The conversation around conservatorship and Britney Spears battle for regaining control over her legal and physical self has not gone unnoticed by survivors of exploitation and human trafficking. This statement is from survivors in support of Britney’s freedom from her 13 year conservatorship.
In Britney’s statement to the court on June 23, 2021, she spoke to key indicators that remind us of our own shared experiences of exploitation, abuse and trafficking. In fact, we made a list of her statements that could support her claim of trafficking. We take her claims seriously and are concerned that she is facing the types of exploitation many of us at Karana Rising have faced.
While we can not make definitive statements as to whether or not what Britney Spears is experiencing would legally meet the standards of human trafficking, we do see commonalties in the statement and supportive documents that appear to support her claim of trafficking.
As survivors of human trafficking, sexual assault and exploitation, it is our hope and intention that Britney Spears sees and can find our letter useful and supportive.
Human trafficking, often referred to as modern day slavery, was legally defined in 2000. Over twenty-one years later, we continue to evolve the definition of human trafficking to ensure all survivors are seen and heard.
At the core of why many survivors of human trafficking remain victimized is that people do not believe their victimization or see the signs of exploitation that are right in front of them. Britney’s exploitation is well documented. Most survivors do not have anyone who sees or fights for their freedom. That is why we are speaking out for Britney,
says Andrea Powell, co-founder and executive director of Karana Rising.
Human trafficking is effectively the exploitation of vulnerable people. The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 defines human trafficking into two specific areas: sex trafficking and labor trafficking. Adults must prove that they were induced into both forms of human trafficking through “force, fraud, or coercion.” Minors “induced to commit a commercial sex act” do not need to prove force, fraud or coercion as they are considered victims for the mere fact that they have been involved in commercial sex.According the the National Human Trafficking Hotline 2019 report, mental health vulnerabilities are in the top five risk factors toward human trafficking. Survivors of human trafficking often face mental health struggles both before and after their trafficking situation. Furthermore, people with disabilities are often taken advantage of, which can lead to human trafficking. While we can not speak to the mental health of Britney Spears, it is documented that her conservatorship began when her father convinced a California court to deem her as mentally unfit thirteen years ago.
I didn’t even know I was a victim of human trafficking even though I helped testify against my trafficker. I was locked up like I was the one who did something wrong. Now, I help others find justice and healing. I am outraged after hearing what Britney has endured,
says Ashley Lowe, a survivor leader and advocacy lab associate at Karana Rising.
There are many myths that directly harm survivors that must be debunked in order to understand how Britney’s conservatorship has many elements that mirror the lived experiences of survivors of human trafficking.
First, human trafficking does not have to involve travel. You can be trafficked within your own home. Britney reports that she is unable to leave freely and that she is monitored by multiple people who she is forced to pay to control her movements. In 2019, there were 132 reported cases of labor trafficking where the trafficker posed as a benefactor with 168 famly-based cases.
Another myth is that if someone receives any pay or compensation for their “work” then they can not be a victim of human trafficking. However, receiving some pay does not nullify the trafficking if that work was compelled through force, fraud or coercion. Britney received a fraction of her earnings for the past 13 years and also continues to be forced to pay for the very people controlling her legal, financial and physical person. She’s literally being forced to pay for her own exploitation.
Many media stories and films depict human trafficking has happening through kidnapping by a stranger. However, in our shared experience, many of us knew our traffickers either as family members, intimate partners or friends. Many of us trusted our traffickers who preyed upon our desires for love, family, jobs and better lives. There were 981 reports of family-based trafficking to the national human trafficking hotline in 2019.
Britney’s conservatorship was initiated by her father who stood to gain millions of dollars through the control of his daughter. Britney reports she must work 7 days a week performing against her will. She reports in one case that she is unable to even decline a particular dance move that she does not want to perform. Traffickers specialize in isolation as a control tactic. By isolating their victims, traffickers ensure that there are few if any outlets for their victims to find help. Britney is unable to see or communicate with friends, including women in her alcoholics anonymous (AA) support group. Furthermore, while many survivors were struggling with substance bonding prior to their exploitation, others are drugged as a means to control them. Britney’s prior struggles with alcohol or other substances does not not give anyone the right to then use other drugs as a means to control her. Traffickers often use threats against a victims children or other loved ones as a means of control. This can be either the threat of harm or the threat of taking children away from their victims. Britney is both unable to freely see her own children and not allowed to marry or have future children.
We know that not believing survivors can have serious consequences, including jail.
My trafficker said he would burn down my grandmothers home with her in it and kill my unborn baby. I believed him. That is how he kept me from running to help and ultimately forcing me to help him recruit another teenage girl. Not being seen as a victim led me to being sentenced to 30 years in jail when I was 18,”
says currently incarcerated survivor, Tiffany Simpson.
According to the same 2019 report on human trafficking by the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, the top five methods traffickers used to control their victims included exploiting substance issues, intimidation, excessive working hours, withholding pay, verbal abuse and denial of needs. Withholding identity documents is also another common form of control.
In her June statement to Judge Penny in California court, Britney reports the following methods of control:
Force
- Unable to leave her home without supervision
- Forced medication that left her often feeling “drunk” or “drugged”
- Forced removal of her children who she can not have stay with her
- Unable to travel freely
- Lack of access to her own money
- Unable to communicate with others, including attorneys and initiate partners, freely
- Threats of humiliation in court
- Lack of access to cash, credit cards or passport
Coercion
- Unable to change her clothing without being monitored
- Threats of being sued
- Threats of having yet more of her money taken from he
*Note: you do not have to prove that a trafficker would have acted upon their threat for the act to constitute coercion.
Britney’s ongoing legal battles demonstrate that yet again, the courts do not believe survivors. In April, Karana Rising and our partners at Dressember alongside allies and survivors formed the Survivor Justice Initiative to address holitic justice for all survivors of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation.
Many survivors do not know that they are victims of human trafficking or that there are people, including attorneys, who are here to help them. However, many of us have received legal support from organizations like the Human Trafficking Legal Center, Free to Thrive and Amara Legal Center. There are also social service nonprofits offering peer support such as Karana Rising, CAST, FAIR Girls and more. Furthermore, the National Human Trafficking Hotline offers anonymous communications for potential victims thru text and phone.
We know that survivors of exploitation and human trafficking deserve more than sympathy. They deserve to be believed and to be afforded protection. They deserve justice. We believe Britney Spears. Set her free.
Collectively,
Survivors and allies of Karana Rising.
Press Inquiries: Andrea Powell, Co-founder and Executive Director, Karana Rising, andrea@karanarising.org, (617) 785–9243.
