Human Trafficking Research Lab @Millikin

At the Liberator Awards I was able to learn about different products made by survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual assault. Since we were Liberator finalists we got a VIP goodie bag with lots of different products and a few of those products were made by survivors. The soap pictured above was made by survivors in Columbus. We also spoke with a few survivors that worked at Freedom a la Cart a local cafe and catering company that hired trafficking survivors. The website says the company "aims to empower survivors of sex trafficking and exploitation to build lives of freedom and self-sufficiency." It is difficult for many survivors to get a job after they leave exploitation so this company breaks down "employment barriers is vital for creating a pathway to freedom." We only had one day in Columbus but when I am in the area again I will definitely grad a coffee and lunch at their cafe with an amazing mural of freedom outside. They are located on ...

My students and I drove over to Columbus, Ohio to attend the Liberator Awards sponsored by the SOAP Project. We enjoyed getting dressed up and it was such an honor to be a Liberator Finalist for Student Group of the year! We got to meet many survivors and social service providers combatting human trafficking and it was an inspirational and educational night. We are able to hear from and meet people from around the United States working on human trafficking.  Two of the people at our table worked at the Tim Tebow Foundation. They worked in a Her Song Safehouse in Columbus and it was very interesting to talk to them about their work and the foundation. The foundation supports eight safe houses in four cities in Tennessee, Florida, and Ohio. The safe houses provide "long-term residential care and trauma-informed programming to help survivors heal and become self-sufficient. While Her Song helps survivors coming out of trafficking situations with immediate physical needs like a home,...

The first article from our NSF funded study (National Science Foundation D-ISN/RAPID #2330311: Data Collection for Human Trafficking Recruitment and Responses in Forced Migration, Operations Engineering grant) was just published! Monday was publication day for my article " Safety is an Illusion: Conducting Feminist Research in War Zones " in Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization. After going to Ukraine to conduct interviews on human trafficking recruitment during the war I often contemplated the ethics of conducting interviews with people during air raid sirens and bombings. I found little published before I went to prepare me for the realities of conducting research in war so I wanted to offer my advice to other scholars. I originally thought I would just write a blog post but then I remembered that more journals today are offering more diverse publication options with short perspectives pieces so I decided to pitch that to a few journals and thankfull...

Yesterday I presented along with my former student Diana who currently works at Growing Strong Sexual Assault Center on the "Intersection of Human Trafficking and Healthcare: Opportunities for Identification and Disruption" to Carle Health SANE Seminar 2025. This healthcare system has clinics around Central Illinois and we presented at the Sexual Assault Multidisciplinary Response Conference "Intervention within Special Populations." The training taught attendees about human trafficking in Central Illinois, how to recognize it in healthcare settings, and reporting/responding strategies. We discussed both sex and labor trafficking and provide warning signs for healthcare workers on human trafficking especially in emergency room settings. We provided resources for the disruption of trafficking supply chains and information and strategies for including human trafficking in different healthcare department trainings and protocol development for hospitals. We were also ab...

I have been on a Joint Human Trafficking Working Group drafting legislation on human trafficking in the state of Illinois since last summer. It has been interesting to work with local policymakers and government officials and see behind the curtain on how policies get made and add my input and thoughts to the legislation. The bill has found a sponsor and was submitted to the Illinois General Assembly as Senate bill number 2323 Illinois Statewide Trauma Informed Response to Human Trafficking Act. We had a planning meeting with stakeholders and learned how to submit witness slips and advocate for the bill with our local representatives. We also got a one-pager for our meetings with these representatives. It's pretty cool to see a piece of legislation I worked on make it to the legislature. Now the actual work of meeting with my Reps begins! Here is the legislation if you want to read over the draft bill.

I was really upset about USAID proposed to Ukraine and counter trafficking programs around the world. Even though I am swamped trying to finish my second book I took some time to write up an article on this cuts and the effect that they will have on combatting human trafficking during Russia's war on Ukraine. SlaveFree Today agreed to publish the article and you can read it here on their blog " USAID Proposed Cuts Detrimental to Combatting Human Trafficking Around the World ." I am thankful for the opportunity to raise awareness to these cuts and publish my thoughts based on my personal experience working with and seeing the effects of these programs in many sources countries for trafficking. 

Being on the radio and then immediately on the news was an interesting experience, one that pushed me out of my comfort zone. Public speaking has never been my favorite thing, so knowing that my words were being broadcasted in real-time on the radio to being pre-recorded for a televised news channel formed an intense layer of pressure over. On the one hand I did not have to see the audience, which tremendously helped ease my nerves. The experience pushed me outside my comfort zone and allowed me to engage in something bigger than myself. Despite my anxiety of public speaking, I felt grateful for the opportunity to be a voice with a message heard by hundreds. It’s one of those experiences that reminds me why I’m passionate about the work I do because even if public speaking isn’t my strongest suit, the message and the impact are what really matter.  You can watch the interview on WAND  here . Akeila McNeal