Ima Matul
Survivor Coordinator, Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking
Together with Rafael Bautista, Suleman Masood, Angela Guanzon, Jess Torres, Nat Paul, and others, we have ferociously been advocating for the rights of immigrant laborers in the United States and have made incredible impact in US anti-trafficking efforts and policies. As the Administration has been cracking down on protections for migrants—we have stepped up to respond to the Notice To Appear, Signed on to Amicus Briefs for the Public Charge Rule, spoken to media on behalf of the needs and intersections of trafficking and migration. Through our experience of being trafficked we’ve learned the importance of standing for others, to protect from harms, and to speak out against atrocities being thrown at us. Together we work to protect the human rights of all and stand on a Public Health Approach to ending systemic oppression.
“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” - Elie Wiesel
Biography
Ima Matul Maisaroh is a survivor advocate, mentor, consultant, powerful speaker, and currently the Survivor Leadership Program Manager at the Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST). Ima manages multiple projects related to survivor leadership including overseeing the LA Survivor Network “Resilient Voices” and the National Survivor Network (NSN), a network of human trafficking survivors who are now leaders in the fight to end human trafficking. Ima is also one of the founding members of the survivor leadership program, and since its inception in 2004 Ima has spoken at local, national, and international conferences and trainings. Ima has met with state and federal legislators, officials, academics, and celebrities to advocate for increased protections for survivors, and to promote leadership development. Ima has received multiple awards for her work including recognition from President Barack Obama as a hero in today’s modern abolitionist movement and the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Award. Ima was also appointed to the first United States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking to advise and provide recommendations to the President Interagency Taskforce (PITF) and the Senior Policy Operating Group (SPOG) to improve federal anti-trafficking policies, as well as speaking at the Democratic National Convention.