Honoring Barbara Amaya – 2024 ATI Conference Dedication
Barbara Amaya was a human trafficking survivor and survivor advocate who dedicated her life to fighting trafficking and advocating for survivors of this heinous crime. We at ATI were privileged to serve alongside her. Unfortunately, Barbara is no longer with us — as she passed away this past January.
We’re honored to dedicate the 2024 Anti-Trafficking International Conference to Barbara Amaya.
Barbara, author of Nobody’s Girl, was a fearless warrior in fighting human trafficking. She turned her lived experience as a survivor of human trafficking into a mission. She was one of the first survivors to bring awareness of human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children to government entities in the US and abroad. Because of her work, many states passed legislation to vacate convictions of victims of human trafficking. Barbara fought tirelessly the last two years before she passed away to further her mission despite her battle with cancer.
Here at ATI, we honor Barbara’s advocacy. In her role as ATI’s Director of Survivor Leadership, she tirelessly spoke at ATI community events, presented at our conferences, and ensured that our final products incorporated human trafficking survivors’ voices. We will miss her dearly!