TYESA

Tyesa Harvey’s story of sexual exploitation began when she was very young. Raised in a violent and neglectful environment, Tyesa experienced child sexual abuse at just 8 years old. By her 14th birthday she was homeless and alone on the streets, leaving her incredibly vulnerable when she met her first trafficker. For almost two decades, Tyesa has been exploited through various mediums—the streets, adult films, clubs, casinos, escort services, magazine ads, online ads—which forced her to travel to almost every state in the country.

The duration of Tyesa’s life in the sex trade - 17 years -  is rare in comparison to the average life expectancy for a victim. The most important part of her story, however, is her unbreakable will to survive and the amazing courage she embodied to share her harrowing story in detail for the first time on screen. While Tyesa is just beginning to find healing, she has already begun advocacy work and is currently writing a memoir about her experiences being trafficked in hopes of increasing awareness.

To date, Tyesa is going to college working towards her bachelor’s degree, with dreams of getting her doctorate one day. She hopes to create a program that focuses on trauma-informed care for families to prevent future generations from falling victim to the harms of sexual exploitation.

Tyesa is now a mother of twins and works hard every day to ensure they feel valued and loved. She states that she finally has peace in her life that she has never felt before-- and she wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

 
 

JAIMEE

Jaimee Johnson is now a Lived Experienced Expert of sex trafficking in the San Diego County area, but her story didn’t start there. Her entanglement with sex trafficking began many years ago, after she became financially destitute and was struggling to support herself and her two young children. After confiding in a man she met one night who took advantage of her desperation, Jaimee found herself suddenly coerced and threatened into selling her body. For 7 years, she found herself caught up in the world of sexual exploitation, forced to endure countless moments of physical and emotional trauma. Like many girls trying to leave “the life,” it took Jaimee eight attempts to finally exit and find freedom.

Today, Jaimee is proud to be the Founder and CEO of Sisters of the Streets, an organization that focuses on “creating empowerment through encouragement” by directly advocating for those who have been exploited and are seeking emergency and long term support. Her organization has successfully helped hundreds of women and girls surviving exploitation nationwide.

Jaimee has become a leading advocate in Southern California, filling her time as a speaker, mentor, consultant and educator for human trafficking. She encourages communities to open up their hearts to focus on solutions, while exploring the main issues that sit at the root of sex trafficking and addressing all of its players (the exploited, the buyers and the exploiters). She believes that with mutual respect and understanding for all the individuals surviving this industry we can begin to heal as a society and put an end to sex trafficking in all its forms.

 
 

MARJORIE

Marjorie Saylor is a survivor of multiple forms of exploitation and has since become a leading advocate for human trafficking in her community. She knows firsthand the many layers of trauma that an individual can face as her story began at a young age when she endured sexual and mental abuse at home. Unable to escape her troubled past, Marjorie struggled through her teens and was later convinced to become an exotic dancer when she faced financial problems. She experienced sex trafficking for the first time at the club after she was suddenly backed into a corner financially by a deceitful club employee and tricked into selling her body for sex to make ends meet.

After 8 years of struggling to escape the sex trade, Marjorie finally exited the world of sexual exploitation. Her story of abuse unfortunately didn’t end there, however, as Marjorie’s then boyfriend became extremely violent, threatening to kill her family if she didn’t obey him. While her experience with involuntary servitude was traumatic, the eventual birth of her daughter finally gave her the strength and courage she needed to leave her abuser and begin her path of healing and forgiveness.

While Marjorie was lucky to receive support and aid from her family during her recovery, it was also a reminder that there were many survivors who aren’t as fortunate. Her dream to provide women trying to successfully exit the life with emergency housing and resources led her to start the non-profit organization The Well Path.

As Founder and CEO of The Well Path, Marjorie continues to grow her organization maintaining its goal “to bridge the gap in stable housing to reduce recidivism…” Although housing is her main mission, Marjorie hopes to include other forms of healing; “spiritual, mental, social, physical, environmental, and financial healing…”so that survivors can begin their own journey from survival to revival.