Tarik El
Tarik El
Jul 28, 2017 · 2 min read

Hi Laura, I just wanted you to know that I sent the email off, and I know they are just words, but I feel that they can resonate with someone who is willing to listen. Below is what I wrote to them:

Hi, my name is Tarik El, and first of all, I love the concept of your organization helping people who has had their rights violated in such a inhumane way. Sex trafficking is the oldest and most horrible enterprise, because it dehumanizes the person into a commodity for someone else’s pleasure.

However, after reading about a blog post about a former employee, Laura that worked at CocoonHouse, it gave me pause. She wanted to help people who had been in her own position. But more importantly she was taking charge of her own life, becoming a product more productive member of society that wasn’t tied to her past. And yet your own employees shamed her for trying to overcome the struggles in her life and bringing her own unique perspective to a situation that your organization wants to help people escape.

I’ll argue that CocoonHouse needs to unique perspective who has seen and felt firsthand the horrors of having their humanity stripped away and then rise above it. It is an inspiration to others that someone can become more than what the past; that one can shape themselves to take control of their lives. I am writing this also because no-one can do this alone, and Laura needs support. I hope you consider this email, not as a condemnation on your insensitivity but an opportunity to become a better Cocoon House.

-Tarik El

    Tarik El

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    Tarik El