The Road to Recovery
“God told me if I came here you would help me.”
For DeAnne Lawson, the story behind this phrase spoken to her by a sexually trafficked woman, was enough reason to start a drop-in center for victims of human trafficking in Milwaukee.
In 2012, Lawson opened the Inner Beauty Center (IBC) at the church run by her husband in the south side of Milwaukee. The IBC serves as a “safe place” for human trafficking victims, specifically females in the sex trafficking sector, that offers food, clothing, and support groups to woman currently in the industry or who have left it. The IBC is open on Tuesday nights and serves anywhere from 4–15 women on a given Tuesday. The intimate setting of the IBC prevents women from feeling intimidated and reinforces the idea that they are known and their cry is heard.
Lawson says the mission of IBC is “to provide a place where those who are sexually exploited can find their purpose, value, and inner beauty, in a safe environment, as they discover who God created and personally formed them to be.”
Her approach to combatting human trafficking looks differently than spreading awareness and educating the public, but it is an essential building block to the fight. Often victims experience social ostracism once leaving the industry, according to Human Trafficking Research. They may be rejected by their families, lacking social skills, unable to find a job because they couldn’t receive an education, or experience a loss of motivation. The IBC’s efforts of building support relationships and providing simple means of care can prevent women from drowning in social ostracism. Relationships are powerful in instilling identity in a person, and the IBC focuses on relationship building to do just that.
Human Trafficking Research has also found many, often severe impacts of human trafficking that makes the recovery process and exiting the industry long and difficult. “Victims may be exposed to serious health risks, such as HIV/AIDS, as well as serious mental health risks. Anxiety, insecurity, fear, and trauma are all products of trafficking. Several studies indicate high levels of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in former trafficked persons. Trafficking can also lead to cognitive impairment, memory loss, depression, and even suicide.” Being enslaved dehumanizes a person. Any independence or dignity that a victim has is completely overpowered by the control and abuse of their trafficker, which understandably produces harsh effects.
However, the devastating impacts are what drive Lawson’s mission to restore hope, provide support, and help victims rediscover their identity to get them out of the industry and on the road to recovery.
Her work at the IBC is a reflection of what she understands as the biggest hurdle to human trafficking combat.
The biggest hindrance in fighting this battle in Milwaukee has more to do with the attitudes and cultures within the city. True abolishment of trafficking will take generations to accomplish mainly because our society sees the buying of a person for sex as “boys will be boys” activity and not as a form of rape. Social media has brought the “new drug” — pornography — into the lives of adults and children alike. This drives the demand. Ending the demand will end the supply.
According to Lawson, it will take the recognition of value in women and men alike, as human beings, to create an anti-human trafficking culture in Milwaukee. Her efforts in helping women get out of the industry and recover are the beginnings of that as she focuses on restoring identity in IBC patrons.
In addition to serving as a center that humanizes the victims, Lawson and her team do “street outreach” 2–3 times every week, approaching woman suspected to be in the industry and offering help, advice or just the comfort of a conversation to make them feel known. “[Our goal] is to build relationships with each woman so when they are ready to exit “the life” we can be there for them.”
Lawson has hopes that the IBC will grow, especially with the help and support of other Milwaukee residents. Volunteers can help run Tuesday night services at the IBC, donate food to the center, or provide financial support for the center’s growth. If you are interested in supporting the IBC, get in contact with DeAnne Lawson and her team by visiting the Inner Beauty Center Website.
