Speaker: Vanessa Perkins, Survivor Speaker, N/A
Perkins grew up in a small Ohio town, considered by many as a safe place to raise kids. A dysfunctional family and sexual abuse led her to escape through drugs and alcohol at an early age. After graduating from high school, she moved to Columbus, where she first crossed paths with a man she thought wanted to love and protect her. She soon discovered he was using a common tactic to prey on, manipulate, and exploit her vulnerabilities. Like so many Ohio children with similar issues, Perkins soon found herself engaging in commercial sex acts as a trafficking victim – a nightmare that would last approximately five years. In 2009, she was rearrested and enrolled in the CATCH program, a specialty docket of Franklin County Municipal Court. This innovative, voluntary two-year program uses support, encouragement, and accountability to restore those whom the court would otherwise view as criminals. In 2011, shebegan working at Freedom A La Cart in 2011, , a local non-profit catering, advocacy, and mentoring organization for CATCH participants. She went on to graduate the CATCH program in 2012 then Amethyst in 2013. She started working for the Columbus City Attorney’s Office in 2013, the same prosecutor’s office that had once tried and convicted her. In 2018, she was offered the position of bailiff for the Honorable Judge Paul Herbert. She serves on the board of Freedom A La Cart. She continues to advocate for other victims of sex trafficking, domestic violence, and actively helps those with drug and alcohol addictions. She is a proud mother to her son, whom she has had permanent, full custody since 2012.
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