How One Survivor’s Story Helps Us Understand Modern Slavery

Political turbulence caused Shandra to lose her job at an international bank in Indonesia. She replied to an advertisement and worked with a recruiting company to secure her paperwork and travel documents for a six-month job opportunity at a hotel in the United States. Instead she was sold into sex slavery. After escaping, Shandra struggled to find the services she needed, but still managed to expose the trafficking operation and worked with local police and the FBI to secure convictions for three of her captors. Now, as the founder of Mentari, Shandra works to provide survivors with mentorship, empowerment, direct services, and skills training so that they can successfully reintegrate into their communities. As a Survivor Advisor to Human Rights First and presidential appointee to the United States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking, she works tirelessly to put an end to this heinous crime and bankrupt the business of human trafficking.