Free to Thrive

#MentalHealth is connected to all stages of #HumanTrafficking. Not only can poor mental health increase vulnerability to being trafficked, it can also impact a survivors path to healing. Unfortunately, many of those who make contact with survivors, from law enforcement to those in the justice system, still fail to recognize mental health as part of a survivor’s story. Visit FreeToThrive.org to learn how we are fighting for mental health justice for trafficking survivors. #mentalhealthawareness

At Free to Thrive, our job is to give survivors a voice in a legal system that often rejects or misunderstands their lived experiences and their trauma. Mila’s story represents the countless other stories we never tell. These are stories of #resilience, #perseverance and the love of a mother for her child.

Meet Mary Kathryn Kelley, our Board Vice Chair. Kelley is Pro Bono Counsel at Cooley LLP, where she focuses her legal practice on managing her law firm’s pro Bono legal work to underserved communities. Click here to read her full profile: https://www.freetothrive.org/board/kathryn-kelley

Rape culture is perpetuated through the use of misogynistic language, the objectification of women’s bodies, and the glamorization of sexual violence, thereby creating a society that disregards women’s rights and safety. Sometimes, it looks like blaming the victim ("she asked for it!"), trivializing sexual assault ("boys will be boys!"), or scrutinizing a victim's physical appearance ("well did you see what she was wearing?"). Ending sexual violence means ending rape culture.... What can you do in your own community to end rape culture? #SexualAssaultAwarenessMonth