Survivor of Prostitution; Spokesperson; Mentor; Founder, The Missing PEACE (Promoting Education, Awareness, and Community Engagement)
Joy Friedman
From the time she was in her teens until the age of 37, Joy Friedman survived brutal and terrifying years of being exploited in different arenas in the sex trade. A survivor of domestic abuse, drug addiction, and sexual exploitation, Ms. Friedman overcame years of torture, hardship, and instability to become a valued and seasoned mentor to other women in need of support. Today she is a powerful motivational speaker and a leader in the fight to combat sex trafficking and exploitation. Ms. Friedman has served as an advisor to AEquitas/Just Exits, Truckers Against Trafficking, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the University of Minnesota Effective Network Disruptions and was a former women’s programs manager for Breaking Free. Her dedication to empowering survivors led her to establish The Missing PEACE, a consulting business through which she continues to train and advise anti-sex trafficking stakeholders nationwide.
“In this day and age, it’s a shame that in the U.S. a human being can still be bought, sold, or traded at a price. We are a land of the free, except for those ‘others’ who are being sacrificed for the sole purpose of adult sexual satisfaction and what the U.S. calls ‘adult entertainment.’ The abuse and violence inflicted on a person’s child is acceptable as long as someone is willing to pay the price for this exploitation. This should not exist! We need to stop justifying and minimizing it now!”