Human trafficking survivor looks to help other victims by creating a task force

BOISE (KIVI) — KIVI introduced you to Amanda Forrest’s story two years ago, she courageously shared her story on what life is like for a victim of human sex trafficking.

Forest survived a life inside the world of human trafficking, now she wants to help other victims in Idaho.

“What we are aiming for is a survivor-centered approach,” said Forrest. “We are dialing in on ending the demand.”

So Amanda Forrest started a new organization called Oceans, and now she wants to reach out to community partners to fight against human trafficking.

She hopes to bridge a gap between human trafficking advocates and government agencies at the federal, state and local levels in an attempt to form a task force that works together to help victims and prosecute the buyers and the traffickers.

Forest says that victims often get removed from a life of human trafficking by getting arrested.

“That to a certain extent pulls them out of being exploited at the moment,” said Forrest. “However, we are not really giving them the tools they need to exit and reconstruct their life with new survival skills new survival techniques.”

Forrest hopes to bring together law enforcement, judges and the legislative branch to have a conversation to get everyone on the same page, but she is just starting this journey.

“Our community is really a great community, we have a lot of people that when they hear a call to action, they step up,” said Forrest. “I have no doubt in my mind that we are totally capable of working together to bridge those gaps, but it’s going to take a little bit of time.”

The first meeting of this task force is set for June 11 at 5:00 p.m., and if you are passionate about joining the fight against human sex trafficking, this would be a good way to get involved.

That meeting will take place via Zoom, the meeting ID is 4860359163, and the password is LOVE.