this episode, Melanie and survivor leader Gina Cavallo unpack all these feelings and more, including the importance of finding a survivor community and genuine allies.

    1h 6m
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About

There are many myths and misconceptions about sex trafficking and prostitution. Furthermore, hardly anyone talks about what happens after “the life” – the painful, nitty-gritty business of rebuilding and healing. This limited podcast series, hosted by survivor leader Melanie Thompson, invites you inside raw and honest conversations between sex trade survivors as they explore topics critical to the survivor community in New York City and beyond. Fighting against a culture that persistently blames women for their own victimization, Melanie and her guests examine what it means to survive exploitation, from navigating systems and services to drawing professional and personal boundaries in advocacy work. Each episode of Exit Wound is designed to provide survivors with the tools to drive change in their own lives and communities.

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