Description
About the Author

A constant stream of impoverished women and girls have been, and are being, enslaved and abused in the Asia Pacific region. Slavery is not a historical issue – it’s happening today. History is repeating itself.
Through my work in journalism, counter-trafficking and philanthropy, I’ve had rare and incredible access to victims of sex trafficking and modern slavery in China, Thailand, Cambodia, North Korea, South Korea, Myanmar and Indonesia.
Amid this terrible human suffering, I’ve seen frontline workers carrying a great light that has overcome the darkness in some of the most frightening places on Earth. With my husband, Matthew Friedman, a leading international anti-slavery professional with 30 years of field experience, I’ve campaigned against modern slavery and informed and mobilised many people, churches and organisations around the world for this cause.
This memoir describes my personal journey in the fight against slavery through supporting philanthropic initiatives and raising awareness through writing articles and producing films. I share my personal setbacks, and how my awakening to the plight of the victims of Imperial Japanese sex slavery during World War II helped me come to terms with my identity issues over my Korean heritage. I write about the lessons – the good, the bad, and the ugly – and the people and events that have shaped me along the way.
The overarching purpose of writing this personal coming-of-age story is to inspire and mobilise people to get involved in fighting slavery.
Sylvia Yu Friedman is an award-winning filmmaker, investigative journalist, international speaker, serial entrepreneur, and advisor to philanthropists.
She is the author of two books: Silenced No More: Voices of Comfort Women, the only journalistic account of Japanese military sex slavery during the Second World War, and Heart and Soul: The Life Story of Pastor Augustus Chao.
In 2017, Sylvia was listed in Assent Compliance's 'Top 100 Human Trafficking & Slavery Influence Leaders'. In 2013, she won the prestigious International Human Rights Press Award for her three-part documentary series on human trafficking in China, Hong Kong and Thailand.
After ten years of intensive research and interviews with elderly survivors, academics, lawyers and activists in different countries, Sylvia is considered a global expert on the victims of Japanese military sex slavery, known as 'comfort women'. She's been interviewed or featured by the BBC, CNN, CGTN, South China Morning Post, and The Globe and Mail, and covered widely in the media across China and the rest of Asia.
Sylvia is listed as a SheSource expert in the database of the Women's Media Center, which was founded by Jane Fonda and Gloria Steinem, and serves as a resource for journalists.
Sylvia believes her core calling is to use her business and communication skills to mobilise people and resources to help those suffering in the most marginalised places. Since 2005, Sylvia has managed and directed millions of dollars to major humanitarian portfolios, impacting the lives of more than a million people. This work has given her access to many influential networks in different countries.
Sylvia led a Hong Kong-based movement of 'passionate compassion' against human trafficking that involved more than 120 churches, NGOs and organisations, and later expanded to other countries, including Malaysia, China, Canada, South Africa and the US. Through more than 50 slavery awareness events over 18 months, her team has reached more than 25,000 people in universities, schools and major corporations like Goldman Sachs.
Sylvia is married to Matthew Friedman, a top-ranked inspirational keynote speaker and a leading global expert on slavery who is currently the CEO of The Mekong Club and was formerly a United Nations director and US diplomat. In the summer of 2016, they delivered 113 presentations in 27 US cities. She and Matthew are based in Hong Kong.

Authors

A Long Road to Justice Stories from the Frontlines in Asia