Dr. Megan Manigault on
“Giving a Voice to Survivors of Sex Trafficking”
Air Date: Saturday, April 23, 2022
The South Carolina Attorney General reported earlier this year that over 136 reported sex trafficking incidents have happened in the State of South Carolina. “It happens right here,” Dr. Megan Manigault says. “In different areas, coming from Mt. Pleasant, Beaufort, Myrtle Beach. It’s happening here. So it’s just time for us to speak up and really drive home it is happening here. It could be our daughter. It could be our niece. It could be someone that we love. So it’s time to stand up for something.” As a fellow survivor of sexual violence and the founder and executive director of “I AM VOICES, Inc.,” Dr. Manigault is an international speaker, mentor and community advocate responsible for finding safe housing, education, jobs and other resources for sex trafficking survivors who have aged out of the government’s system for protection. Listen as she shares statistics, stories and what Lowcountry residents can do to aid in the very real fight against sex trafficking happening right in our backyard.
Megan Manigault Bio:
Meet Megan Manigault, Founder/Executive Director, six-time Best-Selling Author, International Speaker, Mentor, Sexual Violence/Self Awareness Advocate. She is a Charleston native and has always been a forerunner, paving the way for others and showing her love for her community by sharing her talents and gifts.
In her teen years, Megan became a founding member of the Students Can Really Use Bedside Skills (S.C.R.U.B.S.) – a mentoring program at Roper St. Francis Healthcare. She continued to shine as a poet, being one of the first students to participate in “Gear Up” – Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs.
One of her poems (co-written with her mother) became the lyrics to a song entitled “STV”, used during the “Stop the Violence” month. Megan was the founding member of the “In the Spirit of Giving Fund” – a program started at Garrett Academy for students and family members experiencing traumatic life events.
As an actress with the “Charleston Street Vendors”, she performed in plays and skits about the history of Charleston and its enslaved people. These performances included the Mojo Arts Festival and the North Charleston Arts Festival.
Megan graduated from Trident Technical College and University of South Carolina, focusing on project management, healthcare, and psychology. She has worked in the medical field in various positions for over fifteen years. Through her studies of science, human culture/behavior, universe, and nature through the years ; Megan has received a Honorary Doctorate Degree in Philosophy focused on the study of Metaphysics. She has spent countless hours volunteering at hospitals, nursing homes, and various faith-based organizations. Megan has started many outreach and mentor camps for girls.
As a survivor of childhood sexual violence and other traumatic experiences, she founded I AM VOICES, Inc. in 2017- a non-for-profit organization located in North Charleston, SC and in 2018 her Lagos, Nigeria chapter; created to provide restorative care to young women at risk or victimized by sexual exploitation. In 2021, Megan opened the first Blooming Flower Transitional Housing Program in the State of South Carolina for young women who has experienced sex trafficking, sexual violence, aging out the foster care system, ages 18-24, in spring 2021 through self-funding and community donations. The program organized and run by I AM VOICES, Inc. provides innovative, hands-on help with housing, life skills, job placement, education, transportation, social skills, financial literacy, therapy, education, job placement, and positive contraceptive choices to young women.
Her program, Your Voice, Your Unique Power in Lagos, Nigeria created a unique way for young children to learn social emotional learning through learning the power in their voice, body safety, and boundaries.
