14 | JANUARY 26 • 2023 

“Trafficking affects vulnerable populations 
who may not see themselves as vulnerable. 
Maybe somebody came to the United 
States on a temporary work visa, but their 
wages have been withheld. Or, they have 
been moved to a different location than the 
one they thought they were going to be in, 
and they are living in a dormitory type of 
housing and don’t have the ability to leave. 
Basically, they are compelled to do certain 
work against their will.
” 
Robinson said his organization works to 
build cases against the traffickers, striving 
to sue them to pay fines to the government 
or pay money owed to clients. He also 
pointed to pending legislation that looks 
to crack down on the illegal industry with 
stiffer fines and criminal charges. 
“There needs to be efforts to educate 
law enforcement or others who have 
first encounters with those caught in a 
trafficking ring, to make victims aware of 
their rights and opportunities. Victims who 
have been apprehended by law enforcement 
can either participate in an investigation of 

a trafficking ring or apply to secure a valid 
work visa. But overall, from those being 
trafficked, it takes courage to come forward 
and offer their help in our investigations. 
It requires that person to put their trust in 
a system or government when they may 
have come from a place where there was 
complete distrust in government.
” 

SURVIVOR STORIES
Behind the statistics are stories of those 
who survived and are regaining their 
independence. 
This year is shaping up to be a good 
one for Samantha, 46. After a lifetime of 
enduring trauma from being trafficked 
between the ages of 4 and 8 by her 
mother’s ex-boyfriend, Samantha will 
soon graduate from an intensive two-year 
rehabilitation program at Sanctum House 
and mark that occasion by moving into a 
transitional apartment, also located on the 
organization’s campus. 
Samantha grew up poor in Portage. 
Sometimes trafficked to multiple men each 

night, Samantha said having her body sold 
for money, first by her mother’s boyfriend 
and then by multiple men with whom she 
had relationships from her teens and into 
adulthood, seemed like a regular part of life. 
“It felt normal, like, this is what I learned 
love was, and I did what I was told,
” 
said Samantha. “My mother’s boyfriend 
trafficked my brother and me for sex from 
the time I was 4 until I was 8. All the while, 
we were told not to tell my mother, who 
herself didn’t know what was happening. 
Finally, my mother, brother and I left her 
boyfriend when I was 8. I didn’t tell my 
mother about this until I was 15, and all the 
while I suffered from severe mental health 
problems.
” 
At her lowest point, she attempted to 
commit suicide. She underwent a lengthy 
hospitalization and rehabilitation program 
that led her to Sanctum House’s two-year 
program. 
Located at an undisclosed location 
in Oakland County, Sanctum House, a 
nonprofit organization, is one of the only 
organizations of its kind in the state to 
provide a comprehensive long-term, two-
year rehabilitation program that guides 
trafficking survivors back to a path of self-
sustainment. The organization’s partnering 
professional service organizations provide 
women in the program with medical 
and mental health resources that include 
therapies to recover from trauma, substance 
abuse, loss of relationships and grief, 
and restoring severed relationships. Life 
skills learned include nutritious cooking, 
housekeeping and personal finance. 
The organization also helps women 
advance their education by putting them in 
touch with resources to gain literacy skills, 
advance their GED, and find vocational 
or higher education opportunities. For 
example, the organization’s 2021 Annual 
Report noted its vocational and educational 
training includes work with University of 
Michigan-Flint to help women identify 
vocational interests. 
Upon their arrival, residents like 
Samantha who qualify for the two-year 
program are welcomed into one of two 
6,200-square-foot homes that can each 
house 12 women. The ground floor features 
a fully equipped kitchen (outfitted by 
donations from NCJW) where residents 
build community by cooking and sharing 

continued from page 12

OUR COMMUNITY