Summar Ghias knows that little wins can actually be big wins. Ghias’ work seeks to find comprehensive, collaborative, and systemic solutions for survivors of human trafficking both here and across the world. A new addition to Heartland Alliance’s Freedom from Trafficking team, Ghias serves the Chicagoland area by building capacity and collaborating with Heartland Alliance partners working to achieve equity and opportunity for all.
How did you get into this work?
As a journalist turned social worker, I first heard of the intersections between gender-based violence, migration, poverty, and human trafficking while student reporting on the arduous journey of an activist seeking asylum. One career change, two years of graduate school, and one international endeavor to raise awareness later, I found myself committed to finding comprehensive, collaborative, and systemic solutions for survivors of human trafficking both here and across the world. For the last seven years, I’ve spent time in the Chicagoland area expanding partnerships among service providers, building capacity among local and regional coalitions to identify all types of survivors, and working to ensure that the various systems a survivor may have to navigate through are equipped to respond to their unique and individual needs.
Why is this work important to the community and those we serve?
We all thrive when we live in a world free of exploitation and trafficking. Our work is centered on the idea that all human beings deserve the freedom to live safe, healthy, and independent lives. This work is important to the community because of the very real push and pull factors that make marginalized people vulnerable to trafficking and the often-ignored reality that many of us have moments of vulnerability in our lives. In order to identify, prevent, and respond to human trafficking, we need to have systems willing to think strategically around the root causes. We need service providers like Freedom from Trafficking to inform the field based on what survivors tell us every day they need, want, and desire to move forward after challenging and traumatic trafficking situations.
Was there a moment where you knew you were in the right job?
Having seen the true resilience of survivors in a multitude of settings, whether that be informing a group of service providers about what resources should have looked like for them, facing their traffickers at trial, or advocating for themselves in the healthcare setting, I knew it was the right field when I was continuously shown how healing takes many shapes and forms.
What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of the job is seeing the progress that participants make after trafficking situations. Little wins are big wins. It is amazing to see how people thrive when they have access to the resources they need, are supported in finding their strengths and attaining their goals, and are able to obtain the basic human rights they have always deserved.
How can others get involved in your work?
Many times, folks are only looking for survivor-facing opportunities. I like to push back on the idea that this is the only way to get involved. If you have a particular set of expertise or a particular network of like-minded individuals, you can get involved in supporting anti-trafficking programs on everything from fundraising for clothing and food drives, starter kits for participants moving into new apartments, and in gathering your networks to think strategically about the job training and workforce development opportunities that might truly be beneficial for survivors. These are all partnerships that would greatly benefit survivors!
