A lot of people think that sex trafficking only happens abroad, in poor areas or in areas of moral degradation. But the truth is sex trafficking happens here, in the United States, every single day. (It happens abroad too, here is the story of one of the girls who changed my life in India)
I know it because I have seen it. I know it because I have held the hands and wiped the tears of the victims of sex trafficking as they told their story, which usually goes something like this:
She grew up in the foster care system or an abusive household. Growing up she never really knew love. So, when she meets a guy who appears to love her, she dives in headfirst, not knowing she was actually his prey. He would offer her gifts, compliments, and give her physical and emotional intimacy. All while making promises of a better future and luxuries.
Over the span of the relationship he would push her further and further to do things she wouldn’t feel comfortable with. He would introduce her to drugs, then violence, and pretty soon he would be convincing her to sleep with his friends. Next he would isolate her from everyone that she knows, sometimes even giving her a new name, and take her forms of identification. Pretty soon this girl was being forced to have sex with other men for money. She knows she is being abused, but she won’t leave because this is the only “love” she has ever had, no matter how tainted it is. On top of that she believes there is no way out, because he has isolated her from anyone who would have been able to help her.
The pimp then moves her to a new location where he thinks he can market her services: massage parlors, online escort services, brothels, strip clubs, truck stops, hotels and motels, and even public streets. The pimps would then take her earnings to keep her further in bondage.
The pimps know what they are looking for and often start targeting girls between the ages of 11 and 14. Oftentimes these children are runaways and one of three of them is recruited by a pimp within the first 48 hours. According to FBI reports, once she is recruited her life expectancy drops to only seven years due to the risks of overdose, homicide, suicide, and STDS.
I have heard this story many times, and each time it breaks my heart all over again.
The process to get back to a normal life is a long one, often times the emotional and spiritual scars run deep and the women have to go through years of counseling to get healthy again and even then some scars can never be erased.
It is time that stories of sex trafficking in the U.S. stop.
There are individuals and organizations out there who are fighting to make a difference in these women’s lives and there are ways to get involved.
Organizations like A21, International Justice Mission, and the Polaris Project are fighting to make a difference in these women’s lives. On a smaller scale, Atlanta has Out of Darkness rescuing women from sex trafficking in the US.
Individuals, like you, are also capable of putting an end to this trade. Speak up against the horrors of trafficking, pray for an end to this practice, volunteer or donate at the above listed organizations, or join a community committed to seeing sex trafficking ended in the U.S. and abroad.
You can make a difference in the lives of these women. You can change your corner of the earth and you can do it all right now.
I believe in you. I believe you can make a difference in their lives. So please, get out there do it.
Did you know sex trafficking is in the US? What can we do to help the problem?
The statistics