Jessa Dillow Crisp

Jessa Dillow Crisp (born 1988) is a survivor of and an advocate against human trafficking for the sex industry.

Jessa Dillow Crisp was sexually abused by family members since the age of 10. They then forced her to be a model for child pornographers. After that her family trafficked her to pimps and pedophiles in the surrounding neighborhoods. Crisp says that the abuse also took place in local brothels and hotels. She claims that she was trafficked domestically in Canada but also across the border in the USA. She described the impact it had on her in the following way: I was scared to reach out for help and growing up the message that was branded on my heart was the idea that I had no worth, I was shameful, and all I was good for was sex. Crisp also stated that police officers were among her abusers and that she was threatened with being put in jail if she ever spoke out about what was happening to her.

Crisp managed to escape with the help of a woman who ran a save house and helped survivors of human trafficking in 2010. She planned her escape for months. She received help to get to the airport and bord a plane and entered a save house in the US. However she had to leave that place because her 6 months tourist visa expired. Crisp subsequently entered a save house in Vancouver. There she was sadly befriended by a disguised female pimp. This pimp proceeded to traffic her during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Crisp managed to escape once again to the same safe house she was before in the US. The head of the save house suggested that Crisp should enrol in college. She was first hesitant and believed that it wouldn't be possible for her to be accepted or go through college as she hadn't been able to attend school at all in her childhood. She was then told by the head of the save house "If you can read you can learn anything." Crisp diligently started to study hard in order to apply for college. She managed to get accepted into Nazarene Bible College and was thus able to obtain a student visa, which made it possible for her to stay in the US.

Crisp graduated summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA BA in Clinical Counseling in 2016. She was the valedictorian of her class. She is continuing her education in an MA program for Clinical Mental Health Counseling and is planning on obtaining a PhD in Clinical Psychology with a specialisation in trauma recovery. She is expected to graduate with a MA in May 2020.

Crisp is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Bridge Hope Now since 2011. The organisation provides trainings for organisations on what human trafficking is, how to spot it and how to combat it. Bridge Hope Now is also developing a smart phone app to coordinate resources for survivors or networks that victims can use to exit the sex industry. The organisation also helps survivors thrive in their lives after human trafficking through a mentorship program and a holiday program (including Christmas gifts and programs for survivors). Crisp is a public speaker on the topic of human trafficking. She has given a talk for the US Air Force Academy National Character and Leadership Symposium in 2018. Crisp has aside from that spoken at several conferences on human trafficking and worked with anti- human trafficking organisations both in the US and Europe.

Jessa Dillow Crisp was adopted by Jody and Linda Dillow at age 21. The married couple was on the board of the safe house in the US where Jessa had found refuge. Crisp married John Crisp in 2015. Her husband is a photographer and PhD student. They both live in Denver, Colorado.