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ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – In our third installment honoring four remarkable women of the Big Country, we meet Stephanie Rocha, known best around town as a long-time advocate and voice for human trafficking and victims. Her drive for this work stems from a personal experience.
“I saw it happen firsthand to somebody that I love; somebody that was like my daughter,” Rocha explained to KTAB/KRBC. “I was just blown away, and how can I go back to not doing something?”
Her nomination included key descriptive words like calming energy, genuine, and heartfelt.
One nomination for Rocha reads in part, “She has a true heart for the unfortunate, and anyone who’s gone through traumatic experiences. She has a very calm demeanor and peaceful spirit, which allows her to be objective with most people that she meets and be able to give a genuine, heartfelt response when needed… I have seen her do this with a genuine calling and tenacity to truly help victims, even at the cost of death threats. There is a beautiful authenticity to her that frankly, some people just don’t have.”
Beyond Trafficking was established in 2017 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to educate the public and support survivors of human trafficking. Rocha said the Big Country is surprisingly vulnerable to those dangers.
“The average age of entry for human trafficking survivors 11 to 12 years of age, and I just realized that our youth are the most vulnerable here in Abilene. We have such a large population of unaccompanied youth, which makes them completely vulnerable,” said Rocha.
Through Beyond Trafficking, Rocha and her team provides resources such as clothes, food, and shelter to survivors. To support her mission, she also hosts community events, encouraging survivors to tell their stories.
“We realized there is not a lot of aftercare for human trafficking survivors, especially in the Big Country region,” Rocha revealed. “Most people say, ‘well, we’re going to give survivors your voice back- survivors have a voice.’ But our job is to make sure that it’s heard.”
In KTAB/KRBC’s sit-down with Rocha, she said she considers her work with Beyond Trafficking her “heart job,” but it comes with challenges. Her wall of Gilgal keeps her going.
“In the Bible, it was a remembrance of what the Lord had pulled you through, and to be able to look back and see the things we’ve accomplished, to see the freedom on these walls, to see our survivors telling their stories; this reminds me of why I do this,” smiled Rocha.
She uses her platform to educate the community on the importance of not pushing the issue off because it does not seem prevalent locally. By sharing stories of local survivors, Rocha said it helps get the message across.
“Being able to connect these resources and put some spotlight on what we’re doing, and Beyond Trafficking,” Rocha added, explaining her mission. “Hear the success stories, hear the need, and remember that human trafficking just doesn’t happen halfway across the world, but it happens here in our own backyard.”
Rocha is currently extending resources to five other countries including Peru, where she is working to get a safehouse for survivors.
Throughout the month of March, KTAB/KRBC will highlight four women of the Big Country nominated for our parent company’s Remarkable Women contest. Our 2024 Remarkable Woman will be announced at the beginning of April, and she will be awarded a physically large check in the amount of $1,000 to go to a nonprofit of her choosing. Then, she’ll be flown into Hollywood, California for the national Remarkable Women event by Nexstar.