Update: February 23, 2024--the event on February 29th mentioned in this article has been postponed.
When I was 15 years old, my dad insisted I join him on a trip to McDowell County with a local church. Grudgingly, I went along because my best friend's dad was making him go as well. Little did I know the impact that trip would have on my life.
After a long drive on some windy, pot-holed-filled roads, we found ourselves in a small town in the middle of coal country. As we were driving, I saw my cell service dwindling away – texts weren’t sending, Snapchat took forever to load, and my teenage self was growing quite skeptical. But that night, I walked into a house that was filled with something different. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. The next day during breakfast, a lady was there with her dog sitting at her feet. I remember her drinking coffee and laughing with the group as if she had known them for years. “I wonder who she is,” I thought. “I bet she doesn’t like to get her hands dirty,” the naive tomboy in me assumed. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
I quickly learned the lady with the coffee was Ariel and that feeling I felt was the hands and feet of Jesus in every person there. Ariel was the whole reason I was in a small town with no service listening to the constant blow of a coal fan drown out the noise of anything else.
Ariel is the co-founder and CEO of Zera House. She felt called by the Lord to create a home to help women (18+) who have been trafficked and sexually exploited. 80% of women who come out of trafficking will return to their abuser. It has become Ariel's mission and so many others to change that. Five years later, I am now working for Zera House, Ariel is my boss, and God has touched so many more lives because of this mission.
By definition, human trafficking is the unlawful act of transporting or coercing people in order to benefit from their work or service, typically in the form of forced labor or sexual exploitation. Believe it or not, human trafficking is everywhere. It is right in front of our eyes, but most of us don’t even know it. We overlook it, because “it only exists in other countries” we tell ourselves, or “it’s only in the big cities, stuff like that doesn’t happen in small towns.” We cover what we know is the truth with lies like these. We put blinders on and choose to be ignorant. “What I don’t know won’t hurt me.” It may not hurt you, but it’s hurting millions of men, women, and children across the globe.
One of the biggest forms of human trafficking is familial trafficking: family members selling a relative – predominantly children, in exchange for money, drugs, or other high-value items. Just recently, a woman was arrested in Fayette Co. for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor in exchange for money. She was accused of trafficking a relative. This is right in front of our eyes, but many of us are unaware, some by choice, and some from lack of education. So how can you help?
Prevention is the easiest answer to this problem, but we often see films or movies showing the ugly side of human trafficking. They show the hopelessness, the defeat, the negligence, and so much more. What they fail to display is the opportunities to make a difference. They never show how you can help create a change and save lives from the horrors of trafficking. You might be asking yourself, “How can my boring self with no experience in anything like this help stop human trafficking?” Well I have great news for you. Reading this has already completed the first step in helping: Becoming Aware. Now, you need to educate yourself and we have a perfect opportunity for you to do that.
Please join us on Thursday, February 29th, 2024 at 6 pm at Marquee Cinemas, Beckley, WV to view the upcoming film “Seeds of Freedom.” This film is a documentary featuring Zera House that highlights the realities of human trafficking while educating viewers on how they can help. This event is intended to assist you in learning more about human trafficking, Zera House, and ways to help. Visit ZeraHouse.org for details. If you’re not able to attend but would like to learn more about Zera House and it’s mission feel free to explore our website listed above. Human Trafficking is not a hopeless cause but we need you to help us make a change. What are you waiting for?
If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, please call 833-599-FREE or dial 911 for help.
Shawnee is the Head of Marketing & Digital Communications at Zera House. Born and raised in West Virginia, she is now married and has a young daughter. Shawnee resides with her family in Morgantown, WV. 
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