metro » o n the cover

Surviving
Slavery

Stacy Gittleman | Contributing Writer

Sanctum House

remember, most of her meals were
eaten on the run and out of a fast-food
seeks to help human paper bag.”
At 70, Edee, a former educator
trafficking survivors and now a real estate broker, is no
stranger to knowing what it feels like
reclaim their lives. to be a slave. Now 28 years free of her
heroin addiction, she is the founder
of Sanctum House, a three-year-old
he entry point into human
nonprofit organization that looks to
trafficking does not need to be shed light on and help the victims of
as dramatic as the abductions
the growing human trafficking crisis in
portrayed in movies like Taken.
Michigan.
It can be as commonplace as the
In 2016 so far, the National Human
high school girl with low self-esteem
Trafficking Resource Center hotline
receiving an invite from a predator to a has received 669 calls and has con-
neighborhood party attended by all the firmed 190 cases of human trafficking
popular kids. Someone slips a pill into
in Michigan. Of these cases, 143 were
her drink. Under the influence, she is
related to sex crimes. The others fell
raped and photographed by the one
under the categories of labor traffick-
who invited her to the party in the first ing in hard labor, hotel and hospitality,
place. Afterwards, he tells her he will
storefront brothels and escort services.
release the photos on social media and The majority, 167, involved females; 23
tell her family and friends what she
involved males.
did unless she has sex with his friends.
After launching the concept of
Under the definition
Sanctum House
FIGHTING TRAFFICKING and then receiving
of human trafficking,
Michigan nonprofits are inves-
this practice is known
nonprofit status
tigating an innovative method
as coercion.
in 2014, Franklin
of fighting human trafficking
The first time
this fall secured a
— by taking advantage of free
Edee Franklin of
three-year grant
advertising on Google, accord-
Huntington Woods
at $225,000 per
ing to Michigan Radio.
truly understood the
year from the
Google offers $10,000 in
urgency of creating
U.S. Department
free ads to nonprofit organiza-
a stable environ-
of Health and
tions. The Michigan Human
ment for survivors of
Human Services.
Trafficking Commission and
human trafficking,
Her vision of
a state police task force are
which includes forced
creating a two-
prostitution and labor, working on gathering as many
year rehabilita-
nonprofits as possible to apply
was when she took a
tion program for
woman out to lunch at for the advertising with one
women who want
goal in mind: Deter people who to reclaim their
a restaurant.
search for paid sex from follow- lives is backed
“The woman, who
ing through.
for years was prosti-
by an advisory
The nonprofits, Michigan
tuted by her pimp, was
board represent-
Radio reported, would use their ing a wide swath
astounded we were
advertisement allowance for
going to sit down and
of nonprofit, law
anti-trafficking ads that would
have a meal at a table
enforcement and
pop up when someone uses
and eat from a plate,”
governmental
certain key words.
Franklin recalled.
agencies in Metro
“As long as she could
Detroit. This

T

Jerry Zolynsky

Edee Franklin, founder of
Sanctum House, is working
hard to establish two homes
to help victims of human
trafficking recover.

10 November 10 • 2016

continued on page 12