Christine Marie never expected the man sent to exploit her would be the one who helped her escape.
She was a survivor of cult-based human trafficking by a former polygamist in Utah—still deep in trauma when she found the courage to report the crime to police. They did nothing. She called to check. Again. And again. Each time, the same silence. Did her story not matter?
An attorney eventually advised her to go public. Reluctantly, she agreed—hoping that telling her story might protect others.
“I was afraid to do this,” she said, “but I felt a duty to warn the public. If someone had spoken up before me, it could have protected me.”
When the article was published, it brought attention—but also blame. Still, it worked. The Utah Attorney General’s office finally reached out and sent an investigator to interview her.
At the end of the meeting, he paused, then explained how difficult this case might be.
“A jury would likely say… well, she believed him.”
In that moment, it became clear: the system wasn’t just failing her—it was blaming her. Did her prior beliefs make her unworthy of justice and support?
Christine left Utah determined to rebuild her life.
Over the next decade, she immersed herself in the study of cult psychology, searching for answers. She returned to school, earned her MBA, and co-founded a successful technology company with her partner. Slowly, she rebuilt not just her life—but her voice.
This time, she was ready to tell her story again.
While living in Las Vegas, Christine agreed to participate in a documentary with a reputable production company. She hoped it would finally bring awareness in a meaningful, accurate way.
It didn’t.
When the episode aired in 2013, her story had been distorted. Her words were edited. Entire sentences were constructed that she never said. Once again, she was misrepresented—and publicly shamed.
The backlash was immediate, cruel, and it aired repeatedly on networks worldwide.
She was so devastated by the online cruelty, she could barely function. For a time, she lost her will to live.
But that wasn’t the end of her story.
It was the turning point.
Christine chose to transform her experience into something bigger than herself. She founded Voices for Dignity—an awareness campaign dedicated to preventing human trafficking, public humiliation, religious trauma, online cruelty, and other forms of abuse.
The motto?
Speaking Up & Changing Lives.
In 2016, Christine and her husband, Tolga Katas, moved to Hildale, Utah to work directly with members of the FLDS community while she completed her PhD in Media Psychology.
What she discovered there changed her perspective.
The polygamous people she had once advocated against were themselves deeply misunderstood—often stigmatized in ways that caused further harm. Listening to their stories reshaped her approach.
Voices for Dignity shifted from advocacy rooted in opposition to one grounded in compassion and harm reduction.
From that transformation came Christine’s trademark phrase:
Stop judging. Start helping.
Today
Voices for Dignity is committed to using media for good, amplifying authentic voices, promoting online civility, and ensuring that people can tell their stories in their own words—without fear of distortion, shame, or silence.
This is more than awareness. It’s more than helping people heal and thrive after being traumatized by some form of humiliation, stigmatization, or powerlessness.
It’s a movement to promote human dignity and kindness.