http://shobanapowellconsulting.com/

Shobana Powell Consulting, New York, NY (2026)

09/17/2026

Join us for an interdisciplinary, intergenerational, intercultural United Nations General Assembly parallel event on hope with these powerhouse global human rights leaders:

✨ Ruchira Gupta of Apne Aap Women Worldwide : Columnist, Emmy-winning documentarian, author, and professor exploring gender, power, democracy, and freedom

✨ Jessica-Wind P. Abolafia: Senior Program Director of the Anti-Trafficking Initiative (ATI) at Sanctuary for Families and legal expert on human trafficking and femicide

✨ Dr. Shobana Powell, DSW, LCSW : Mental health clinician and global human rights consultant specializing in the intersections of human trafficking, gender-based violence and systemic oppression (Obama Leader USA)

✨ L Villaherrera : Founder of TRACODA, a Salvadoran organization working at the intersection of tech, democracy, and civic empowerment, with work extending across El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala (Obama Scholar)

✨ Ivanna Morales Mercado: Multicultural climate storyteller and founder of Ivanna | Ecoluminary , exploring how food, culture, storytelling, and gathering can foster belonging and hope amid a changing climate (Obama Voyager)

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Links in bio to register online via Zoom or in-person in NYC (seats are limited)

09/09/2026

On September 25th, Sahiyo, Shobana Powell Consulting, and Nomi Network, will present "Intersections of FGM/C and Human Trafficking: A Global Needs Assessment" at the 2026 International Human Trafficking & Social Justice Conference (IHTSJ).

Drawing on insights from experts and lived experience leaders across 24 countries, the session will look at the connections between FGM/C and human trafficking and what’s needed for stronger, survivor-centered responses.

Join us for the conversation!

🔗 General registration: www.traffickingconference.com/register
📩 Survivors can attend for free: Email [email protected] to request the free registration link

09/09/2026

We are so excited to be presenting at the International Human Trafficking and Social Justice Conference IHTSJ Conference on our research on the global intersections of FGM/C (female ge***al mutilation/cutting) and human trafficking.

A huge thank you to all the global experts, including survivors and advocates, who informed our study and to our research team from Shobana Powell Consulting (SPC), Sahiyo- United Against FGC , Nomi Network , and University of Northern Colorado, including those on this panel and those behind the scenes.

Registration:
✨ To register, visit https://www.traffickingconference.com/register (link in bio)
✨ Registration is free for survivors of FGM/C or human trafficking. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Language Access:
✨ Audio is in English
✨ Zoom captions are available in 45 languages, including Tamil, Tagalog, Bangla, and more. Zoom does not include captions in Sinhala or Cebuano. To receive a written summary of the webinar in Sinhala or Cebuano, please email us at [email protected]

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Swipe ➡️ for Tamil, Sinhala, Bangla/Bengali, Tagalog, and Cebuano.

பெண் பிறப்புறுப்பு சிதைப்பு/வெட்டுதல் (FGM/C) மற்றும் மனித கடத்தல் ஆகியவற்றின் உலகளாவிய தொடர்புகளைப் பற்றிய எங்கள் ஆய்வை சர்வதேச மனித கடத்தல் மற்றும் சமூக நீதி மாநாட்டில் வழங்குவதில் நாங்கள் பெருமகிழ்ச்சி அடைகிறோம்.

எங்கள் ஆய்வுக்கு வழிகாட்டுதலும் தகவல்களும் வழங்கிய பாதிக்கப்பட்டோர், ஆதரவாளர்கள் மற்றும் உலகம் முழுவதிலுமுள்ள நிபுணர்கள் அனைவருக்கும் எங்கள் மனமார்ந்த நன்றியைத் தெரிவித்துக் கொள்கிறோம். அதேபோல், ஷோபனா பவல் கன்சல்டிங் (SPC), சஹியோ, நோமி நெட்வொர்க் மற்றும் வடக்கு கொலராடோ பல்கலைக்கழகம் ஆகியவற்றைச் சேர்ந்த எங்கள் ஆய்வுக் குழுவினருக்கும் — இந்த அமர்வில் பங்கேற்பவர்கள் மட்டுமன்றி பின்னணியில் உழைத்தவர்களுக்கும் — எங்கள் ஆழ்ந்த நன்றியைத் தெரிவித்துக் கொள்கிறோம்.

பதிவு:
✨ பதிவு செய்ய, பின்வரும் இணையதளத்தைப் பார்வையிடவும்: https://www.traffickingconference.com/register
✨ FGM/C அல்லது மனித கடத்தலால் பாதிக்கப்பட்டவர்களுக்குப் பதிவு இலவசம். மேலும் தகவலுக்கு [email protected] என்ற முகவரியில் தொடர்பு கொள்ளவும்.

மொழி அணுகல்:
✨ ஒலி ஆங்கிலத்தில் இருக்கும்
✨ Zoom தலைப்புரைகள் (captions) தமிழ், தகலாக், பங்களா உள்ளிட்ட 45 மொழிகளில் கிடைக்கின்றன. சி

09/08/2026

HISTORIC NEWS: A federal court recently handed down a $50+ million judgment – the highest civil award ever granted to an individual survivor of s*x trafficking in US history.

A huge congratulations to Adriane Moen, Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, and Chapman and Cutler LLP for this landmark win!

And thank you to the SPC team who contributed to the expert report on long-term pain and suffering, including Ashante Taylorcox, AJ Dunn, and others who guided and advised and who prefer to remain anonymous for safety and confidentiality reasons. Thank you for your collaboration and for the ways in which we supported each other along the way.

