Joy Morris: Her Special Interest in Anti-Trafficking

by Joy Morris




Hello Everyone,


I’m Joy Morris and I’ll be communicating with you through the blog each week. I hope what I have to share will encourage you to involve yourself in the fight against human trafficking.

To tell you a little about myself….I grew up in the South. I came from a family of four girls (I know my poor dad, lol) As I grew up I got married and tried to have children, but my pregnancies produced only miscarriages. I went so far as to do In Vitro Fertilization. After another miscarriage I decided it was time to adopt. I adopted my daughter from the Ukraine and she has been the light of my life from the time her tiny fingers curled around mine. Today, as a teen, her not so tiny fingers don't aways curl around mine. They don't need to. We're permanently linked in the bonds of mother and daughter with all the challenges and joys those bonds entail.

So how does all of this tie into the human trafficking issue? This is how. If my daughter wouldn’t have been adopted, she could very well have been a part of a vicious cycle of trafficking and forced prostitution. Girls from the orphanages in the Ukraine are turned out onto the streets at 13 to 16 years of age with minimal education. These girls, without family ties, are extremely vulnerable to human traffickers. My daughter’s destiny could have led her down that road.  Instead, my inability to have a child brought us together.

While not being able to physically mother a child brought me emotional pain, it’s because of this pain that my daughter now grows up in a loving home, provided with opportunities for education and tools to aid her in securing a future.

Human trafficking hits home with me. I want girls to see that they can make a better life for themselves--that they have a lot of people standing behind them to assist them as they move forward to succeed in life. 

This week, take a moment and contemplate: What needs do you have in your life? Is there any way that your needs could be instrumental in providing hope for victims of human trafficking? What contacts have you made because of your needs? Could your needs aid you in any way in communicating the anti-trafficking message to others?


We'd love to hear back from you after you have thought about these questions. Especially if they lead you into new ways of communicating the anti-trafficking message, or to take action steps to help at-risk girls.

Have a wonderful week!
Joy's website: