13-"Slavery Ends When Trauma Heals" feat. Matt Pierce, Founder of HealEx

11/25/23 • 79 min

*Trigger warning, this podcast contains explicit language.
We are excited to host THE expert of human trafficking in Salt Lake City, Utah to the Libertas International Podcast! Matt Pierce, the Founder of HealEx.
Matt Pierce is a public health and medical professional. He works as a Physician Associate in both general medicine and mental health. Over the last 7 years, Pierce has served on, built, and managed both local and international community health programs, mobile medical clinics, and training programs centered on helping vulnerable and marginalized people access health care. Throughout his service and studies he discovered that the most vulnerable and marginalized people he has worked with were those suffering from the trauma of human trafficking and exploitation, in particular sexual exploitation. He has focused his study and work around this specific issue, and continues to specialize at the intersection of healing and exploitational trauma. He has served as the Vice President of the Utah Academy of Physician Assistants, and is currently serving on the Utah Trafficking in Persons Executive Board as the Co-Chair of the Medical Subcommittee. He is the founder of HealEx, a nonprofit organization focused on helping people heal from exploitation through direct healing services, collaboration, and telling the truth about trafficking. As well as offering care to survivors in Utah he has also offered medical care to survivors in India, Haiti, Mexico, and Dominican Republic.
*Matt is soft spoken but the audio comes across clear.
Here is the link to HealEx- https://www.heal-ex.org/
Here is the link to more information on human trafficking in Utah-https://www.abc4.com/news/human-trafficking-in-utah-what-does-it-look-like/
Stats on how human trafficking affects the LGBTQ population-https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4204396/
A link to the HealEx documentary "The End of Slavery" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXSPXkaS9cI&t=1s
link to Libertas International- libertasfreedom.org

Previous Episode

12-"I Will Be Their Voice Today"' Project Bat Bridge and the case of Michael Roberts

In one of Libertas Internationals most successful cases, Tyler details what lead to Project Bat Bridge and how the bravery of a young survivor lead to federal prosecution of a violent pedophile from Round Rock, Texas.
Michael Roberts was a school teacher teaching at an all girls school in Austin, Texas. And every chance he could, he would travel to Colombia to rape and exploit three young girls.
The brave survivor in this story memorizes a phone number to call for help, speaks in federal court and in front of federal agents, and reaches out in friendship to another survivor from her school that starts an international case vs. another American pedophile.
She is the hero of the story of Project Bat Bridge. She is changing the world.
Here is the link to *Susans interview in El Espectador-https://www.elespectador.com/investigacion/la-condena-a-un-pedofilo-estadounidense-que-fue-a-medellin-de-turismo-sexual/?fbclid=IwAR1BnLkCSRXikb2CeJI6jGmJ2ZYH0C_XCE3j2LKu2UYn4BK0sOjSSTV8XkU
American uses about the arrest/sentecing of Michael Roberts-https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtx/pr/round-rock-man-arrested-traveling-republic-colombia-have-sex-minors
https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtx/pr/former-austin-isd-teacher-sentenced-seven-years-prison-illicit-sexual-conduct-colombia
Libertas International's press release about the sentencing of Michael Roberts-https://libertasinternational.org/project-bat-bridge/

Next Episode

14-"Nadie Me Creía", Una entrevista con Katherine Diaz de Valientes Colombia.

En este emocionante episodio de nuestro podcast, entrevistamos a Katherine Díaz, la fundadora de Valientes Colombia. Katherine comparte su apasionada perspectiva sobre la importancia de la educación y cómo ha sido el motor de su vida.

Ella nos lleva a través de su inspiradora historia de cómo surgió la idea de fundar Valientes Colombia, una organización dedicada a empoderar a jóvenes a través de la educación. Escucharemos sobre sus desafíos y triunfos en el camino.

Katherine también comparte con nosotros los tipos de casos que más la han conmovido en su trabajo. Descubriremos cómo estos casos han influido en su misión y en su profundo compromiso con mejorar la educación en Colombia.

No te pierdas esta entrevista llena de inspiración y aprendizaje sobre cómo una persona puede marcar una diferencia significativa en la vida de los demás a través de la educación. Escucha la historia de Katherine Díaz y Valientes Colombia, ¡una verdadera fuente de inspiración!
Aqui esta el link para el sito de Valientes Colombia- https://valientescolombia.org/
Una entrevista en ingles sobre Valientes Colombia y la trata en Bogota, Colombia- https://thebogotapost.com/a-look-into-child-trafficking-in-colombia/49278/