FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 11, 2026 —Freedom United will host a special online panel discussion on March 18 examining the often-overlooked connection between human trafficking and the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Peoples (MMIW/P). Titled “The Anti-Trafficking Sector’s Blindspot: Missing, Murdered and Exploited Indigenous Peoples,” the event will bring together Indigenous advocates, community leaders, and survivors to discuss the realities facing Indigenous communities across North America.
Indigenous peoples experience disproportionately high rates of violence, disappearance, and trafficking, yet these realities are frequently sidelined in public policy and within parts of the anti-trafficking sector. At the same time, advocates and families continue to confront gaps in resources, media coverage, and cross-jurisdictional coordination when searching for missing loved ones.
The event will feature Brandie Raddadi, member of the Freedom United Board of Directors and Founder of Native American Emergency Response Oregon. Brandie is a former Human Rights Commissioner, global trafficking expert, community educator, sex trafficking survivor and citizen of Cherokee Nation. She’s also the 2023 winner of the Oregon Coalition against Domestic and Sexual Violence (OCADSV) Esperanza Award. Raddadi will co-moderate the discussion alongside Ellie Finkelstein, Campaigner and News Editor at Freedom United.
They will be joined by panelists:
- Sabrina Griffith, A member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz and an advocate for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Children, Women, and People. As a volunteer with MMIW Search & Hope Alliance, she raises awareness and participates in search and recovery efforts for missing Indigenous relatives—work that is deeply personal to her as a survivor of kidnapping and abuse.
- Kimberly Lining, Founder and Director of MMIW Search & Hope Alliance, a boots-on-the-ground search group and advocate service for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples. Based along the I-5 corridor, a major trafficking pipe-line running from Canada to Mexico, Kimberly and her team coordinate searches, support families, and partner with nonprofits and law enforcement across the Pacific Northwest helping locate, raise awareness and give a voice to the voiceless.
Freedom United hopes the discussion will contribute to greater awareness of the systemic factors driving exploitation and violence, while amplifying the voices of those working directly with affected communities.
Event details
Title: The Anti-Trafficking Sector’s Blindspot: Missing, Murdered and Exploited Indigenous Peoples
Date: March 18, 2026
Time: 12:00 PM ET / 11:00 AM CT / 9:00 AM PT / 16:00 GMT
Location: Online
The event is free and open to the public.
Register here
Contact: [email protected]
About Freedom United:
Freedom United is the world’s largest community dedicated to ending conditions human trafficking and modern slavery. The non-profit organization mobilizes a united community to create power for change by making the public key stakeholders in the ending of modern slavery by equipping millions of supporters with awareness, education and actionable ways to take action that drives change and influences businesses, governments and society to change which allow modern slavery to thrive. https://www.freedomunited.org/
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