OTC S7 E11 MONIQUE FERGUSON- RILEY
78Monique Ferguson-Riley: a mother of five, is a recent MBA graduate of Capella University. Monique also graduated from Bethel University with a bachelor’s degree in ministry in 2017. In the Fall of 2021 Monique Ferguson received the esteemed Alumna of the Year Award where she was recognized By Bethel University in the state of Minnesota for the work that she has done in the lives of at-risk youth and her fight against human trafficking. She has worked in the nonprofit sector for several years with the focus on victim services as it applies to youth, adults, and families. Knowing that Victims of sexual trafficking are raped over and over again, in 2019 she founded Freedom Youth Family Justice Center Inc. a 501c3 Nonprofit, which empowers, strengthens, and stabilizes survivors of human trafficking, sexual assault, & domestic violence that reside within New York City and Westchester County by providing holistic comprehensive supportive services, housing, and financial resources for the survivor and their immediate family members.
Monique herself is a sex trafficking survivor, after having been coerced by a friend at the age of 12, but since, Riley has trained over a thousand youth, parents, teachers, and professionals through various organizations and assisted victims, survivors, and their immediate family members, and has also given teens a platform to speak out on many of the social and health issues they are faced with such as bullying, teen pregnancy, depression, belonging, and abandonment, empowering youth to stand up and use their voices. …… Monique has also spearheaded the Vulnerable people project working closely with elected officials, NYPD, and department of homeland security as it pertains to the recovery of young people and promoting awareness and safety in the community. She also worked with various colleges and universities to assist in community efforts and provided jobs and internships for college students and poor youth. Wanting to gauge the community in various neighborhoods of New York City, she created surveys to explore what people knew about human trafficking and discovered that only 27 percent of the people surveyed knew what human trafficking was and how children were lured in the lifestyle. January 23. 2023 Freedom Youth Family Justice Center has reached another plateau by opening up their first Safe Home in New York for girls between the ages of 12-17 years old, VIA Young Adult Discovery (YAD) program.
Folks, If you are being trafficked or suspect trafficking activity in your area, please call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or Text “Be Free” to 233733. HTTPS://FREEDOMYOUTHNYC.COM info@freedomyouthnyc.com