Alicia Kozakiewicz
Alicia Kozakiewicz is an internationally-acclaimed and highly sought-after motivational speaker, Internet safety expert, victim and missing persons advocate, and television personality who has inspired millions through her in person and on-screen appearances. Passionate and straight-from-the-heart, Alicia motivates her audiences to transcend life’s challenges, pursue their passions, and discover their purpose.
Alicia’s extraordinary life story exemplifies the strength of the human spirit’s ability to overcome adversity and to deny defeat.
SURVIVOR – At the age of 13, Alicia Kozakiewicz became the first widely reported Internet-related child abduction victim. The abduction took place on January 1, 2002, when Alicia was kidnapped outside of her Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania home after having been groomed online and lured by an Internet predator. The 38-year-old man transported Alicia by car to his Herndon, Virginia home where she was held captive in his basement dungeon. Throughout her captivity, Alicia was chained by the neck, sexually assaulted, and her torture was live-streamed. Terrified, knowing that the man would soon kill her, Alicia struggled to maintain hope that she would be found. Unbeknownst to her, the FBI received a tip from an online informant who had seen the livestream video. Following digital footprints, law enforcement stormed the captor’s home and discovered the petrified 13-year-old girl chained to the floor. Cutting the chain from around her neck, Alicia was set free.
Internet safety expert and founder of The Alicia Project, for the past 17 years she has pioneered insightful Internet safety and sexual exploitation awareness presentations to children and adults. One of the most vocal and outspoken advocates for child safety legislation, Alicia has testified before Congress and works to pass Alicia’s Law, her namesake, which provides funding to the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force enabling them to rescue endangered children.
Alicia Kozakiewicz was formerly part of the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC) as the Director of Outreach and Global Impact. As ICMEC’s spokesperson, she used the platform to protect children globally.
As a member of ICMEC, Alicia worked toward the prevention, response, recovery, and healing of every missing, sexually abused, and exploited children to make certain that no child stands alone.
She has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil, Fox & Friends, Good Morning America, Anderson Live, Investigation Discovery (ID), The CW, ABC, BBC, A&E, CNN, MSNBC, and many others, as well as in international publications such as People Magazine and Cosmopolitan.
