society is always aware of massive
shootings sexual harassment social media
and even the latest technology updates
but there is an area we have not raised
awareness about physical sexual abuse
prostitution very uncomfortable topic
right do you ever wonder why some young
girls and women do what they do I’m
standing here today in front of you all
it’s open your minds and challenge you
all to be unbiased for the next eight
minutes and allow me to walk you through
the lives of those who you consider from
the other side ladies who take part in
abuse of prostitution don’t just wake up
one day and say this is the life I want
to be in some may have had tragic
experiences or unexpected life events
that took place in their lives that led
them down this dark path you see my
excuse to prostitute my body started as
survival but ended up forming in the to
xscape in the prisoner I was within my
home and within myself but the root of
this choice to disrespect myself
started at the age of seven years old
when most little girls are playing with
Barbies right but instead I was being
interviewed by a detective for the first
molestation that took place in my home
today one out of six American women our
victims of attempted or completed rapes
in their lives and when your innocence
is taken it causes confusion pain
resentment and even shame some young
girls and women speak up but still so
many remain silent so today I’m gonna be
the voice for those who are not ready to
speak you’re probably all asking
yourselves how is this woman gonna try
and change my mind on a topic like this
when she’s standing here in orange right
and yes you may be right however
Erica Munoz I’m living proof of
redemption resilient and continuous
transformation did you know that there
are 42 million prostitutes worldwide 80%
are females ranging between the ages of
13 to 25 years old or how about the fact
that 40% of men and 90% of women who are
incarcerated are abused as children and
when you come from any type of abuse you
no longer feel free you feel violated
irrelevant you start to doubt your worth
your question why did this happen to you
what did you do wrong for someone to
hurt you the question you all should be
asking yourselves is why not you because
it can happen to anyone so how do we
prevent it from happening at all you see
throughout time if you haven’t dealt
with your past lives women like me tend
to struggle and believe that our bodies
and lives are worth the disrespect and
dignity and everything else that comes
along with being a prostitute or being
abused so many are abused by those who
are supposed to protect and love them
but instead of feeling safe they’re
taken advantage of instead of seeking
help or working through their issues
today young girls and women mask their
feelings by running rebellion and
promiscuous Ness is what we become good
at so how do we teach our young girls
and women that their bodies and lives
are worth so much more
you see abuse has been a part of my life
for so long that I truly believe that
this was the life for me
women today believe that their outer
appearance is all that will ever be
something in life and in reality when
women who sell their bodies believe that
that they have the camp the confident
gives them confidence that they lack a
sense of worth that they lost when it
was taken from them and of course it
gives them the stability to make it
through another day or how about when
you allow a man or parents abuse you and
you live in fear so you don’t say
anything you see
I learned after a while that my abuser
didn’t love me he was doing what he saw
as a little boy from his own parent
he thought that he could break me down
so bad that I will not dare leave him
because I believed I was nothing without
him and the sad thing is is not only did
I believe this lie but I lived in fear
so bad that I yes I allowed this to
happen so many women here today behind
the curtain still struggle and believe
that they’re worthless not good enough
and deserve what they get because
society and their minds make us believe
that will always be our past and will
never be good enough but I promise you
you’re worth so much more than any
amount of money or incentives that comes
along with being a prostitute you don’t
need to give anyone the ability to make
you feel any less of a woman let alone a
human being because you have so much
more to offer than using your body or
staying in a situation because you think
you have no choice wrong we all have a
choice I think everyone needs to
understand that health care
relationships do exist and there are
better ways to cope you see I know that
this is true because I’ve been placed in
this unknown environment where judgment
clicks appearances bullying and
degrading yes it still does exist here
and yet for the last five years I’ve had
no choice but to knock down barriers and
face the ugly truth of my reality and I
fought for my sanity day after day and I
struggled to love myself to this process
but I found the courage to own my story
and I chose to stop existing and start
living and with lots of faith in praying
this is what’s come of it you see one
day you gained the ability to love
yourself instead of waiting for someone
else to love you within time you learn
to forgive yourself and those who have
hurt you you find that thing called
courage and let go of your chains and
your past lives and you fight for your
South dignity and value and then you
realize it’s okay to be alone because
you are enough
and eventually you find the true meaning
of beauty beyond your curtains ladies
and gentlemen today I stand here 23
years later in front of you all and I
will continue to let go the mask that I
carry of shame failure guilt ugliness
and anger to finally understand the
meaning of endurance and strength and to
now know my worth as a woman and to know
that I have a voice and the right to use
it but there’s this thing that I want to
share that’s amazing it’s the beauty
that I found within the walls of Perry
Val you see these women here they’re
true survivors and they continue to
fight the darkness with the little light
that they have by being courageous and
embracing each struggle and let down
with the hope of one day each layer of
their past lives will be gone and they
get the opportunity to be their own
voice so my question to you all today
isn’t how do we get people to speak up
and use their voice but it’s how do we
get people to be brave enough to listen
and take action my challenge for you all
today is going to be to not only find
the love courage strength and freedom
within yourselves but to please give
someone else that hope to find it within
themselves and instead of hashtagging me
to be the hashtag not me anymore
thank you [Applause]
