Survivors Share Their Stories in Five-Episode Series to Educate and Prevent the Scourge of Human Trafficking

Dallas, TX – January 25, 2024 — Securus Technologies, an Aventiv company driving efforts to better serve the incarcerated through rehabilitative justice, today launched a new series called “Defying Destiny.” This five-episode podcast series examines human trafficking, its impact on survivors and communities, and actions people can take to break the chain of recruitment. “Defying Destiny” was produced by Securus Originals in partnership with In Our Backyard, a nonprofit leader dedicated to the fight against sex and labor trafficking.

The release of “Defying Destiny” coincides with National Human Trafficking Prevention Month in January, which aims to educate Americans about how to identify and prevent human trafficking. The podcast series is available for free to incarcerated individuals who have access to a Securus tablet. It is part of an effort to break the chain of recruitment for human sex trafficking inside incarcerated facilities.

“Securus tablets, along with high-quality original programming like “Defying Destiny,” provide incarcerated individuals with positive resources, inspiring and motivating them to take advantage of opportunities for a second chance,” said Dave Abel, CEO of Aventiv Technologies. “We hope this series gives listeners the tools to prevent human trafficking from happening in the future and protects vulnerable members of our communities.”

Defying Destiny” series host Cheryl Csiky, In Our Backyard’s executive director, conducted in-depth interviews with survivors of human trafficking to learn more about their experience and promote awareness of the toll human trafficking has on individuals, families, and communities across the United States.

“Creating opportunities for survivors to collectively share their story in a safe place helps raise awareness of human trafficking with the hope of educating people,” said Csiky, who herself overcame sex trafficking as a young child.

Watch the “Defying Destiny” series trailer here.

Episodes are available on Securus Technologies’ YouTube channel and streaming podcast platforms on Apple, Spotify, and Amazon Music. New episodes will be released weekly on Thursdays beginning on January 25.

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About Securus Technologies

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, an Aventiv Technologies company, serving more than 3,450 public safety, law enforcement, and corrections agencies and over 1,200,000 incarcerated individuals across North America, Securus Technologies is committed to serve and connect by providing emergency response, incident management, public information, investigation, biometric analysis, communication, information management, incarcerated individual self-service, and monitoring products and services in order to make our world a safer place to live. Securus Technologies connecting what matters®. For more information, please visit https://www.aventiv.com/securus-technologies/.