Surviving Sex Trafficking examines the ongoing struggles of those survivors as they desperately fight to break free of their past, heal their bodies and minds, reconnect with a world of hope, and reclaim their lost humanity.
Jain monk Sadhvi Siddhali Shree, the filmmaker behind the award-winning documentary Stopping Traffic: The Movement to End Sex Traffic, uncovers the depth of pain felt by survivors as well as if and how they can truly recover.
Sadhvi Siddhali Shree is the first North American Jain female-monk, a US Army veteran, TEDx speaker, social justice advocate, author, and documentary filmmaker. Driven by her deep-seated devotion to humanity, she uses her talents and skills to raise awareness about violence in the world and ways to change it. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from California State University, Long Beach and background in web development, marketing, video production, and book publishing, she has helped spread the teachings of her spiritual mentor, Acharya Shree Yogeesh, which has touched and transformed millions of lives. She serves as the Spiritual Director of Siddhayatan Tirth, a 250-acre spiritual retreat center based near Dallas, Texas. She has authored three books on her teachings, and found her calling after seeing a film about sex trafficking. It was then that she decided to work with activists to expose the horrors of the 150-billion-dollar industry. Her first film, Stopping Traffic: The Movement to End Sex Trafficking, did just that, drawing awards from festivals as well as international attention on the important issue.
With her team of filmmakers and monks, Shree travels the world to women’s shelters and to victims who are ready to talk, share their stories, and fight for a better future. With her upcoming sophomore feature. Surviving Sex Trafficking, Shree calls for empathy and understanding for ostracized survivors to help them, and the world, heal from the tragic wounds