shootings sexual harassment social media
and even the latest technology updates
but there is an area we have not raised
awareness about physical sexual abuse
prostitution very uncomfortable topic
right do you ever wonder why some young
girls and women do what they do I’m
standing here today in front of you all
it’s open your minds and challenge you
all to be unbiased for the next eight
minutes and allow me to walk you through
the lives of those who you consider from
the other side ladies who take part in
abuse of prostitution don’t just wake up
one day and say this is the life I want
to be in some may have had tragic
experiences or unexpected life events
that took place in their lives that led
them down this dark path you see my
excuse to prostitute my body started as
survival but ended up forming in the to
xscape in the prisoner I was within my
home and within myself but the root of
this choice to disrespect myself
started at the age of seven years old
when most little girls are playing with
Barbies right but instead I was being
interviewed by a detective for the first
molestation that took place in my home
today one out of six American women our
victims of attempted or completed rapes
in their lives and when your innocence
is taken it causes confusion pain
resentment and even shame some young
girls and women speak up but still so
many remain silent so today I’m gonna be
the voice for those who are not ready to
speak you’re probably all asking
yourselves how is this woman gonna try
and change my mind on a topic like this
when she’s standing here in orange right
and yes you may be right however
Erica Munoz I’m living proof of
redemption resilient and continuous
transformation did you know that there
are 42 million prostitutes worldwide 80%
are females ranging between the ages of
13 to 25 years old or how about the fact
that 40% of men and 90% of women who are
incarcerated are abused as children and
when you come from any type of abuse you
no longer feel free you feel violated
irrelevant you start to doubt your worth
your question why did this happen to you
what did you do wrong for someone to
hurt you the question you all should be
asking yourselves is why not you because
it can happen to anyone so how do we
prevent it from happening at all you see
throughout time if you haven’t dealt
with your past lives women like me tend
to struggle and believe that our bodies
and lives are worth the disrespect and
dignity and everything else that comes
along with being a prostitute or being
abused so many are abused by those who
are supposed to protect and love them
but instead of feeling safe they’re
taken advantage of instead of seeking
help or working through their issues
today young girls and women mask their
feelings by running rebellion and
promiscuous Ness is what we become good
at so how do we teach our young girls
and women that their bodies and lives
are worth so much more
you see abuse has been a part of my life
for so long that I truly believe that
this was the life for me
women today believe that their outer
appearance is all that will ever be
something in life and in reality when
women who sell their bodies believe that
that they have the camp the confident
gives them confidence that they lack a
sense of worth that they lost when it
was taken from them and of course it
gives them the stability to make it
through another day or how about when
you allow a man or parents abuse you and
you live in fear so you don’t say
anything you see
I learned after a while that my abuser
didn’t love me he was doing what he saw
as a little boy from his own parent
he thought that he could break me down
so bad that I will not dare leave him
because I believed I was nothing without
him and the sad thing is is not only did
I believe this lie but I lived in fear
so bad that I yes I allowed this to
happen so many women here today behind
the curtain still struggle and believe
that they’re worthless not good enough
and deserve what they get because
society and their minds make us believe
that will always be our past and will
never be good enough but I promise you
you’re worth so much more than any
amount of money or incentives that comes
along with being a prostitute you don’t
need to give anyone the ability to make
you feel any less of a woman let alone a
human being because you have so much
more to offer than using your body or
staying in a situation because you think
you have no choice wrong we all have a
choice I think everyone needs to
understand that health care
relationships do exist and there are
better ways to cope you see I know that
this is true because I’ve been placed in
this unknown environment where judgment
clicks appearances bullying and
degrading yes it still does exist here
and yet for the last five years I’ve had
no choice but to knock down barriers and
face the ugly truth of my reality and I
fought for my sanity day after day and I
struggled to love myself to this process
but I found the courage to own my story
and I chose to stop existing and start
living and with lots of faith in praying
this is what’s come of it you see one
day you gained the ability to love
yourself instead of waiting for someone
else to love you within time you learn
to forgive yourself and those who have
hurt you you find that thing called
courage and let go of your chains and
your past lives and you fight for your
South dignity and value and then you
realize it’s okay to be alone because
you are enough
and eventually you find the true meaning
of beauty beyond your curtains ladies
and gentlemen today I stand here 23
years later in front of you all and I
will continue to let go the mask that I
carry of shame failure guilt ugliness
and anger to finally understand the
meaning of endurance and strength and to
now know my worth as a woman and to know
that I have a voice and the right to use
it but there’s this thing that I want to
share that’s amazing it’s the beauty
that I found within the walls of Perry
Val you see these women here they’re
true survivors and they continue to
fight the darkness with the little light
that they have by being courageous and
embracing each struggle and let down
with the hope of one day each layer of
their past lives will be gone and they
get the opportunity to be their own
voice so my question to you all today
isn’t how do we get people to speak up
and use their voice but it’s how do we
get people to be brave enough to listen
and take action my challenge for you all
today is going to be to not only find
the love courage strength and freedom
within yourselves but to please give
someone else that hope to find it within
themselves and instead of hashtagging me
to be the hashtag not me anymore
thank you [Applause]
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