Dr. Haesung Han, clinical director at New Friends New Life, shares her insights on human trafficking.
I recently had the honor of moderating an educational forum that confronted a horrific reality facing girls and young women right here in our community. New Friends New Life hosted this event entitled Our Girls, Our City: Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children on the Southern Methodist University campus. The panel included local experts in the fields of clinical psychology, law enforcement, political science and education, committed to advancing the discussion of human trafficking.
~ Dr. Haesung Han – a Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, specializing in trauma, and the clinical director at New Friends New Life
~ Major Jeoff Wiliams – head of the Criminal Investigation Division, Northeast Texas, Texas Department of Public Safety
~ Dr. Vanessa Bouche – Assistant Professor of Political Science at Texas Christian University, specializing in Politics and Policy of Human Trafficking
~ Coach Scott Nady – Head Football Coach at Parish Episcopal School, founding member of NFNL’s Men’s Advocacy group and an activist guiding young men to develop proper values and respect to women and girls
As the mother of two daughters and a son, this topic is sobering and hits uncomfortably close to home. It’s tough to talk about – but talk we must. The attendees that night represented a wide slice of Dallas citizenry. Some were knowledgeable on the topic of sex trafficking and others were there to learn. While my role was to guide the conversation, I was also there to learn more myself.
I spend my days working with corporate senior executives and company stakeholders, helping them to have difficult conversations with team members and customers. I provide leaders with tools to connect with their audiences, and to listen with empathy. But those speeches and conversations rarely tackle life and death situations. I wondered if my coaching skills could aid these conversations. Could I help someone bridge into a discussion on human trafficking? Would I know what to say if I encountered a young woman who needed help?
Regardless of your profession, passion or day-to-day activities, having meaningful conversations are key to our success as members of the human race. But these days, it seems difficult to have any kind of civil discourse on any topic. We’re on edge. Testy. Quick to challenge. Maybe things will calm down soon and we’ll go back to a more mannerly way of engagement. Unfortunately, I don’t believe it will happen without some concentrated effort – on everyone’s part. Events like this one are a great start.
I applaud Kelly Cruse, Executive Director of New Friends New Life, and Gerald Turner, president of SMU and Chairman of the New Friends New Life Advisory Board, for continuing to raise the difficult topic and have the challenging conversation. And I look forward to learning more – and lending my skills wherever they are needed. I wish we didn’t have to have these conversations. But we do. We must.
For more information on the New Friends New Life organization, visit http://www.newfriendsnewlife.org