I’m a survivor of human trafficking. My criminal record isn’t my fault.

As a survivor of familial trafficking, I grew up believing what was happening to me was normal. When I got away, I didn’t know there was a name for what I experienced or where to go for help. Since then, much has changed in the anti-trafficking world. The public is more aware of both the crime and service providers, including here in Kentucky, who understand trauma and help survivors work through to the other side.
But further change is needed – especially creating opportunities for trafficking survivors to clear criminal records that resulted from our trafficking experiences. One example is the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act, which would create the first pathway for record relief at the federal level.
I know the need for this relief from personal experience. In my case, I was forced to write bad checks as a teenager and forged checks on my trafficker’s account. As a young adult, I ended up with 15 felony charges from my trafficking and spent two years in prison. Then I struggled to find a job. My record often disqualified me during background checks. When I would make it to an interview, I didn’t know what I would have to disclose about my trafficking and having to explain everything frustrated and embarrassed me.
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Eventually, I was able to secure employment in restaurants that didn’t ask about my background. I was grateful for these jobs, but they couldn’t sustain me – I wasn’t getting benefits like health insurance, and the physical work and the process of healing from trauma took a toll.
I tried to advance my job prospects with more education, but employers still wouldn’t look past my background. This experience drove me into addiction to avoid thinking about how difficult life was. I felt stuck.
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So many survivors face the same insurmountable barrier. According to the National Survivor Study, 42% of survivors have criminal records, with 90% reporting that some or all of our arrests were related to our exploitation. We struggle to get housing, work and education – and some of us are forced to resort to illegal activity or even return to an abuser.
To stop that from happening, criminal record relief must be available and accessible to survivors.
At the federal level, Congress should pass the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act (TSRA) now. At the state level, lawmakers can introduce or improve relief statutes, and ensure that survivors benefit from existing laws, such as Kentucky’s. Legislation like the TSRA gives us hope that we can move forward from what we have survived to a place where we can heal and thrive. 
That’s what I’m hoping for myself. Now over a decade since completing parole, I’ve been able to pass background checks and begin working as a cashier.
I’m going back to school to finish my degree to fulfill my dream of becoming a therapist to help others. And I’m advocating for criminal record relief – the chance for survivors to secure employment, take care of our families and live healthy and productive lives.
A Kentucky resident, Sonia Martin is a fun-loving, people person who enjoys living life. She also enjoys helping others and learning from everyone. This column originally appeared in the Louisville Courier Journal.