This was a responsibility we did not take lightly, and it was our honor to support how we could.

See here for the full Chicago Tribune article: https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/12/rock-island-s*x-trafficking-judgment/

06/03/2026

May was AAPI and Mental Health Month, and I spent it reflecting on a sabbatical to South Asia and more. Doing something so few of us get to do, and so many of us deeply deserve: rest.

The Taj Mahal was pure magic- I think you can see it on my face ✨

But my favorite place was Jaffna, Sri Lanka, the place I grew up hearing stories about, the place of my people, the place of Tamil Sri Lankans that felt like home but that I had never seen before.

It’s a classic diaspora story, but one I think is so worth telling (even if I don’t have a lot of photos to share since they all have little ones running around in them 🤣 the best problem to have).

And one of the most powerful moments there was visiting the Jaffna Public Library [swipe ➡️], a place my dad used to ride his bike to every day as a kid. Forty five years ago this week, it was burned down, an attempt to erase our history, our language, and our people.

But today, it stands tall, and the best part was my daughter getting to read books in the same place my dad and so many before him used to, filling the halls with giggles and joy and the most powerful thing, hope.

Our roots run deep, and our people are unbreakable. I am returning with a full heart, a rested spirit, and a fire in my bones for the work ahead 🔥

04/24/2026

Link in bio for the full article with direct links to donate to each org

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We are heartbroken by the domestic violence mass shooting and attempted femicide in Shreveport, Louisiana earlier this week.

I spent close to a decade doing gender-based violence work in Shreveport and members of our team at SPC (Shobana Powell Consulting) still live and work there, deeply rooted in the domestic violence community.

We put together this list of local orgs we have worked with directly and who are doing impactful anti-violence work in the community, in case folks are looking for ways to support:

1️⃣ serves survivors of domestic violence, s*xual assault, and child abuse

2️⃣ empowers survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and those impacted by racism

3️⃣ The Caddo/Bossier DV Task Force supports survivors of domestic violence

4️⃣ serves homeless families with children in Northwest Louisiana

5️⃣ provides mental health counseling and trauma therapy for children and families

6️⃣ is a Child Advocacy Center supporting child survivors of abuse and child witnesses of violence

And to anyone, especially survivors, who may be struggling after hearing this tragic news, remember you are not alone.

If you’re feeling sad, anxious, distracted, numb, enraged, triggered, overwhelmed, or anything in between, you’re human, and your body and brain are reacting to violence we should never have to endure.

Be kind and gentle to yourself, and if you need support, consider reaching out to your local DV hotline, the national Su***de and Crisis Hotline at , or visit our SPC National Inclusive Wellness Resources List for more options for support.

11/26/2025

“Join me in proving that a survivor’s pain matters more than a system’s power.”

This week, I had the profound honor of addressing the United Nations General Assembly and its President regarding the UN Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons.

I shared emerging trends from our collaborative research on polyvictimization and the global intersections of female ge***al mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and s*x, labor, and organ trafficking, highlighting how in several regions across the world- including the United States- corruption across political, law‑enforcement, and religious institutions intersect with organized crime, allowing criminal networks to operate with impunity.

I recommended we:
1️⃣ Create stronger accountability for institutional and government corruption
2️⃣ Offer flexible funding and direct cash assistance to survivors to meet their needs before traffickers do
3️⃣ Center survivor leadership, paying lived experience experts like the experts they are- and ensuring they are shaping policies and programs from beginning to end
4️⃣ Prioritize staff wellness through organizational vicarious trauma and vicarious resilience protocols to sustain our humanitarian workforce, and
5️⃣ Invest in long-term economic justice and stability for survivors so they can thrive life-long

I called for us to center the needs of those most at risk- LGBTQ+ folks, religious and ethnic minorities, migrants, the displaced, the silenced, the oppressed.

And lastly, I made little me- a gentle yet fierce little brown girl raised to believe in goodness and light- so very proud.

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A huge shout out to the amazing researchers and experts behind our global research including folks from our team at Shobana Powell Consulting (SPC) , , Angie Cameron Schultz , and more brilliant partners behind the scenes (just confirming safety and permission to tag!) and to the powerhouse speakers and colleagues from whom I am honored to learn, like Abdus Salam, Malaika Oringo , Hala Ghoson, PharmD and many more

10/28/2025

Honored to get to speak on familial trafficking at the Together We Can Conference on child abuse and neglect.

Familial trafficking (s*x and/or labor exploitation facilitated by caregivers/family) is the most common form of international s*x and labor trafficking and the most common form of s*x trafficking in the U.S. And yet, it is one of the most overlooked, under-identified, under-reported, and under-researched forms of exploitation.

So glad to see more training and research on this and honored to be a small part of it. It’s also extra special to be at this conference since it’s in Louisiana, where much of my familial trafficking work began (and controversial opinion, but it doesn’t hurt that it’s the best food in the country!)

09/17/2025

Absolutely nerding out on this topic today with the brilliant Ashante Taylorcox from

Stepping back and seeing us on the screen as two clinicians of color speaking on culturally responsive diagnosis for and with survivors is just a VIBE. ✊🏾🥹❤️

Taking a moment of gratitude that I get to do what I do alongside world-changing humans like Ashante 🖤🔥 and for conferences like for uplifting transformative work like this 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

09/04/2025

So excited to get to present alongside at the National Crime Victims Center Conference 🔥🖤🙌🏾

Shobana Powell Consulting

09/17/2026

09/09/2026

09/09/2026

09/08/2026

06/03/2026

04/24/2026

11/26/2025

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