Articles Archives - The Avery Center

Legal Deserts Report – CLOSING GAPS FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING SURVIVORS’ ACCESS TO JUSTICE

30 MINUTE READ Human trafficking survivors across the United States find themselves in legal deserts without access to trauma-informed legal services . Current efforts to address these legal deserts, while laudable, are but a mirage. These deserts must be watered with resources, funding, professionalism, and initiatives as outlined in this Report in order to change…

The Past 10 Years – And The Next 10

On Thursday, December 1st, 2022, I had a slow-paced day but nothing out of the ordinary. I took my children to school and straightened up the house before turning to work tasks. In the afternoon, I presented as a Network Consultant for the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center. I shared some of the lessons The Avery Center had learned over the past two years and all the ways that survivors can lead in anti-trafficking efforts. In the afternoon, I picked up my children from school, met with a teacher, and drove them around to their after-school activities. Then we went home, let out the dog, and I made dinner. It was uneventful. It was everything I had been working towards for the past decade.

Megan Lundstrom: Human Trafficking Survivor, Crusader and Game Changer

30 MINUTE READ ACAMS Today, the magazine for career-minded professionals in the anti-money laundering field, speaks with Megan Lundstrom, co-founder and CEO at The Avery Center (TAC). They discuss what led to the formation of TAC, Megan’s personal human trafficking experience and how financial institutions and law enforcement can partner with human trafficking service centers…

“Got Sold a Dream and It Turned into a Nightmare”: The Victim-Offender Overlap in Sexual Exploitation

30 MINUTE READ Pimp-controlled sex trafficking in the United States often situates a male trafficker at the top of the organization, with a female “bottom girl” as second-in-command. This victim occupies the position of victim-offender, where she is simultaneously being victimized by a trafficker while also forced to commit trafficking offenses against others in the…

The Unlikely Story of a Sex Trafficking Survivor and the Instagram Account That Saved Her Life

30 MINUTE READ Megan Lundstrom understands more than most the conditions that force women into dangerous situations—she also has the key to help them escape. There are three types of pimps: the boyfriend pimp, the CEO pimp, and the gorilla pimp. Megan will tell you that she’s experienced two of the three pimps. But that’s…

How This Survivor Escaped Years Of Sugar Dating Trafficking And Exploitation

30 MINUTE READ Desperate for financial stability, Megan was persuaded into sugar dating, thinking it would solve her problems. The exploitation and trafficking that followed are characteristic of so many women’s experiences. Full story at Fight the New Drug. Read the Full Article » Back to News

Memes don’t define missing kids

30 MINUTE READ Some anti-human-trafficking activists quote jaw-dropping statistics to define the scope of the problem and publicize details of horrific individual cases involving children, to evoke outrage and inspire public reaction. The issue of sex trafficking and the exploitation of children is large, and growing, experts said, but also is complex. It can’t be…

Educating the community on human sex trafficking

20 MINUTE READ The oil and gas industry in northern Colorado is where most people are trafficked because of the high demand of commercial sex. Trucking allows incoming clients at truck stops to gain access to victims. During ski season, victims are trafficked in cities located in the Rocky Mountains. Due to the growth of…

Sex Trafficking in Weld: Survivor’s advocate thinks back to life in sex trade

30 MINUTE READ People often think of human trafficking as victims from other countries packed into shipping containers and sold against their will. Stories such as Lundstrom’s are far more common. Read the full article Sex Trafficking in Weld: Greeley Central graduate, Windsor resident and survivor’s advocate thinks back to life in sex trade. Read…

Human Trafficking Survivor and Activist on Victims of “Victimless” Prostitution

20 MINUTE READ Ask Megan Lundstrom how she reacts to those who believe prostitution is a victimless crime and her response fierce and swift. “That’s totally uninformed, and it really gets my hackles up,” says Lundstrom. “As a young adult and single mom, I was trafficked for about five years,” she adds. “I was arrested…