{"id":109213,"date":"2020-02-03T18:19:02","date_gmt":"2020-02-04T00:19:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/?p=109213"},"modified":"2021-07-14T10:43:31","modified_gmt":"2021-07-14T15:43:31","slug":"a-rare-story-of-survival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/for-our-wellness\/a-rare-story-of-survival\/","title":{"rendered":"A Rare Story of Survival"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Human trafficking is estimated to be a $150 billion a year business. The buying, selling and using of people \u2013 children<\/span>, women, men\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 makes more money than the combined annual revenues of Starbucks, Google and Nike combined.\u00a0<\/span>Alicia “Kozak” Kozakiewicz <\/a>was one of the millions\u00a0<\/span>who are victimized by this crime annually.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>At the age of 13, I was groomed and lured from my home by an internet predator,\u201d she says with complete candor. \u201cHe kidnapped me, held me captive, and streamed the abuse <\/span>onl<\/span>ine. Miraculously, I was rescued by the FBI.<\/span>\u00a0Most abducte<\/span>es in similar circumstances are not recovered<\/span>.<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By 14<\/span>, Alicia knew what<\/span>\u00a0she had to do help her healing process\u00a0and also\u00a0to help others.<\/span>\u00a0She knew she had to share her story.<\/span>\u00a0\u201cI<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>had become the first widely-reported Internet-related child abduction case. Following my res<\/span>cue, the healing process began.\u00a0<\/span>I realized that this had happened because internet safety education was nearly unheard<\/span>\u00a0of<\/span>. I resolved to begin sharing my story and experience to highlight the existence and prevalence of online predators and to empower others to keep themselves and their families safe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Alicia after being rescued by the FBI.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ne<\/span>arly 20 years later, Alicia is still sharing her story,<\/span>\u00a0traveling<\/span>\u00a0across the globe to speak to audiences of children, families, teachers<\/span>\u00a0and la<\/span>w enforcement\u00a0in an effort to\u00a0raise awareness of online predators, child abduction and child sexual exploitation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Her resolve at 14 led her to creat<\/span>e<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>The Alicia Project<\/span><\/a>. Still in existence today<\/span>, the agency pione<\/span>ered internet safety and sexual awareness presentations for children<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>A TCSPP forensic psychology<\/a> alum, Alicia<\/span>\u00a0has trained the FBI,\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>testified before Congress for the Protect Our Children Ac<\/span>t. She has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil, Good Morning America and in the New York Times.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn this fight, my goal has always been to create actionable, positive changes. While the Protect Our Children Act was passed into law, it was never fully funded<\/span>, leaving law enforcement overworked and underfunded and children in danger. In response, I began to work alongside the nonprofit PROTECT and together we passed Alicia\u2019s Law in twelve states, which helps to fund the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force, providing resources, training<\/span> and boots on the ground.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Alicia at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The fight continues for Alicia<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0on multiple fronts. Most recently, she has prevailed in her efforts to get the term \u2018child pornography\u2019\u00a0<\/span>changed\u00a0<\/span>to \u2018child sexual abuse material<\/span>\u2019<\/span>\u00a0(CSAM) and\u00a0<\/span>\u2018<\/span>child sexual abuse image<\/span>ry<\/span>\u2019<\/span>\u00a0(CSAI).\u00a0 \u201cThis is not pornography,\u201d she says emphatically.\u00a0 \u201cT<\/span>hese are\u00a0<\/span>crime scene images and videos of children being sexually abused.<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Alicia also works with<\/span>\u00a0Airline Ambassadors International as\u00a0<\/span>a\u00a0<\/span>human trafficking\u00a0<\/span>awareness<\/span>\u00a0trainer and spokesperson.<\/span>\u00a0\u201c<\/span>Air travel is the quickest and most convenient way to transport victims.\u00a0<\/span>We train airline employees, both in the air and on the ground, how to be aware and act when they notice the signs of trafficking.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For Alicia, the goal has always been to help and prevent what happened to her from happening to\u00a0<\/span>others.\u00a0<\/span>To her way of thinking, t<\/span>he best way to\u00a0<\/span>do that is through education. E<\/span>very time she takes the\u00a0<\/span>stage, gives a<\/span>n interview or leads\u00a0<\/span>a training, she\u2019s aiming to educate as many people as she can.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She leaves us with so\u00a0<\/span>me startling facts. \u201cThe<\/span>re is still a deeply held belief that human trafficking happens elsewhere, when in fact, it happens\u00a0<\/span>everywhere,<\/span> including your neighborhood. In the US, the average\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0age a child is first entered into human trafficking is between 12 and 14 years old. While many victims are\u00a0<\/span>young girls, victims of all genders and demographics are trafficked. It is both a domestic and global crime. Vic<\/span>tims a<\/span>re trafficked within their own country, as well as to countries near and far.<\/span> Human trafficking is at crisis\u00a0levels,\u00a0however, we can fight against this epidemic if we have the proper tools. One such tool is education.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Connect with Alicia: @itsaliciakozak<\/a><\/p>\n

___________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

Learn more about The Chicago School<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is dedicated to providing you with an exceptional education rooted in innovation, service, and community. Enroll in one of our more than 30 academic programs<\/a> today or request more information by filling out the form below!<\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Human trafficking is estimated to be a $150 billion a year business. The buying, selling and using of people \u2013 children, women, men\u00a0\u2013 makes more money than the combined annual revenues of Starbucks, Google and Nike combined.\u00a0Alicia “Kozak” Kozakiewicz was one of the millions\u00a0who are victimized by this crime annually.\u00a0 \u201cAt the age of 13, I was groomed and lured from my home by an internet predator,\u201d she says with complete candor. \u201cHe kidnapped me, held me captive, and streamed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":109217,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[704],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1086],"class_list":["post-109213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-for-our-wellness"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA Rare Story of Survival - Insight Digital Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Alicia Kozak was was rescued from trafficking at 13. 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