
From Survivor to Advocate: Breaking the Chains of Coercion and Fighting Human Trafficking
Jan 16
5 min read
By: Cheryl Csiky, Executive Director of IN OUR BACKYARD (IOB)
Human trafficking stories often dominate the headlines, but the real, unfiltered experiences of survivors provide a deeper understanding of the courage it takes to heal and advocate for change. This month, as part of Human Trafficking Prevention Month, Spotlight is honored to share the story of a remarkable survivor and advocate who has turned her past into a mission for hope and justice.

As the Executive Director of In Our Backyard, she has worked tirelessly on initiatives like the Super Bowl Task Force, partnering with organizations like Spotlight and law enforcement to identify and protect victims of exploitation during major events. Through her candid and courageous words, she sheds light on the hidden dynamics of coercion and shares how the power of community, advocacy, and faith continues to inspire her journey.
Her story is not just one of survival but of transformation, resilience, and a call to action. Together, we can stand alongside survivors and make a difference in the fight against human trafficking.
Content Warning: This story contains descriptions of child exploitation, sexual violence, and coercion, which may be distressing to some readers. Please proceed with care, and prioritize your well-being as you read.
My name is Cheryl Csiky, Executive Director of IN OUR BACKYARD (IOB). I have been serving as Executive Director since 2020, and first volunteered for IOB in 2016. Established in 2009, IOB links arms across America to collaborate with others in the fight against human trafficking through seven different programs involving awareness and prevention.
Stories of human trafficking in the media come in many shapes and sizes. As a survivor of child exploitation, I didn’t understand what was happening to me. It took years for me to heal, see the counseling needed, and hear stories that were not so glamorized to piece my exploitation together. I am one of many kids who suffered exploitation without knowing it had a name. It wasn’t the hearing so much about the harm that helped me, but more the story behind the harm.
Going into fifth grade, I would go on a date, whether in a car or at a party and play the part where I was there to make them feel good while being sexually assaulted. My trafficker was my age and would keep watch outside the door. They would leave me there and then give him money when it was over.
Why didn’t I scream for help? Run away?
The answer is simple, coercion. Coercion is manipulating someone to do something by using force or threats. Coercion in my story started when I was around 9 years old. At the beginning of the school year, I confided in a peer in my grade that family members had sexually abused me. I knew that he had a rough upbringing and thought it would make us closer. I thought it was working. He felt like my best friend because only he knew my secret. Over time, I trusted him. By the time summer started, we would hang out more at his house. Shooting hoops, sports, and playing in the house. I trusted myself being there. Over time, he would try to touch me and experiment. I was taken by surprise and would find excuses to prevent any sexual relationship.
His family would tease that I was his girlfriend but I was adamant that I was not. That summer becomes blurry. At times we would have hang outs and then other times I would be there for hours, not very conscious of what was happening. It felt like an out of body experience. I have two memories that address coercion. I believe my drink would be drugged. I would feel quite hazy while realizing boys around my age would be assaulting me in a bedroom, and it would be recorded. I also remember being aware that a much larger male was on top of me with a dog used to keep me compliant.
This best friend of mine would take care of me after feeling groggy and tell me how good I was at this. It was a very confusing time between nine and ten years old.
I didn’t like feeling that way, and I didn’t like being assaulted when the dog was around. My best friend said we should just have friends over instead. He would tell me certain boys had a crush on me and wanted me to be their girlfriend. His involvement felt confusing as he arranged everything. I remember feeling relieved that I wouldn’t have to go through what was happening previously. But he started asking for me to invite my friends. He pressured me to teach my friends how to be like me. That we are secretly not good girls. I always refused to allow any of my friends to be subjected to what was happening to me. When I refused, he would point out that I would be the only girl there then, so I just wanted all the boys to myself. He would threaten to tell “everyone” or “my family” that I was not a good Christian girl like they had thought.
I remember being in his kitchen and not wanting to meet one of the boys in the backroom. There were multiple boys, in their early teens, in the front room, all watching porn. It was a waiting room to assault me. I tried to stay in the kitchen to avoid being assaulted. But then, he would retaliate by letting the dog in the house. This dog would nip me behind my knees as I walked down the dark hallway to return to the room. Sometimes, he would assault and drug me while saying he would kill me one day.
I utterly felt trapped. Every time I put on a smile to pretend I liked it, he used it against me that this was what I was made to be. If I didn’t do it, I could just go back to being drugged, recorded, and assaulted by bigger men. So, I did my best to do what I was told. I already went through at least a hundred assaults that were too horrifying to really think about, so seeing me in fifth grade go in a car on a date, it could appear confusing why I didn’t scream and yell. I had to protect others and myself. Being drugged made me think the police would arrest me. I was told I would be the one in trouble because I didn’t report it.
The amount of coercion in my story silenced me. Can you now see why reporting, fighting, or running away were not viable solutions? It took years for me to heal and deal with anxiety, depression, teen pregnancy, and complex PTSD.
Every day, I speak to the little ten-year-old version of myself. I never force her to hide; instead, I allow her voice to guide the work I do today. I still have faith that there are good people in the world. When I first joined IOB’s Super Bowl Task Force, I had the privilege of partnering with organizations like Spotlight and law enforcement to search for children at risk of trafficking. We spent an entire week working tirelessly to find these kids before they fall deeper into the hands of their abusers.
If you’re reading this, know that you are part of this fight. Advocates, law enforcement, volunteers—each person involved brings healing and hope, not just to the victims but to me as well. You are contributing to a fight bigger than any of us, but together, we can make an impact. So, I call on you today: keep fighting the good fight. Stand with us. Learn more. Advocate. Volunteer. Raise your voice. Together, we can link arms in the fight against human trafficking. Join me at www.InOurBackyard.org!
Want to learn more about how online grooming and trafficking recruitment starts for youth? We've created an entire guide to walk you through how it starts and how you can be a part of finding kids faster.