It is with sincere gratitude and enthusiasm that I share with you the exciting news that Jamie Manirakiza is stepping into the role of PEHT’s fulltime Executive Director! Jamie replaces Susan White, who has been working with PEHT over the course of recent months assisting us with securing a residence. We are VERY close and anticipate an announcement on that front in the near future! We are indebted to Susan for her counsel and work in this critical area of our mission and wish her the very best in future endeavors.
Elizabeth Koldyke Boolbol
Founder and Chair
I have been working in the field of survivor services and anti-human trafficking since 2009, with the majority of my experience focused on developing survivor services and programming in Philadelphia. I first learned about PEHT through my church community when my family and I moved to Connecticut in 2017. I am deeply moved and inspired by the mission and vision of PEHT for this region, for there is a great need for safe housing options for survivors in Southwestern CT. Over the past two years, I have supported PEHT’s efforts as a member of the Church Coalition and through serving on the Board of Directors. It is with great excitement that I step into the role of Executive Director. PEHT’s mission to provide housing and job training for survivors of sex trafficking is crucial, especially during the COVID 19 pandemic, where so many individuals have been and continue to be adversely impacted. I am passionate about the work we are doing and are going to do in Connecticut and in this region to open up opportunities for survivors of sex trafficking to find housing, hope, and vocational skills through a justice enterprise program. As an ally with the survivor community, we strive to come alongside survivors as we continue to build a strong foundation for a future free from exploitation. - Jamie
Jamie Manirakiza, has over 10 years of experience in the field of anti-human trafficking. She held several key roles with The Salvation Army. Her longest position was in Greater Philadelphia as Director of Anti Trafficking for the New Day to Stop Trafficking Program. Most notably, Jamie helped to start a drop-in center for women victimized by the commercial sex industry in 2010, incorporating models of harm reduction, motivational interviewing, and the Sanctuary Model ® for trauma-informed care. Jamie also helped to open a residential program for survivors of sex or labor trafficking who were victimized as children or adults in the Greater Philadelphia region. In 2018, Jamie transitioned to work as the Territorial Anti Human Trafficking Program Coordinator for The Salvation Army Eastern Territorial Headquarters in New York. As Territorial Anti Human Trafficking Program Coordinator, she developed, implemented, evaluated, and supported the ongoing growth of direct survivor service programs and coalition building on a regional scale. Jamie is an adjunct professor for Vanguard University’s Human Trafficking Certificate Program and has consulted on crime victim services for a number of national organizations on promising practices and trauma-informed care. Jamie is a founding Board of Advisor member for the Villanova University School of Law Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation. Jamie received her MSW degree from the University of Pennsylvania and is a licensed social worker.
These remarkable times call for remarkable initiatives. We believe that with the faithful steps we are taking collectively with our Board, community partnerships, survivor leadership and our staff, we will emerge from this global pandemic stronger than ever before. Stay tuned for a Fall 2020 Virtual Fundraiser and meet and greet with our team.
PEHT was envisioned by a passionate group of modern-day abolitionists in New York and Connecticut who became aware of the atrocities of forced labor and sex trafficking, both abroad and in their own backyard. They sought a way to offer recovery, stability and economic freedom to those seeking a way out of a life of bondage through a long term residential recovery program and dynamic social enterprise.
To empower survivors with a path toward healing and independence through a long term residential recovery program and employment in our pet social enterprise.
Our pet retail initiative is founded upon the idea that LOVE is the most powerful agent for change in the world. 100% of net profits from the sale of our handcrafted products support the ongoing work of PEHT ’s charitable activities with human trafficking survivors.
“I believe the greatest force for change in a dark world is love. It is our hope that when customers purchase our products, they will sense that a little more love has penetrated the darkness. LOVE YOUR PET. CHANGE THE WORLD.” - Elizabeth Koldyke Boolbol, Founder PEHT
VICTIMS OF
HUMAN
TRAFFICKING
GLOBALLY
OF THOSE
TRAFFICKED
VICTIMS ARE
WOMEN
TRAPPED
IN THE
SEX TRADE
GLOBALLY
AVERAGE AGE
A TEEN
ENTERS THE
SEX TRADE
It is estimated that the business of Human Trafficking exceeds $150 billion annually, $99 billion coming from the sex trafficking industry alone. It is second largest and fastest growing illegal business in the world.
In 2018 the Connecticut DCF HART teams received 210 referrals for at-risk or confirmed cases of youth trafficking.
In 2018 the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline reported 141 victims of trafficking were identified in CT alone and this is just the number reported through the Hotline, many more have gone unidentified. The majority of reports were centered along major highways including the I-95 corridor and in the Southwestern region of the State.
The National Human Trafficking Resource Center estimates 70 percent of human trafficking incidents occur at truck stops where predatory pimps make contact with desperate girls running from intolerable home lives, thus beginning the journey into human sex bondage.
Interstate 95 is the key piece of geography for initial contact, connecting such major cities as Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, and points south. Along I95 are the rest stops, truck stops, and bus stations that are prime locations for exploitation.
