Human trafficking is one of the world’s darkest injustices. In this special series devoted to widening our circle of empathy for people who often feel marginalized or misunderstood, watch this powerful episode featuring María Juliana Prieto Gracía, a Colombian human rights lawyer and refugee advocate.

As a survivor of sexual violence, María Juliana has transformed her trauma into a powerful force for systems change. Shaped by Colombia’s armed conflict and her family’s refugee journey, she now works tirelessly to end gender-based violence and defend human rights.

Together, we discuss:

• The importance of listening to survivors without judgment

• Why armed conflict and forced displacement shape cycles of trauma

• How to confront the structural causes of sexual and gender-based violence

• How resilience and advocacy can drive justice and healing

• Having empathy for refugees, whose humanity has too often been denied

If you’ve ever wondered about human trafficking and how to support refugees, this conversation will open your heart and mind.

00:00 Preview

01:16 Introduction 

00:11 About Maria Juliana Prieto Gracía 

02:36 Maria Juliana’s backstory

07:58 How Maria Juliana became a human rights activist?

14:03 A message to survivors of sexual violence

16:40 Moments that inspired Maria Juliana to become an advocate

21:51 Maria Juliana’s fight to end sexual exploitation

23:15 What makes Maria Juliana a staunch refugee advocate

30:48 Maria Juliana’s message to those who have experienced sexual violence

37:00 Maria Juliana’s message to communities that tolerate “red zones”

39:39 Seeing humanity through equity, not power

43:02 The biggest misconceptions about refugees

50:08 How Trump’s policies violate human rights

58:18 Why refugee lived experience matters at the border

01:00:14 What role does empathy play in human trafficking?

01:04:27 Maria Juliana Prieto Gracía’s  Purposeful Empathy story

CONNECT WITH ANITA

✩ Email purposefulempathy@gmail.com 

✩ Website https://www.anitanowak.com

✩ Buy a copy of Purposeful Empathy http://tiny.cc/PurposefulEmpathyCA

✩ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/anitanowak/

✩ Instagram https://tinyurl.com/anitanowakinstagram

✩ Podcast Audio https://tinyurl.com/PurposefulEmpathyPodcast

✩ Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/anitanowak.bsky.social

CONNECT WITH MARIA

✩ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/maría-juliana-prieto-gracia-008446158/ 

Video edited by Jad Misri,  Green Horizon Studio