From Congress to the Brothel

A 13-year-old girl crouches in a dark corner of a filthy brothel, her hair dirty and tangled, her eyes hollow and lifeless. The scent of a hundred men clings to her. One American woman, a member of the United States Congress, reaches out a hand of help and hope. In this unscripted, unexpected moment, the dynamic global anti- trafficking work of Shared Hope International is born. You’ll encounter the astonishing, heart-rending accounts of victims of sex trafficking ... but you’ll also witness their thrilling transformations. This is a shocking story — at times, you may want to turn away — yet it is a story of real hope, the kind of hope that changes the world.

A 13-year-old girl crouches in a dark corner of a filthy brothel, her hair dirty and tangled, her eyes hollow and lifeless. The scent of a hundred men clings to her. The look on her face: not “Please help me,” but “I am doomed forever.” Yet one American woman, a member of the United States Congress, overcomes her sense of revulsion — and her own personal demons — to reach out a hand of help and hope. In this unscripted, unexpected moment, the dynamic global work of Shared Hope International is born. In the years since, founder Linda Smith and her team have revolutionized the fight against the multi-billion-dollar sex-trafficking industry around the world. Shared Hope’s three-pronged strategy of prevention, restoration, and bringing justice has saved countless women and girls from the horrors of modern-day slavery. In these pages, you’ll meet several of the victims. You’ll encounter their astonishing, heart-rending accounts ... but you’ll also witness their thrilling transformations. This is a shocking story — at times, you may want to turn away — yet it is a story of real hope, the kind of hope that changes the world. It may even change you.

In November of 1998, U.S. Representative Linda Smith founded Shared Hope International to fight sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation and to serve the long-term restoration needs of women and children in crisis. Today, Shared Hope provides leadership in awareness and training, prevention strategies, restorative care, research, and policy initiatives to mobilize a network of protection for victims. Linda began serving in 1983 as a Washington state legislator. She won a write-in campaign for Congress in 1994. Her compassionate and uncompromising belief that every individual has dignity has carried her from the halls of Congress to searching out victims in the red light districts around the world. Linda and her husband, Vern, reside in Vancouver, Washington.