Inspire, Summer 2010

Building a Case At the heart of the legislative battle against human trafficking and child exploitation in the U.S. is Amy Allen ’87. She is an ICE victim witness specialist — and the only one in this role serving Michigan and Ohio. Amy has the delicate responsibility of interviewing victims who have been physically, psychologically, and emotionally wounded. Law enforcement officials witness the interviews and review the testimonies to assess whether charges can be filed, the case taken to court, and justice served. So much is at stake in the moments Amy spends with victims. Interviews are not interrogations. If victims feel defensive, they may withhold crucial information that could lead to a conviction. Amy frames her questions objectively, avoiding the word “you.” For example, asking, “What did you do next?” communicates that in the midst of the victim’s dire situation, there was something the victim could have done, an action within her power, to change her circumstance. Instead, the question “What happened next?” removes the implication that a victim shares implicit responsibility for the crime. Amy is trained to consider the developmental reasoning capabilities of a child as well as the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on a victim’s recollection of specific details or events. “As a survival defense,” she said, “the mind will block out traumatic experiences. It’s common for a victim to have no memory of a given period of time. A trained interviewer can identify PTSD and understands that memory lapse does not indicate a victim is fabricating a story.” Bringing Justice Amy majored in psychology at Cedarville and went on for a master’s degree in criminal justice. As a child protection therapist, she worked with young victims of sexual assault and accompanied them to court. Her heart went out to the children who had survived unspeakable violence, and she knew she had found her calling as an advocate, a voice, for children. When she became the director of an advocacy center in Pontiac, Michigan, she began learning how to conduct forensic interviews and was soon recognized as one of the first forensic interview specialists in Michigan. She was invited to join a subcommittee of the Governor’s Task Force where she assisted in writing a protocol for interviewing children in her state. Amy’s exceptional commitment to her calling opened doors of unexpected influence. In 2006, she was invited by the U.S. Department of Justice to speak at the Eurasian Regional Conference Against Child Exploitation, held in Moldova. The conference brought together legislators from six Eastern European countries that were, for the first time, developing laws against child pornography, child trafficking, and sex tourism. Amy spoke specifically about how to interview child victims so their statements could be entered as evidence in a court of law. She never dreamed that her calling to help children would extend to those in desperate need around the world. Two years later, Amy landed her dream job with DHS. Although the rewards are great, so too is the challenge and the heartbreak. Every day, Amy is confronted with the reality of evil in the world, the shocking depravity of man, and the costly toll of sin on the most vulnerable among us. She learned early to separate her life from her work and not carry the heaviness home. “There will always be that child who crawls into your heart and lives there forever,” Amy said. “But I can leave the office each day knowing I did some good today. And I’m coming back to do some more good tomorrow.” Amy Allen ’87 is a victim witness specialist with the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Office of Investigation. She and her son, Calvin, live near Detroit, Michigan, and are loyal Detroit Lions fans. You may contact her at Amy.Allen@dhs.gov . Learn more about human trafficking in your community and around the world at www.ice.gov/investigations or www.notforsalecampaign.org. Carol Lee ’96 is the senior communication specialist in marketing at Cedarville University. You may contact her at carollee@cedarville.edu . CEDARVILLE UNIVERSITY 21